Happy birthday to my very best friend! I am so grateful for the day I happened to stand behind you in line at band camp, and I’m even more grateful that you’ve stuck with me for three whole years already. Through some unimaginable ups and downs, we have done it all together, and there’s nobody I would have rather had at my side. In celebration of your twenty-first completed trip around the sun, here are twenty-one reasons I hope you have the most fantastic birthday ever.

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1. You’re the extrovert my introverted self always needs.

Why push myself to be a bubbly social butterfly when you can do it for me? Thanks for being the conversation initiator and event-attender that pushes me to experiment and grow.

2. You send me all of the funniest Facebook videos so I don’t have to weed through them myself.

I get my own personalized highlight reel of both Facebook and iFunny and usually have at least three puppy videos waiting for me every time I log on. What more could a girl want?

3. You’re an experienced movie buff and recommend great films.

I owe my love of Zootopia to you, and that’s saying something. Someday, I will watch Draft Day. That is my birthday promise to you.

4. Your closet is my second closet.

Thanks for all of the hand-me-downs and “I already wore this dress to something, can I wear yours?” outfits. Two closets are better than one. I’ll try to start returning your stuff sooner… key word, try.

5. You don’t mind driving me everywhere.

Even though my car is parked a mere block away, yours is right outside your door, which is enough reason for you to offer to drive. That’s the best, especially when it’s raining or late or really hot or laziness takes over.

6. You bring me on vacation with your family.

After our Myrtle Beach excursion, I can say from experience that there’s no vacation like a Heinzman vacation. I consider it my long-overdue formal initiation into your family, complete with lots of ice cream and awkward neck sunburns.

7. You don’t mind talking to store employees when we can’t find something.

Thanks to you, I now know that Whole Foods does not have pudding. (If you hadn’t been brave enough to ask the guy, I’d probably still be there looking for it.)

8. You enjoy those Tasty videos as much as I do.

Breakfast quesadillas? Peanut butter pie? Anything having to do with avocados? We’re all over it. Want to start a restaurant with me?

9. You sneeze more than anyone I have ever known, EVER.

Thanks for accepting “Infinite bless you! Bless you for eternity!” as a substitute for my acknowledging your every sneeze. I get a little worn out after your thirteenth or so.

10. Your paintings challenge even Pinterest's finest.

Your artwork is beautiful, and you totally could charge me whatever you wanted because your paintings rock. I can’t wait to fill our living room with them.

11. You are “makeup Sam” and always have what I need.

This includes your $28 mascara that I will NEVER buy for myself… I’ll just keep mooching off of yours, instead.

12. You are basically your own Disney Princess.

I know you said you feel like you’re Anna from Frozen, but I think you should just be your own princess. You have already proven your ability to recall Disney lyrics with impressive (and slightly alarming) accuracy.

13. You support me in all of my activities, even if they’re out of your comfort zone.

7:00 a.m. weight-lifting definitely included. It means the world to me to have you there.

14. You are always up for late-night skillet brownies when the mood strikes.

I think my sweet tooth is best friends with your sweet tooth. One brownie sundae with two spoons, please!

15. The things that make me mad also make you mad.

If something really gets under my skin, I know there is no better person than you to call upon for commiseration and co-complaining. Thank you for getting it, even when it doesn’t make logical sense.

16. You are not only my best friend, but also my sister in music.

Crossing in the Spring 2014 line alongside you will always be one of my favorite college memories. Vita Brevis, Ars Longa.

17. You understand the struggle of feeling less cool than your younger sister.

How do they do this to us? Why? Where did they learn to do it? At least I’m not the only one who feels this way. We can feel less cool together.

18. You cry regularly because of movies and it’s adorable.

Yes, I’m talking about Charlie Brown. At the movie theater. In public. On campus.

19. Your enthusiasm for life is contagious.

Think happy, be happy. I don’t know many other people who live out that statement as successfully as you do. You inspire me!

20. Your presence doesn’t impede on my introvert recharge time.

We can comfortably share silence, and that is rare to find in a friend. Hanging out with you is as comfortable to me as just sharing my own presence.

21. You are my one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime, beautiful and loved best friend.

I think you deserve the world any day, but especially today. Let’s fill it with a rockin’ breakfast, lots of adventures, snort-inducing laughter, and coffee somewhere along the way. Thanks for being you.