Dear Sarah,

So many people think that turning 19 is nothing special, or just a small passage of time that will all be forgotten in the grand scheme of life. But Sarah, on your 19th birthday, I want you to know how important this moment is.

It's been one year since we walked across the stage on graduation, 8 months since we started a job we love together and 6 years since you first walked into my life when we were awkward and gawky eighth graders.

Through the years we've been through tough break ups, emotional heart to hearts in the dead of night, and have drank our fair share of coffee out of those white plastic Starbucks cups on the rainy and sunny days. (Always leaving lipstick stains, of course.)

One of the most crucial lessons I've learned this past year is that time stops for no one. And I know that as we grow older and time passes without our consent, there are going to be people that are fleeting, people that break your heart and people who just can't seem to stay no matter how badly you want them to.

But once in a while, in the blur of life, you meet someone who leaves footprints on your heart and a mark etched on your soul; someone who switches a pencil with a permanent marker. And someone who, no matter what, you can't seem to wash away.

To me, you are that person. Someone so amazing you just can't seem to wash away.

I know you're only 19, and you have such a long and beautiful journey in front of you. But Whether you're 19 or 91, No matter where in the world we'll be, I want you to know that you are never, ever alone.

And as I sit in at an uncomfortable table in the grocery store, watching you walk away and your long blond hair swishing behind you, there is nothing that my heart is filled with more than hope. For the past, for the present, and most of all, for the future.

I hope that you achieve every single dream you ever fathomed; I hope that you marry the man who is right for you and who values you for everything you are, and everything you're not. Someone who sweeps you off of your feet and makes you feel like the princess you are.

I hope that one day I can become half the amazing and selfless person you have become. And most of all, I hope that 50 years from now, I can still have that beautiful, vibrant and intelligent best friend with bright blue eyes and dimples right by my side, with a steaming cup of coffee in her left hand.

There's a quote from one of my favorite books, "I'll Give You The Sun," that says, "some people are just meant to be in the same story." And it wasn't until I look back at almost every single cell phone picture and almost every major event in my life, that I realized, you were always right there--at every chapter, on every page.

It's a rare and euphoric thing to be able to find someone who accepts you and loves you for your mistakes and achievements, who never turns away and who never gives up on you, no matter how difficult you may be.

I want you to know that you are exceptional and you are unforgettable. I sincerely hope that every girl gets the chance to have a best friend as amazing as you to conquer the world with.

To many more living room dance parties, midnight coffee runs, and road trips singing extremely off tune in your small green bug.

To friendship. To unstoppable laughing fits. To crazy stories to pass on to our grandkids a long time from now. To forever.

If there was anyone in the universe I would chose to be in almost every chapter of my story and create these magical memories with, it would be you.

Happy 19th, I love you more than coffee.

P.S. That's A LOT!

- Chels