Dear Best Friend,

Since 2001. Since 2001 we have been the best of friends. Since the day you invited that weird, shy, little girl who just sat by herself in a corner reading books, to play with you. Since 2001, we have had sleepovers and play dates and talks about what we would be like as adults. Since 2001 we have laughed until we couldn’t breathe, gone on countless fast food runs, and gotten our nails done together. Throughout all of those years, we have gotten closer and become more like sisters. So I wanted to thank you. For your friendship, advice, and overall humor.

Thank you, for everything. For including the shy little girl, who didn’t know anyone, in your game of Polly Pockets in Preschool. I appreciate you wanting to have playdates with me, even though I was an only child and didn’t know anything about sharing. Some of my favorite memories were those years of us dressing up as princesses and making my mom record us as we ran around the house. You didn’t care that I was a shy, awkward kid who didn’t talk much and was afraid to be apart from my mom, you simply accepted me for who I was, without hesitation.

Thank you, for never losing touch when I moved 2,324 miles away. Your constant texts, letters, and hours of phone calls meant so much to me. It kept my sanity in tact. When you visited me, flying all by yourself at just twelve years old, it was like reuniting with a long-lost sister. Together, we made memories and left our mark on The Last Frontier. Out of all the memories, visiting me was my favorite. I lost many people when I moved and I am forever grateful you never forgot me.

Thank you, for being so encouraging and uplifting when I found out I was moving again. This time, only 1,351.9 miles away from our hometown. You welcomed me home when I visited before going onto the new adventure and gave me the hope that Arizona would be the right place for me. I always looked forward to your visits, our homemade photoshoots, late night drives, and singing old songs from middle school. Remember when I randomly flew out and surprised you on your eighteenth birthday? And literally went straight from the airport to your house and just showed up on your doorstep to say "hey." Our trips back and forth to see each other made me forget that most people don’t normally have the chances like we do to fly across the country, just to visit their best friend.

Thank you, for always reading my writing, no matter how long, or stupid it was. Your encouragement to pursue a career in writing has shaped my education and helped me choose a major. I remember how in second grade you and I wrote a book together and was convinced it would be a best-seller. Hopefully, I can top that golden story we had.

Thank you, for understanding me and listening to my rants and problems when I needed a shoulder to cry on. Even miles away, you were by my side through thick and thin. All of our memories could cover a thousand walls and still not have enough room.

Thank you, for your humor and positive attitude. You have a heart of gold and would drop everything to help a stranger. I haven’t met a single person with such an uplifting spirit. You are truly an inspiration and role model to me.

This will be the first year that we don’t have a set date to visit each other, and it’s a bittersweet thing to think about. But as we set out, to experience new things, and go new places, I know for a fact that our friendship will only get stronger. All the things we’ve dreamed about and talked about during sleepovers at 3a.m. are finally starting to fall together and come into play. I cannot wait to see all the great things God has in store for you and I pray every day for new opportunities for you.

So we may not see each other for a while, or we may meet up in a month, who knows. The future is cloudy -- but every storm we have been through, we’ve come out alive and I know this will be no different.

So proud of you, and love you dearly.

See you sometime.

Sincerely,

Your best friend.