Ten Hut! :)

I know it's hard to believe,

But I haven't always been the incredibly attractive,happy, bubbly, giggly, friendly gal that I am now.

I used to be a very angry person.

I had been convinced by the people that I thought were my friends, that I was not good, or smart, or pretty, or rich enough to matter.

Ergo, was labeled as a "loser" and tossed in the social outcast heap.

For those of you who have been through similar situations,

You know how horrible this feels.

Feeling like you'll never be good enough for anyone or anything.

Wishing you could steal a certain wizard's invisibility cloak and never have to face your peers.

I was miserable.

I hated everything and everyone,

And I didn't know how to change it.

{Then}

I met this amazing girl who taught me probably the most important thing I've ever learned:

As long as you think you're hot stuff, other people's opinions aren't worth poop.

My life drastically changed.

For the first time in a really long time, I let myself be happy.

And it was great.

But.

I still hadn't found my place, my niche.

The place that I really, truly belonged.

And would always belong. 

As the summer before my sophomore year of high school started, I decided that I needed to do something different.

Take a risk.

Do something wild.

So, at the insistance of one of my friends, I joined the marching band.

From the moment I first stepped on the field,

I knew.

I had found my place.

All of these people had been through almost exactly the same things I had; they knew how I felt, knew what I was going through and they instantly accepted me into their gloriously dorky family.

Over the next three years, my band literally became my family.

I laughed with them

Cried with them

Partied with them

Went to prom with them

Spent hundreds of hours on cramped busses with them

And I loved every second of it.

Now we're all graduated and moved on.

Scattered across the globe by missions, marriage, and school.

And though it's been years since I've seen or spoken to some of them, I know that they're still my family.

And whether it's my wedding, my baby shower, or even just my birthday

I know they'll always be there.

Because that's what familes are for.

My marching Tigers, thank you so much for everything.

You'll never know hom much you changed my life.

I love you all.