Dear roommates,

I don't even know where to begin to thank you for everything. So I guess I'll start at the beginning. Nine short months ago, our parents dropped us off at college. After unpacking, setting up the room, and giving some teary-eyed goodbye hugs, we were on our own for the very first time in our lives. On that day, we sat in the room together, a little awkwardly, as pretty much strangers. Little did we know how close we would become in such little time, spending every moment of the day together and doing everything for one another. Although there are a million other things I could probably think of to thank you for, here are the big ones.

Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for letting my dirty side of the room with piles of clothes slide, and for not caring that I haven't done laundry in over a week. Thank you for staying up with me during the wee hours of the night finishing papers, projects and assignments. Thank you for being there through every anxious moment, mental breakdown, and for always being a shoulder to cry on. Thank you for not minding when I forget to take the trash out, clear out the fridge, or make my bed in the morning. Thank you for dealing with me when I was in grumpy moods or had an awful day.

Thank you for accepting me. Never in my life has anyone spent so much time with me in such a confined area (forced triples are always a struggle). You saw me on my best days, dancing around the room and playing happy songs, and on my worst days, spending hours in bed crying my eyes out. Thank you for being there for me through both. Thank you for celebrating the ups with me, and getting me through the downs that freshman year brought. Thank you for never judging me for being the weird, goofy, annoying, crazy mess of a person I am. Thank you for still sticking through the year with me even when we got in little arguments about the room or any other things. Thank you for allowing me to be my true self, and establish a true sense of home away from home during my first year at college.

Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you for giving me motivation to stay up late and finish that long research paper, and for telling me that, yes, I do need to show up to my 8 AM class. Thank you for pushing me to be a better student, better athlete, and better friend over all. Thank you for picking me up and telling me everything would be okay when I would come home from practice, crying and feeling defeated. Thank you for always telling me that it's okay to not be perfect in life, in school, and everything else. Thank you for helping me with homework assignments I was stressed over, even when you had piles of homework yourself.

Thank you for taking care of me. In my first year living on my own and being an independent person, you truly stepped in and became like moms to me at times. Thank you for passing cough drops and Ibuprofen up to my lofted bed when I was sick, and getting out of bed to hold my hair back when I was throwing up at 2 AM. Thank you for doing more than your fair share in buying trash bags, cases of water, toilet paper, hand soap, tissues and paper towels for the room. Thank you for letting it slide when I forgot. Thank you for making me cups of easy mac at midnight when I was busy writing a paper. Thank you for wiping my tears when I would come home crying late at night. Thank you for letting me borrow every piece of your clothing, and eat a bunch of your snacks. Thank you for crafting long paragraph text messages for me when I just didn't know what to say to somebody. Thank you for taking in my life problems as your own, and helping me figure out life as a freshman in college one step at a time.

As our first year of college comes to an end and we pack up our stuff, move out, and go our separate ways this summer, I won't forget to take with me all of the memories we made in this little cramped dorm. I'll never forget all the nights spent laughing and crying together, ordering Domino's at totally inappropriate times of the night, jamming to all of our old throwback songs, and doing each other's hair and make-up in getting ready to go out. Though it won't be the same as we move into different rooms next year, I'll never forget my experiences with you from my first year of college. This year has been one of the best years of my life, and it wouldn't have been the same without you as roommates, and I can't thank you enough for that.

With much love,

Your freshman year roommate