Let me begin by saying I love my boyfriend. I love him so much. He is my best friend, my partner-in-crime, my sweetheart. He introduced me to “Game of Thrones," serenades me with Dave Mathews and Kanye West, and makes my coffee perfectly. I love his family and my family adores him. He makes me laugh and he make me furious. We have the cutest little apartment and our kitten is so precious. He makes delicious chicken alfredo and doesn’t make too much fun of me when I take pictures of it. He has pretty eyes. His happiness is one of the most important things to me, but my identity is not centered around him.

I am so many things besides my boyfriend’s girlfriend. There are so many variables that make me, me. I am smart. I am a student and a pretty darn good one at that. I am a hard worker and I’m very headstrong. I am a writer, so I’m creative and a critical thinker. I am a waitress. I love to dance, even though I shouldn’t. I pretend like I know what the difference is between a Pinot Noir and a Merlot. I am a Harry Potter nerd, I own two different sets of the books and the Apple logo on my Mac has circle glasses and a lightning bolt sticker. I am the Rummy champion. I am a Pisces. I can be extremely emotional while being very stern at the same time. I sing in the shower.

I am a feminist. I am political. I love watching late-night news shows. I can quote “Parks and Recreation” with scary accuracy. I like taking pictures of flowers - red flowers are my favorite. I am a Barcelona soccer fan. I know every word to “Ice Ice Baby." I am a candle hoarder and somewhat addicted to essential oils. White Russians are my drink of choice. The Big Lebowski is my favorite movie. I over-analyze every single situation. I love rafting and fishing and SUP-boarding and basically anything involving a river. I take twenty-minute showers and then sit around in my towel for another twenty minutes. I am terrible at painting my own nails.

I am a sister; it is the best thing I am. I am a daughter. I am a best friend. I love to laugh. I think that pineapple is delicious on pizza. I am a neat-freak; I deep-clean my apartment every day. I do not like tequila. I am a dreamer. I am passionate and theatrical. I am sarcastic. I am harder on myself than anyone else. I believe in science. I like being in the woods. I think Olivia Wilde is the coolest person ever. I am obsessed with Hamilton. I am socially awkward. I am loud and bubbly. I talk fast. I am a bookworm; I buy books faster than I can read them. Sometimes I pretend to be a poet.

I am strong. I am fierce. I am independent. I am fun. I am, however, not just a girlfriend.