Dear Freshman Abby,

Don't worry. You make it out alive.

Some things that will stay the same:

You will never stop desiring mermaid-like hair. (You crack and chop it off in the winter of 2010, but it grows back. Very, very slowly.)

You continue to attach cosmic significance to the moment in which any boy looks at you. However: Try and chill out a bit and maybe forget about the Boy Who Plays the Drums, Boy from Freshman P.E, Boy You’d Love To Hate, Boy in the Checkered Shirt, and Boy with Blue Eyes. None of them ever work out. (In fact, they’re actually solid people to have as friends. Try that sometime.)

Your makeup routine consists of: a swiping of powder, a puff of blush, and chapstick. (You give up on eyeliner rather quickly.)

The 49'ers t-shirt never stops being the most reliable article of clothing ever.

Pepper is a greater cuddle buddy than any boy. 

Grades are always important to you, whether you enjoy the class or not. 

Tree-climbing and thunderstorms are your versions of heaven. 

Some things that will shift dramatically: 

The number of people you call your "best friends." 

Your bangs. 

The extent to which certain movies (and moments) can make you cry.

Your taste in music. (Oh, how quickly you realize that there is more than Owl City and PureNRG! Soon you'll discover the joy that is Keane and Sleeping At Last and Jukebox the Ghost. Get excited.)

The number of leather-bound journals in the pink shoebox. 

Your level of competitiveness in team-oriented games. 

Your sunglasses collection grows beautifully! (Surprisingly, the Thailand/Cambodia border is a great place to look.)

Your comedic timing greatly improves. I think.

Some things you'll learn: 

Your fascination with using a camera lens to make the world look more like itself is just beginning. Soon, you’ll be discovering all the wonderful things a DSLR can do, moving to a house with a spectacular backyard view of the entire eastern Okinawa shoreline, and visiting places like Tokyo and New York city- places where photo-worthy moments will surround and overwhelm you.

Clothes should highlight you, not your body. And it's okay to surreptitiously copy those gorgeous hipsters. One day your style will be a blend of everyone you admire and somehow, it will be completely unique and yours. 

It's okay to be sad, even for a full year, but a genuine laugh or two during that time does not make you a traitor.

Diving with whale sharks is majestic, but throwing up over the side of the boat isn't. 

Wit is invaluable. 

Letting yourself sleep instead of crying at midnight over unfinished homework will not negatively impact the greater scale of your life.

Adventures come in all forms. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Enjoy the ride, kid. It flies by.