Friends are easy to find but truly good friends—best friends even—are rare. This person represents so much more than their title. When I think of my best friend…when I think of you, the title sometimes seems so trivial. But yet, that’s exactly what you are. I don’t think I could ever thank you enough in person, so I decided to write it.

Dear best friend,

I have so much to be thankful for but one of the main things I am thankful for is May 28, 1996. The day you were born meant that I would one day find someone who would become a friend and an integral part of my life. Despite knowing of each other and maybe even exchanging a few words here and there, you and I were strangers for almost year before actually getting to know one another. It’s crazy looking back and seeing a picture of us on bid day. We were just two excited strangers who got in the same sorority and decided to take a photo together. And now, two years later, here you are as my best friend.

I haven’t seen you in almost a month but that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought of you, which is probably why I’ve been blowing up your phone. But with this time away, it has allowed me to reflect on our friendship and appreciate it in ways I never did before. It’s allowed me to think about all the things you have done for me and why I’m so thankful for you. There is no way I would be able to list all of them but here are a few.

Thank you for always laughing with me and understanding my jokes.

A major component of our friendship is our ability to laugh. We’re constantly laughing whether it’s at others, each other or with one another. Our sense of humor doesn’t always make sense to other people (like that time we cracked a joke in the house and literally everyone just stared at us) but they are the best moments we have.

Thank you for accepting my weirdness and reciprocating.

As you never let me forget, I’m weird but let’s be honest, you’re weirder. Thank you for randomly screaming while driving (scaring me in the process), and gagging weirdly whenever you thought of something you didn’t like. I thank you for letting me be myself. That’s something I haven’t gotten to experience much in my life but you met me and understood me right away. Instead of getting me to hide who I am, like others have done, you let me embrace myself and even at times enabled me to be the quirky person I am.

Thank you for sharing my obsessions.

I have never met someone who matches my love for corgis and One Direction as much as you. I can always rely on you to tag me in corgi videos and to send me daily Harry Styles’ photos. Thank you for sharing my love of food. I can always count on you to be hungry and not say no to food, even when you just ate. Thank you for always getting food with me, no matter the time and how far.

Thank you for spending 12+ hours a day with me.

I think one reason why our friendship became so strong as fast as it did was because for some reason we would spend entire days with each other. Sometimes for game days and others just because the time would fly when we were together. I don’t know how we spent that much time together but I’m thankful for those days.

Thank you for being you: the super weird, funny, smart, supportive, crazy talented artist that you are. As I enter my senior year, I already know my hardest goodbye (or better yet, see you later) will be to you. Without you, my junior year would not have been as note-worthy as it was. You have been a true and constant friend and that means so much to me because when I think of the future, I see you standing by my side on the day I marry the man of my dreams, I see you still driving me around at age 70, I see us laughing and enjoying life just as much as we do now. I can never thank you enough and I will never not love and appreciate you.