Dear Blink 182,

I’ve known you guys for a while now, especially the past few years. You have influenced me far beyond what I imagines, in life, music, humor, and reaching the above and beyond. We’ve been through a lot, separately and together, but in the end the results always made us stronger.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I was a fan, but never really listened to you religiously. The only song I knew by you guys was “All The Small Things” (which of course is a classic and never gets old). It wasn’t until I joined a band, playing music just like you guys did, where I really got into you. We were covering “All The Small Things” and “Dammit”, I bought a greatest hits album from Walmart for $5 to really get into you guys. I blast it in my car as I drove around, “Adam’s Song” and “What’s My Age Again?” we’re constant bangers. Essentially, you guys showed me what pop punk is all about.

It was other songs like “I Miss You” and “Stay Together For The Kids” that got me through high school, and your music taught me how to be myself and not care about what others thought of me. I am the person today because of you guys, and because of the genre pop punk that you pretty much help invent. You made- scratch that, you make the genre fun. I shouldn’t using past tense, because you guys are still kickin’ it.

When Tom left, yeah, I was sad, but wasn’t surprised. And then you brought in Matt, and I knew it wasn’t the end, it never was. Music is something you guys do, you can’t help it. It’s crazy to think you’ve been at it for this long. Then you announced the release of “California”, and unlike everyone else in the world, I wasn’t nervous, I knew you were going to do something right, and look, you did!

How can one band shape a genre just like you did, I’m not sure, but that’s not going to happen again for a very, very long time.

In the summer of 2016, I saw you live for the first time. I had lawn seats at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA. I was able to sneak up front for A Day To Remember (thank you for bringing them along, by the way), and of course right when you came on I got caught. But despite all of the drunks and marijuana, you sound so much like yourselves, and you were having fun like there wasn’t a care in the world. All of the bullshit with Tom seemed to have escaped your minds, and all of the other fucked up stuff that seems to be going on in the world. I was able to forget and enjoy the music.

As a girl growing up in the 21^st century, someone who is currently a junior in college aiming for a degree, and not sure what the hell she’s going to do afterwards, I know I can always rely on your music to boost my mood, calm it, describe it, make my feelings be heard.

Thanks Blink.