Maybe that night was indistinguishable from any other in NYC, but I knew this night teemed with significance.

After speed-walking (in heels) through the hectic rush of humanity in Time Square, daring to cross intersections where impatient yellow cabs revved their engines and finally climbing THE steepest flight of stairs to the rented room of a swanky bar, we had arrived.

Katrina and I were attending an afterparty for the opening night of a show called ‘Afterglow.’ The dramatic narrative of ‘Afterglow’ centers around a homosexual, married couple who partakes in a habitual threesome. Yes, it is as sensual as you imagine (and then some), especially when their flyers read, “The climax is only the beginning.”

Towards the end of her freshman year, Katrina courageously decided to pursue a degree in arts management. Originally, she went to Baylor University with the intention of entering the medical field and becoming a heart doctor (you know, it’s casual). However, adhering to the long-held tradition of first years, Katrina agonized over the trajectory of the rest of her life.

Never one to half-heartedly pursue anything, Katrina changed her major and within the same week had procured a major summer internship with the Davenport Group (the theater company who put on ‘Kinky Boots’) in the Big Apple. She’d even found housing that was affordable, ideally located and had central A.C. which was, unfortunately, a novelty in NYC. Visiting her in the city, I saw that she was incredibly happy and at peace because she was, undoubtedly, stepping into what God had designed her for.

At the aforementioned afterparty, I met many of her co-workers. Every single person I met gushed about Katrina. Their compliments were variations of the same thing; so put together, beautiful, kind, smart, innovative, determined and a real joy in the workplace. Essentially, she was the envy and daydream of everyone she knew.

Yet, she has retained a baffling humility despite her extensive list of accomplishments. (As tempted as I am to list them all out here, she would not thank me. So you will just have to trust me on this one!)

Unsurprisingly, this afterparty, for a show about a gay three-way, boasted a larger percentage of homosexuals than heterosexuals. That being said, Katrina and I were some of the only “straight” girls present. However, we had worn color-coordinated outfits and stuck close to each other’s side. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking that we were a lesbian couple; an honest mistake.

Although, in a way, they wouldn’t be entirely wrong in such an assumption. Don’t panic boys, I am as straight as they come, but what I mean is that if you and your BFF are not mistaken for a lesbian couple, then are you doing it right?

Maybe you have a biological sister or a sorority sister, but do you have a soul sister? I don’t mean the one that Train sang about, but the one who...

You still have some of their clothes that they let you borrow ages ago.

You call them first whenever something stupid or stupendous happens.

You find yourself sitting on their couch when they're out of town...you know, "house-sitting" their parents.

You know more of their family members than your own.

You plan your vacations in tandem.

You cannot eat at your favorite restaurant with anyone else without feeling like you are cheating on them.

You justify staying in because you don’t need to go looking for a new best friend.

You plan to retire down the street from each other.

You secretly hope they will marry your brother so that you will technically be family.

You find yourself bringing them up in conversations where they have no relevance.

You think they are the coolest human being EVER and you worry that they are too incredible to be friends with you, but you thank God every day that they haven’t figured that out yet.

So, why this fan-girly monologue about my best friend? Well, she is another year older this week. The cliché is that she is like a fine wine, just getting better with time and I cannot disagree. She will probably be one of those people who is eternally in their ‘prime.’

But I wrote this because I think the world needs to be warned about what is coming. She is a hurricane. Her winds and rains will change the very landscape. Be that as it may, spending time with her makes you feel like you are in the eye of the storm; the clouds disappear.

Happy Birthday, Katrina, my ‘forever friend.’