Growing up as a young girl, there were few things I was certain of.

• The more Barbies you had, the more popular you were. (And if you had the Dream House? Well then tiny plastic pink hats off to you, my friend.)
• The mall was the place where all your dreams came true. And just because you reaaaally want something “OMYGOSH I’ll DIE if I don’t get it!” it doesn’t mean it’s meant to be. And…
• I. Liked. Boys.

Like a lot. I was boy crazy as far back as I can remember. I could probably even pin point my crushes from Kindergarten all the way through college, of course ending with my dear husband, who clearly saw the light when he decided to invest in this property.

But despite how many of these boys ever pulled my hair, or pushed me at recess, or never even knew I existed, there were a few faces throughout my young adult life of whom captured my heart each and every week via the warm glow of my television. I present to you:
My top 3 teenage heart-throbs (in no particular order):

1. No-Brainer.

Ah, Zack Morris. (As my friend Casey says: He is everything.) I felt as though each and every one of his on-screen soliloquies was specifically for me. From his constantly failing schemes to his perfectly coiffed blonde hair, he had my heart in his hands. And not just pre-pubescent Zack, I followed that angel face all the way to the College Years. And anyone who thinks I’m joking, well obviously you don’t understand my commitment to both true love and television series that jump the shark.

Also… you should know that when I was about 9 years old I wrote him a fan letter and drew a “very accurate” photo of myself. Strangely enough I never got anything back… It’s cool MPG. I know you got it.

2. The boy next door’s best friend:

Dawson’s Creek’s own Pacey Witter. Poor, forgotten Pacey. Despite his Mary Kay Letourneau-esq romp with his high school teacher and his less than stable rollercoaster romance with Andie (who he was way too good for by the way), there was something about his goofy character that just entranced me. While most of the girls pined for the sensitive, angsty Dawson Leary, I was a Pacey girl, through and through. And in that last episode where he and Joey realize they still love each other, a part of me died, knowing I would never be the girl sitting on the dock dangling my feet in the cool waters below and staring into his big blue puppy dog eyes. I don’t wanna’ wait…

And last, but certainly not least…

3. The holy grail:

Ben. Covington. (via Felicity)

I feel like instead of words, we should just take a moment to really take in the ultimate sultry perfection above. Bad boy, lost soul, sexual white chocolate. As if there could be a more ideal man in the television universe. The minute Felicity decided to follow this man to New York, I got it.
I’m pretty sure they cast him as part of the swim team solely for my own personal enjoyment.
(In case you’re not aware, I am a huge Felicity fan. I’m confident in saying not only is it my favorite TV show to date (of which I own the entire series and break out and re-watch at least once a year), but I feel like in a lot of ways I was Felicity. But I’ll save that for another day/post.)

Alrighty, then.
Now that I’ve completely lost my train of thought, and have turned my focus to all things Scott Speedman, I leave you with this question:

Who was your TV crush? Mike Seaver? Ryder Strong? Devon Sawa? (I may have been a Tiger Beat collector…ahem.)