College is awesome for many reasons, but the worst and only downside is that you no longer live 15 minutes from your high school best friend. She now lives like three hours away instead, which is a decided downgrade. Over the years you two have perfected the art of the "weekend visit," enough that the seven stages become pretty clear every time you get together.
1. Excitement
The first stage of having your best friend visit starts before they even get there! It all begins with a building sense of anticipation and excitement as it becomes two weeks, one week and then only one day until you see your bestie again.
2. Reunion
Ah, the sweet, sweet joy of seeing your BFF for the first time in months. Their hair is longer, and they have a different purse! Once, I even totally forgot that my friend got a new car, and was still expecting her old red car from high school. See, this is why we should see each other every single day always, so I know these things.
3. Catching Up
Even if you Snapchat every day, there are always things to catch up on that totally slipped your mind before. Your roommate said what? Your mom got a new job?! You got a tattoo?!? At least the first two hours of every new visit is dedicated to spilling the deets.
4. Fun, fun, fun!
After catching up, it’s time to move on to the best part of the weekend – the fun! This stage includes trying to fit every single fun thing imaginable into the two days that you’re together. For instance, the day might include coffee and a scone at Starbucks, followed by a visit to an indie bookstore and then a trip to the museum if you’re feeling intellectual. After your first excursion comes lunch, a movie, the mall, a brewery, dinner and then, of course, going out, before you finally come back home for a movie night. Who needs sleep? Or money?5. Denial
As the weekend starts to wind down, you both feel it: the slow and inescapable marching of time. You’ve been looking forward to this weekend for so long, how could it be over in three short hours? Can’t she just stay for three more months?
6. Saying Goodbye
Usually, this phase takes about six attempts and lasts 20 minutes long. The time has finally come when your friend must leave, and you basically stand by her car forever trying to stall the process. “Oh, I guess you should go…Oh, but first I forgot to tell you about this movie I saw!”
7. Missing Them All Over Again
Once their car turns the corner, or they text you later when they made it home, everything starts to sink in that the weekend is truly over. They’re back in their own city once again. You’re sad and listless, and the last thing you want to do is start the homework you ignored while they were there. Instead, you deal with your grief by posting pics from the weekend all over Instagram and watching your Snapchat story over and over again.
These stages are tried and true; trust me, I know them from experience. My best friends are scattered everywhere, from Columbus to Fort Wayne. No matter how much I miss them when they leave, I can’t wait to start our next trips.
