Growing up, my parents have always told stories of a two-week-old me at the lake. At the age of just two weeks, I had the perfect bikini body (the only one I have ever had, really). I rocked my little bitty teeny wienie RED polka-dot bikini, white sunglasses and baby bucket hat. Yes, I was the picture of beauty as we went across the lake to our favorite island. Fast-forward 18 years and here we are today. A little less cute, but still the same (if not more) attitude. I still love going to the lake and all of that jazz, but it just recently came to my knowledge that the lake I love so much has made me the woman I am today. I have stated to recently started reflection on how exactly it has.

Boating

As fun as it may sound, it's a lot of work. Spending hours preparing for a great day on the water. Making dozens of sandwiches. Perfectly icing down the drinks. Checking the gas, then rechecking it. Making sure everyone has a life jacket, towel and sunscreen. A lot of work goes into the perfect day on the lake. However, no matter how much you try, check and double check, you will ALWAYS forget something. Sometimes it's the small stuff, like an extra towel, or sometimes you forget the big stuff like the entire ice chest and sometimes you forget the stuff that seems small but is actually REALLY important, like sunscreen. But in all the hustle and bustle of preparing, we often forget that it's meant to be fun. Often in life we do the same thing. We spend so much time trying to be prepared, we often forget the most important thing: fun. Having fun is what makes life worth living. we often try and get ready for life like boating but we just need to sit back and enjoy the ride—just please don't forget the sunscreen!

Tubing

I love tubing! My hands and butt on the other hand, do not. I still have the blisters from tubing two years ago. Yes, tubing is very fun; however, it can take a toll on your body and mind. Sometimes relationships can do that to you as well. Sometimes when you are tubing you try and try to hang on as long as you can, regardless of how bad it hurts you. I mean, who would want to let go? I mean, after all you are having fun, right? But are we really paying attention to what it's doing to us? Sometimes in relationships it's the same. We are having fun being loved and experiencing new things. We don't want to quit this, but we need to. We don't want to let go of the tube, but if we keep hanging on it can hurt us even more.

Camping

I don't love the idea of sleeping outside with bugs, snakes and more bugs. However, I do enjoy spending that time with my mom and dad. I don't like sitting around a campfire and talking, but I do enjoy talking to my parents for hours on end. I don't even remotely like fishing, but I love the one-on-one time I get to spend with my dad. I don't relish in the thought of cooking fish on a fire, but I love what my mom teaches me when we do. Life is about give and take—being out of your comfort zone for a little bit to learn a lot. Camping as taught me to be independent in a way that you are kind of on your own, but not really. Like in life, you have to be independent, but you always know there is someone there to help you if you fall. I'm sure I made it clear that I do not enjoy the great outdoors, but I enjoy spending time with my parents, and in life we have to learn to give and take. I have learned to give up just a little comfort for a whole lot of single child love.

Jumping off a cliff

While typically a comment you make to people you don't like, at the lake it is a way of measuring your bravery in front of your friends -- synonyms include "Dude, hold my beer." Jumping off a cliff bluff or rock is something your dad roots for you to do as your mom is sitting there, hitting him, saying, "James Dean, stop that right now." As you are standing up there, you have a gut feeling—it's called your personal instinct. Trust it. I cannot stress this enough. If something does not feel right, don't do it. If you don't feel comfortable with it, then just say no. When it comes to jumping off a cliff in life, serious consequences can occur. I personally think that this truly is the most important rule anybody and everybody should follow. When it comes to jumping off a cliff, if you think it might not be deep enough, don't jump. In life if you think that something is wrong, don't do it. Our instinct is a very important thing that God has blessed MOST of us with. USE IT.

Although I was lucky enough to grow up on the lake, I feel like wherever you grew up, there is a life lesson to be learned. If you just look around, you never know what you might see or learn. But for real you guys, the lake is lit.