Taryn's Journal: Before you go to college in 3,4,6, or 8 years...

Before you go off to college in 3,4,6, or 8 years, here are a few things I'd like you to learn before trying to manage a household on your own:

1. Cross country shoes are best left in the garage. Especially on days when the fields are wet.

2. Things left in van pocket doors will go missing for long periods of time. Take the stuff you stuffed in there out with you when you get out of the car.

3. Use a shopping bag for trash in the car and take it out regularly. Mandarin oranges smell awful if left baking in the hot sun for weeks.

4. Don't forget to wash your sheets on a regular basis. Buy one set of higher quality sheets and the more you wash them, the softer they will get.

5. Keep up with your health- make good choices daily- remember what you want in the long-term, not just instant gratification

6. Buy portion-controlled grab-and-go breakfast items when they are on sale and stockpile, so you won't have to worry about being hangry on days when you are flying out the door. This is better on the budget too, so that you will have more money for other things in the long run.

7. Save the box-tops and pull-tabs off cans, and labels for education. It only takes a few seconds to help a school. Lots of small choices can make a big difference.

8. It's always nice to say thank you. Affirm the person for who they are, not just what they gave you.

9. Clean out your closets and share what you are not using with the next kid or family or donation drive. Be the kind of person that can both give and receive with grace.

10. Learning something new is cool. Spend the rest of your life learning- not just for the grades. Your education is bigger than your GPA, your college entrance acceptance, and your career choice. Your education is about becoming all that you can be and living life to the fullest.

11. Don't be this guy/gal. If you are last one to finish something, clean it up and put it away. Don't walk away and hope someone will do the job for you. Dishes do not magically hop into the dishwasher all by themselves. Please be considerate and clean up your own messes. You will have much better relationships with your roommates and family members if you carry your own load.

12. Dishes fit in the dishwasher better when they are stacked with like items, facing the same direction.

13. Build relationships with the people you live with. It is more important to be kind to your family members than to snapchat or skype your friend, or bake all three boxes of dessert by yourself. Calling people idiots and locking your siblings outside do not help build good relationships. Apologies are noble and good, but consequences still stand.

14. Remember that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become proficient in anything. Keep practicing! You are making progress even if you can't see it for yourself.