Dear Mountain Dew,

I want to start off by thanking you for all you do for me.

You keep me awake when I have to stay up and work on papers for classes, you make me smile when I'm down, you give me a fix when I'm having a soda craving; essentially, you rock my socks off. I take one sip of you, and my whole attitude changes. No matter how crappy of a day I'm having, you somehow always make it better. You help me forget all of my problems and some days more than others, I am eternally grateful for that.

I don't know if I would survive some days without you.

I also want to take time and thank your creators for making an incredible gift to the universe such as yourself, so thank you to Barney and Ally Hartman for your original invention, and thanks to Bill Bridgforth for developing the epic formula that we know today.

Since your epic creation, there have been many varieties of you that I have come to know and love, such as Original Mountain Dew, Code Red, Live Wire, Voltage, Throwback (gotta love it), White Out, Dewshine, Black Label, and my all-time favorite (aside from Original), BAJA BLAST.

I know there are many flavors of you that I have yet to try, but I have no doubt that when I do, they'll be rocking.

My first introduction to you came as a young child in the grocery store, but when I asked my mother about buying you, she said, "That has too much caffeine in it" and refused to buy you. A few years later, when Taco Bell came out with the Baja Blast flavor, I was hooked from the first time I finally got to take a sip of you. Every time I have gone to Taco Bell since I gotta have my Baja Blast, and when they sold you bottled in the grocery store? I lost my mind I was so excited.

Trying your incredible original formula didn't actually happen until my freshman year of college when I discovered I could purchase you with my meal plan, and when I did, I fell even deeper in love with you.

Now, despite how much love I have for you, you are not the only soda that I drink (sadly). Occasionally, I enjoy a regular, Vanilla, or Cherry Vanilla Pepsi, but rest assured Mountain Dew, you'll always be in my heart and on my mind, and no store-brand will ever be able to take your place. Whenever I pass you in the grocery store, I somehow find you in my cart.

No matter how far I go from home, I know I can always count on you to be there to comfort me and your bright, citrusy taste lights up my day.

So, my dearest Mountain Dew, thank you for always lighting up my day and giving me the kick in the butt I often need to get my work done. My gratitude to you is endless and boundless.

Sincerely yours,

A Mountain Dew addict.