To The Girl Who Made Me, Me,

It's actually kind of crazy how we met. It was our senior year of high school. We met through a mutual friend. Two people paired that normally never would have been. Maybe that's how we should have known we'd be inseparable. Going into meeting one another for the first time we had some crazy misconceptions of one another that as we got to know one another better began to slowly melt away. At the time we met I was going through a really dark stage in my life. I was lost about a lot of things, but I knew that I always had a safe haven within my friends. We began spending most of our free time with each other and our mutual friend, working around all of our school and work schedules. The friend that introduced us was going to a different school than we were in the upcoming fall. I think we bonded so well because we both knew how much her going elsewhere was going to suck for the both of us. So we clung pretty tightly to one another. We were even water assassins partners in one of our high school's annual senior water sports contest. From then on out we spent every minute together (minus our other obligations) and with our best friends.

I remember meeting your mom for the first time. Your dad, too. I thought they were awesome. I was upstairs putting my things away because I was staying my first night at your casa, and you were downstairs making a snack. I remember walking down the stairs and seeing you sitting at the kitchen table dipping regular Lays potato chips in Heinz ketchup and eating it. My mouth dropped and I just stared at you for a second. Your mom looked back at me and said, "I know, she's totally weird, but she likes dipping her potato chips in ketchup." We have been soul mates ever since. I too have a love affair for the tasty little treat and never in my life had I shared that love with anyone other than my dad (who will dip his sandwich, chips, french fries, etc in pretty much anything that will give it a different taste or light his mouth on fire). I realized how similar we were in other ways to one another.

We, however, were also very different. We balance each other out. I'm more mom-like and overbearing with my cute nicknames and forced hugs. And you're more don't touch my bubble and expect me to like you if you aren't my friend-like. The introvert to my extrovert. I believe we bring out the best in each other, but I'll try not to get too sappy in this because I know how big of a fan you are of that. I'm not sure if it's our differences or our similarities that make us butt heads sometimes, but we identified very quickly in our friendship that we weren't going to be the type of friends that held anything back even if it did mean hurting the others feelings sometimes.

We were late on our way to one of our very last graduation practices with the rest of our friends one time and tensions were high. We were blaming everyone and everything else on the road other than ourselves for being late and we snapped at one another. We snapped so hard at one another that you told me to get out of your car. Naturally, I didn't get out of the car. But the moment was intensely serious and everyone in the car was very uncomfortable from that point on for the rest of the ride. We made up very shortly afterward and the memory is full of laughter now.

We graduated high school together. We went on our senior beach trip together. We had gone to the same school for a few years after you transferred from the high school across the river, but we still had never met or really associated with one another until our senior year. While my senior year was a roller coaster of emotions for me I am so thankful that year brought me you. We spent our whole summer together. And ever summer since. We have accumulated so many millions of memories in our friendship thus far. And we have a lifetime to make more.

If it weren't for you I wouldn't be who I am today. You came into my life and taught me such valuable lessons. You showed me to never let another person's actions depict my worth. You taught me to never let another person's opinion alter my own opinion of myself. You taught me that you have to be alone for awhile to discover who you are before you can share who you are with anyone else. You showed me that having fun is one of the most important qualities in life.

You taught me that working hard together is a hell of a lot better than breaking our backs trying to do it apart. You taught me that taking risks and chances are oftentimes worth it. At the beginning of our senior trip at Myrtle Beach when I was upset and I had walked away from everyone you came up to me and gave the speech of a lifetime. I finally believed the words someone spoke when they were telling me that everything was going to be okay. I believed you. You taught me that the crime of all crimes is letting your make up run in public so crying isn't really ever an option. You made me the better version of myself. You taught me to embrace differences in others. You taught me to stand up for myself and to never allow myself to be walked all over. You forced me outside of my comfort zone and pushed me to live life's most thrilling experiences. And you did it all along my side. You helped me discover, me. You saved me. You were the dark to my light. The ketchup to my chip. We make a dangerous team. We have seen each other at our worst and we lean on the other until we're able to stand completely on our own again.

There aren't enough words to allow us to tell our story fully. And it still has decades on decades to continue to be written. Just know how thankful I am for you from the bottom of my heart. You are my rock. You came into my life and changed my whole outlook. We laugh together. We cry together. We fight through life together. One day at a time. No matter where life takes us in this world you will always be my closest, truest friend. I will love you forever.

Xoxo,

Your literal best friend forever.