Ahhh, summer love.

Something every girl has dreamed of since the release of the all time summer love story "The Last Song." Girls dreamed of finding the man they would spend forever with in the 12 short weeks of summer like Ronnie did with Will.

The late night walks on the beach, screaming "She Will Be Loved" by Maroon 5 in the passenger seat of your crushes old truck, the sneaking out and partying, spending every waking moment with them, and falling in love is all any girl could want and it seemed like the ideal way to find the love of your life. Wrong. Let me tell you how summer love really works.

For 2 years before I graduated high school, I didn't date anyone...... not that I didn't have the chance of course. I thought that I would never get the summer love or any kind of love that all my friends had throughout high school because I never found anyone interested in me.

For a long time, I just prayed that God would bring me the summer love instead of praying for a Godly man.

It took me until about the end of my senior year to pray for God to send me that man I would love forever, instead of a boy who would just be there for summer love like I wanted. I never became interested in dating anyone after my last breakup. I talked to a couple guys, but they were useless boys per usual. Around mid-may, I found myself texting a couple people but never being serious until about a week before graduation.

I got a text from an old time friend that I've known since 4th grade (crazy I know). I was invited to come hangout and just be friends and of course I was nervous, but I went. After that evening, I found myself looking at my phone to see if he was going to text me. I wanted to know that we would hang out again and we did the next day and then the next and after the next few days, it turned into a week of seeing each other every day and then 2 weeks flew by.

I graduated from high school in that time and he moved back from Clemson. I become interested in someone who I hadn't talked to in years. I prayed and asked God why so soon did I fall for him... why was it so easy... was this just the summer love? Weeks turned into a month. We spent a week apart while I was on vacation and that was the worst week of summer... then we spent a week together in Myrtle and let me tell you.... spending a straight week with someone is hard, especially if you barely know them. I continued to pray for this guy I had been spending so much time with because I didn't know if I could handle the heart break at the end of the summer that I knew was coming too quick. But in those few weeks, I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly side of a summer love; but that summer love is so much more than just for the summer (hopefully).

Throughout the last six weeks I've learned more than my fair share of interesting things about this guy. I know his order from every restaurant we've eaten at, I know he doesn't like country music unless it's old country, I know he hates mustard and mayo, he has an obsession with making fun of my face, and he sings very loud. I know how he eats, sleeps, drinks, walks, and talks.

I know that he won't get outta bed until 3 and even then it's impossible to actually get him outta bed. I've seen him happy, excited, scared, sad, mad, and depressed. I've seen his dark side and his bright side. I know that he has a good heart and that he loves unconditionally. I know that he is a good man and God answered my prayers when he placed this man in my life.

Summer love is eye-opening. You spend so much time being interested in someone and getting to know them for it to just end. In the weeks I've spent with this guy, I've seen that summer love is hard because at some point you both have to go back to school. I've cried myself to sleep thinking about starting my freshman year at Lander and him going back to Clemson.

How do you make it work? The same way I am. You spend every moment together. You take pictures that you can look back on. Whether with smiles or tears, those are memories you'll never forget.

You love endlessly no matter how many times they make you so mad you get up and leave. You spend late nights after work sitting in a car listening to music and talking till the suns up. You take beach trips and go to drive in movies. You spend any moment you're not working with them. Whether they sleep half the day away or not. You make the 12 weeks of summer worth it because you don't know where you'll be with that person once those 12 weeks are up.

Summer love is not for everyone and it may not be for me. The times I've spent with the one I adore were well worth it if we don't make it past week 1 apart. The beach trips we took were just like the one that Ronnie had with will. Except, we came home and who knows where we will be after the first week of school. We still have 5 weeks left and my heart only hurts to think about where we will be, but I know God sent me more than a summer love because I will love this one for a lifetime if I can.

My advice, fall for that summer love.

Do it because it could be more than a summer love, but don't base your summer love off of a movie. Make it your own. Make memories that will last a lifetime. Summer love is the best of times and the worst of times, but you won't regret it in the end.

Dedicated to my heart (I promise you're so much more than my summer love)