Before I met my best friend, Leslie, during my junior year and her senior year of high school, I didn't think I would have to say goodbye to someone so dear to me until my other friends and I were forced to go separate ways for college. However, instead of us being separated because she was going to college, Leslie left her family and friends (most importantly, me) to travel to Hawaii, where she has lived for about a year with her husband Blaine who is enlisted in the Army. While I was happy that she had found love and was experiencing new things, I definitely missed her during my senior year of high school. Heck, I even missed her as I drove away from her house last summer, the last day I saw her.

Inspired by her recent return to me Hattiesburg, Mississippi, here are 10 things I realized while she was gone that every person with a long distance friendship knows to be true.

1. Your communication with each other doesn't stop once you say goodbye (for possibly the last time) face-to-face.

As Leslie traveled on a plane by herself for several hours to get to her new home, we texted constantly before and after she boarded the plane. Now, mind you, we weren't necessarily texting long paragraphs telling each other how much we missed one another (we made sure to say all the sappy stuff in letters to each other, as well as inside our yearbooks before she left), but rather we were texting memes and hilarious audio messages that only we would find funny. By texting her during her journey to Hawaii, I was able to know she was safe as well as feel like I was traveling right beside her.

2. You grow accustomed to watching your friend experience milestones through social media.

All of us are honestly so lucky to have the gem that is social media. Through Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, I have been able to see my best friend get adjusted to adult life and married life in pictures with the gorgeous Hawaiian scenery in the background. While me and the rest of Hattiesburg aren't lucky enough to see the gorgeous sites along with Leslie, apps like Instagram keep me up to date with what her little family has been up to.

3. You'll start to miss constantly making memories together.

When Leslie still lived in the same town, we saw each other almost every weekend and went on "runs" and sushi dates at Sake Cafe and anywhere we knew we could get a good selfie. While we realized that we wouldn't be easily accessible to each other anymore, we totally forgot that this meant we would no longer be able to blow up Instagram with our selfies. While this point has vain undertones, this became a problem when we wanted to post birthday messages on Instagram and had to use pictures we had already posted. #FirstWorldProblems

4. Your friend will continue to support you miles away.

Sadly, because you live so far away from your friend, neither of you are going to be able to show up at events and cheer each other on when you need each other the most. During my senior year of high school, I was on the homecoming court. While I was happy to have been elected onto the court, I was a little sad that a lot of my friends weren't able to see me walk down the field that night, due to other commitments. Along with being sad, I was also pissed after someone spilled red juice on my white dress. However, after I sent Leslie a picture of myself (one of many that day), she later sent me this one of her photoshopped into my photo, in turn, putting a smile on my face and proving that she is and will continue to be my rock — also we are your #friendshipgoals, and I definitely don't have a problem bragging about that.

5. You'll be one of the first people to know about a major decision.

Okay, maybe your friend won't do something as big and drastic like getting a tattoo, but there's something about being the first person to know something that makes you feel important. I was honored to be one of the first ones to know about Leslie's first tattoo before she announced it to her other friends as well as her Instagram followers.

6. You might go a while without talking to each other, and that's okay.

It's natural for friends to not talk everyday, but it's very easy for long distance friends to get caught up in life and go a while without talking. Over time, you unconsciously adjust to not filling in your friend on every single thing, simply because they're not there to experience it with you. You begin to grow apart. When I realized this was happening to us, it made me a little sad, so I decided to send her this text just to let her know I still love her and find out that the feeling was mutual.

7. You might begin to show your love for each other in more aggressive, non-traditional ways.

No one (at least none of my friends) is nice 24/7. My friends and I insult each other frequently as another way of saying, "I love you." Leslie and I are always sending each other rude Snapchats and text messages, commenting unkind things under our Instagram photos and engaging in fake Twitter fights all in good fun — to the dismay of our moms, who are always concerned we're being serious.

8. You get to know their friends, and their friends get to know you.

If you put your pride aside, you'll be able to admit that you had a slight fear of your best friend replacing you once they left. I had too had this fear for a while, but I quickly got over it once I learned that Leslie had been telling her friends about me. Her doing that reassured me that I was still important to her, and it also helped me become acquainted with the cool people she had met via Twitter and Instagram, particularly Isabel and Jordan Deese, who are pictured in this photo. Though I haven't been lucky enough to meet them yet, I enjoy talking to them every now and then on Twitter.

9. When you need to rant about a problem you're having with someone else, your friend will be there to agree and fuel the fire.

Don't let distance stop you from hitting up your friend for a good, old fashioned rant. Though Leslie and I have a time difference of five hours, we make it work, especially when someone comes at one of us the wrong way, and we need the other one to calm us down and/or justify the other's feelings. If you look through our messages, you'll see plenty of screenshots of the exact moment someone made the mistake of messing with us. Just know that I know if you've been mean to Leslie, and that I don't like you. Also know that if you've "tried" me, Leslie knows, and she doesn't like you either.

10. Your reunion will be special.

I honestly had begun losing hope I would see Leslie anytime soon, due to plane tickets being so ridiculously expensive. But when her family surprised me with her last Wednesday, it made my day, as you can tell by my screams and cries. Her presence almost seemed unreal. Now I've got to figure out when I'll be making the trip to Hawaii.

Since Leslie's been home, we've only hung out a few times because she's been busy. However, that's fine with me because I have truly enjoyed my time with her recreating selfies, blessing others with our presence and eating at our favorite sushi restaurant. Sure, I wish I had a little bit more time with her, but I realized that the time we did spend together as well as the time we spent apart felt like she never left. That's the true test of friendship.

True friendship isn't about being inseparable. It's about being separated, and nothing changes.

Good luck to all of the long distance BFFs out there! You'll be fine. Trust me, I know. I've been there.