"Dear 16-year old me"

I'm sure by now most of you have seen this viral video going around.  If not, it is definitely worth a look:

http://youtu.be/_4jgUcxMezM

I grew up playing soccer year-round in the Texas heat.  Even with sunscreen, I've had my share of sunburns and decided a month ago it was time to make an appointment with a dermatologist to get a skin check.

If you have never gone, please do yourself a favor and go.  According to the doctor I saw yesterday afternoon, skin cancer is the second leading cause of death for women between the ages of 28 and 35.  He was curious why I had scheduled the appointment and applauded me for doing so.

Let me just tell you now if you have never been, these skin checks are very thorough.  But in a good way.  He went over every inch (almost) of my body, scalp included, and documented via his nurse every single freckle, mole, etc. on my skin.  It was weird and cool all at the same time.

Luckily, he didn't see anything that concerned him.  I still asked him to slice and dice three moles for me that I disliked, and it's common procedure to send anything cut off to the lab for analysis just in case.

Better to be safe, than sorry.  And you can bet that I will be going once a year from now on.  Once you have a child, everything is put into a different perspective and I want to know that I'll be around for a long, long time.

Any other advice I would give to my former 16-year old self?

• You have SO much to learn.
• Heartache is temporary.
• The best is still to come.

Happy Tuesday!