Opening My Eyes

            My high school years were some of the most influential years of .
             From the parties to the alcohol, I thought I had it all made; .
             However, I was wrong. All I needed was the right person to make me see .
             things in a different perspective. That is when I met my future fiancé .
             Jeff. He has helped influence my life in a variety of beneficial ways.
             First, when I sit back and think about certain aspects of my .
             teenage years, I realize exactly how uninformed I was. Jeff helped me to .
             have different outlooks on my life. I thought everything was so simple in .
             life. I thought that it was all right to do whatever I wanted no matter what .
             anyone else said. He made me understand that simple things do matter. .
             For example, I thought that coming home early on weekends was .
             ridiculous, and that I should have been able to stay out all night if I .
             wanted to. I was not worried then about what my mother thought. Jeff .
             changed that. He got me into the habit of getting home early. With his .
             taking me out, I really did mot have a choice of what time I wanted to be .
             home. He would make sure that I got home early regardless of what I said.
             He also gave me a better understanding of what kind of person I .
             portrayed. He used to always say,"" If I had a tape recorder, I would record .
             everything you say, just so you can hear what you sound like."" I thought .
             that he was just being ridiculous. Then I stopped and listened to myself .
             and finally realized what kind of attitude I had. I had a negative, .
             rebellious, and egocentric attitude. That is not the type of person that I .
             wanted to be. He helped me. He would stop me everytime I wanted to say .
             something negative. He made me aware of the kind of person I was and .
             what kind of person I wanted to become.
             Jeff has also played a major role in my academic career. My .
             senior year , after we became serious about our relationship together, I .
             found myself setting higher goals for myself.