Throughout the transition from high school to college, many people notice changes in themselves and the people they used to surround themselves with. Though you may be convinced that your high school best friend is your long lost sibling before colleges, many friendships are hard to maintain as people are changing and experiencing different worlds at different campuses throughout the country. Through all of this change however, there is someone who has always(and I believe will always) be there for me, and that's my home best friend. As I made friends and grew throughout college, I never grew from you, and I think it's important to reflect.

Though high school was rough most of the time, you were the person who made it bearable. You're the person who goofed off with me, went to prom with me, encouraged me to brush off the people who weren't worth my time and ultimately became my best friend. We were inseparable — we were in all the same clubs and sports, had all the same friends, ate lunch together every day and made the best of those crappy, concrete hallways. We did it all, even through graduation, but what happens after the caps come off? What happens when we're six hours away living entirely separate lives with entirely different friends and busy schedules that no longer include each other?

Well, although we watched many artificial high school friendships break up, you never left my side. Though we were six hours away, we never failed to text or FaceTime each other to chat about that new guy or that hard class or that new dramatic situation. We listened to each other talk for hours about people the other one of us had never met (and probably would never meet) and helped each other let go of any negative new friends. We supported each other when classes made us want to scream or life just wasn't going the way we'd hoped, and celebrated when celebration was due. We were still each other's rocks, just from six hours away.

So I want to thank you for those late night phone calls, and for giving me a dose of reality when I didn't know I needed it. I want to thank you for disliking people when I couldn't and encouraging me to go beyond my comfort zone. I want to thank you for trusting me and reassuring me when I doubt myself. But most of all, I want to thank you for being my best friend, even when we're so far away. You rock bro, can't wait to see what the future holds. 'Til then, keep your phone on vibrate because I'll be blowing it up, and I hope you return the favor.

Love you lots.