Well, this post has two themes:
1) A tribute of advice to Lindsay on her 18th birthday, and
2) Advice I would give to myself as a 28 year old if I ran into myself as an 18-year-old .

Therefore, I will title this Blog: Ten Years Later -- What I wished I had known then...
Fellow bloggers, feel free to add your own advice. But Lindzo, try to carry this with you and talk to me, the cousins or any of your siblings about this stuff. You are phenominally lucky because you can learn and live better as a result of all the mistakes we have made. So off we go...

Ladie-friggin da. So you're 18, the second to last magic age before 21 when your birthdays become relatively meaningless until you start to get the senior citizen discount at restaurants and movies. So what does 18 mean legally in the state of Nebraska? Well, unless you are planning to live a hedonistic life, not too much.

• You can buy tobacco. Don't do it. All my friends that started smoking or chewing are still doing it, and the habbit has cost them about $6,500 over the last 10 years, not to mention the health problems later in life and expensive health insurance.
• You can buy lottery tickets. Don't do it. Gambling is a voluntary tax on the stupid. You have a better shot of winning American Idol than winning the lottery.
• You can vote. Do it. Register, and educate yourself on all of the issues. One vote may not mean much, but beggn an active citizen and knowing what these elected people stand for is extremely important to you rmental health.
• You are still a minor. That's right. In the State of Nebraska, you are still legally a child until you turn 19. So go out and commit some felonies, run up credit card debt, sign a lot of contracts, and then default on it all because you legally are still a child that can't sign contracts. Don't really do that stuff by the way - becuase you can still be tried as an adult and get the electric chair.
• If you have a penis, you have to register for the draft. Which is interesting on many levels socially with all of the gender equality advances over the last few decades, but I won't go there. If you were a guy, you are involuntarily registered to kill, fight and die for your country agaisnt your will, but you are not yet responsible enough to have a sip of beer according to the law. That's messed up.

Thats' the legal stuff, but here's the stuff I would really tell myself if I had it all to go back and do it over again.

1. Work less and play more. After college, you'll have to work more and play less, so live it up now. Still work to pay bills and all that jazz so you don't have a ton of debt after college, but enjoy being irresponsible for a few more years. That said, take internships. They will get you a good first job.
2. Avoid credit cards. Get one and buy gas to pay it off every month. But DO NOT use it for more than that. Ever. Unless you are trapped in Tunisia or something.
3. Don't over-program in college. Clubs and activities are fun, and I've seen it 100 times that people get too involved and can't do anything well. After a year or two, whittle it down to a small handful of things you care most about and get really involved with them. It will look better on your resume too, you'll be less stressed and happier.
4. Your high school friends will move on. With the exception of 2-3 kids, most high school friends will ditch you at college or shortly thereafter if they haven't already. Don't spend your first two years of college trying to keep that gang together. Go out and meet new people. HS friends will move on and there's nothing you can do about it. Don't get ofended. Also, at least one high school person you got along with so-so will likely become a close friend during college. I don't know why this happens, but it does.
5. Meet as diverse a group of people as you can. College firends from Chicago, Alaska and California can make weekend or spring break trips much cheaper, and it helps you realize the wonders of the world outside of Nebraska. It also helps to have diverse friends that have experienced a lot and can help you through tough times. You will make some of your best friends in college, and you will lean on these peopel more than any other friends you have had.
6. Don't get any thing perminant in the next ten years. No police records, tattoos, STDs or babies. My dad gave me that advice the day he dropped me off for college and it served me well. Piercigns are OK -- just don't go too crazy. They can always come out when you grow up.
7. Rebel. Try a stupid haircut or dressing different. Or travel to a place you've never been just because. Dye your hair or do something different than the norm. College is about counter-culture, so find yoruself. Just dont' go overboard or end up Goth.
8. You are about to go through the biggest personality and emotional change of your life in the next year. You will become independant, make your own rules, set your own curfews, manage your own time and have more freedom than you ever had before. Journal or be sure to step back from everything once a month, if not more, to evalute the person you are becomming and make sure you still like who that is. I know that after a year of college, I woke up one morning and did not like the person I had become and it took quite a bit of time for me to get my life back and be who I wanted to be.
9. Guess what. Chip is going to go through the same thing, an dprobably worse -- guys tend to mature even later so it may take even longer. Make sure you still like or love the person he becomes. You cannot change or control his growth, and he cannot change or control yours. But constantly evaluate and make note of his growth and the growth of your relationship. Year one of college is a make or break year for HS relationships. What you have now will be much different this time next year. It may be better, it may be worse. Whatever you do, don't stay with him if it starts to flounder. THIS WAS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE I HAVE EVER MADE. Don't be afraid to take breaks (the best thing Ash and I ever did), or break it off all together. Lindzo, you are a catch and Chip is damn lucky to even have you, even if you think it is the other way around. And if he get's to college, would rather just sit in his dorm room, becomes a total jerk, and his eye starts to wander to other college babes, don't hesitate to kick his ass to the curb. There are plenty of other fish out there. I saw all the signs with my high school grilfriend and wasted two years of college trying to maintain a relationship with a girl that had become a terrible self-centered cheater who was a shadow of who I first started dating.
10. Look out for yourself. Professors don't care if you succeed or fail. Roomates don't care if you succeed or fail. Your friends can't help you with debt. Even though it's good to be selfless, college is a time to improve yourself and set things up for the rest of your life and don't lose sight of that. Look out for yourself, becuase nobody else will on that campus.
11. Learn as much about personal finance as you can. In a few years, you will have a salary, insurance, car payments, credit cards, etc. After your career training, handling of your own assets is the most important thing to learn about in the next few years. Do it well, and life seems easy at times. Make a ton of mistakes and it will haunt you personally and anybody you marry for the next 10 years.
12. Don't try to keep up with the Joneses. I lost a lot of sleep trying to be a better person, get better grades or be more involved than my academic rivals. College is the first time you learn that no matter how good at something you are, there is always someone smarter, better looking, more charming, or wealthier than you. Be happy with being your own personal best and do not compare yourself to others because you will always lose. Always. This the hardest things for me to learn, but when I was finally able to reach this level of enlightenment, it was the second best discovery of my life -- after discovering your sister at a board meeting. I have friends my age that are still trying to have the nicest car, biggest house, and that type of constant comparison is takign a toll on her marriage and her friendships -- see Ash's previous post.
13. Don't forget your family. It is very easy for you to get lost in the shuffle of self-discovery and newness that the next few years will bring. You will forget about your family support group from time to time, and may even move family down the priority list. Everybody does it and it's OK to some degree as long as it isn't long lasting. Everybody experiences this in a different manner -- but just remember these people will be your support group and help out no matter what goes right or wrong over the next 10 year. And guess what, they are all looking forward to you becoming an adult and having adult relationships with you. Your siblings will treat you differently, your parents will treat you differently. It's an interesting time, but we're all looking forward to having another lifelong adult friend.
14. This one may surprise you -- Question your faith and the existance of God. Stay up late talking about theology and question everything with your new found independence. True faith comes from accepting soemthing on your own, not because your family forced it on you. When I was able to rationalize and find my spiritual identity on my own, it took on a whole new meaning for me.
15. Make the discovery that you will learn just as much outside of class than you do in class in college. Your education lasts long after those bells ring everyday, be sure that your eyes are open at all times.
16. Read as much as you can. Yes, you will be required to read for classes. A lot. But read other stuff. Fiction, non-fiction, whatever. But keep your mind active at all times.
17. If you drink, drink responsibly. Never get to the point where you are out of control, unless you are completely surrounded by people you trust. I never drank to the point of blacking out, but still drank. Probably too much. Never get that bad -- mailnly because of the next two points.
18. Avoid peer pressure. Do something because you want to do it.
19. Do not trust guys. I could go into 1,000 reasons for this, but I know for a fact that there is one main motivation in almost every college guy and 99% of the time, this drives their actions. The cunning young lady can use this to her advantage, but this will bit you on the ass later on.
20. You will have a quarter-life crisis where everything seems to be all wrong. It's OK. It will pass.
21. You will want to change your major at least twice. That's normal. If you do, make sure it is for the right reasons.
22. Don't take yoruself too seriously.

So that's a start.

Ash and I are extremely proud of you and you are standing on the edge of a cliff right now looking out at a very big world. As you jump off, enjoy the rush -- just make sure that you realize there is a lot of life after you open your parachutte and land, but that the next few years are a hell of a ride that will have lots of ups and downs.

Have fun discovering the world outside the clutches your parents, and we'll be there if you need us.

Happy 18th Birthday.