Anyone who knows me knows how much I loved my high school experience. The amount of fun I had that led me to love it so much is credited to ALL of my high school friends, including the ones I no longer speak to. There was no way I could reach out to thank all of you individually, so here's to all of you... thank you for making high school amazing!

To my sisters/brothers:

Seriously, we might as well be siblings because "mi casa es su casa!!!" Really though, thank you for sticking by my side through every aspect of high school: hard classes, arguments with each other, sporting events, a breakup, a bad grade... the list could go on and on. I know we will ALWAYS be connected and for that, I am forever grateful!! (really though, we will probably be in each other's weddings) Thank y'all for being my go-to when I wanted to share exciting news or when I needed a shoulder to cry on.

To my best friends:

The memories come flooding into my mind when I think of y'all. Remember when we all went to take pictures together for homecoming, prom, and when we were college-bound or when we all went to eat downtown and rode with a full car of girls with the windows down and music blasting.... time flies, but of course with y'all, I was always having fun. Thank you for making high school extremely FUN! We don't talk as often as we used to (because let's face it... it's hard to keep in touch so much when we are all at different schools in different states trying to build and maintain new friendships as well), but I love y'all just the same! So thankful for all the memories we have and all of the ones to come when we reconnect in the future!

To my church besties:

Oh, how I LOVE these besties! Coming together with these friends once or twice a week at church made life so much better!! Not only did we enjoy hanging out with one another, but we also were getting to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the same time!! (nothing can beat that!) I knew that if I ever needed prayers in a rough time, I could count on my church besties! (and still can!! thank goodness for GroupMe keeping us all in touch!!) Forever and always thankful for these friendships!!!

To my cheer & extracurricular club friends:

Whether it be practice or a game, I saw my cheer team every single day of the week. They were my family. Thank y'all for dealing with me on my bad days. And thank y'all for making it easy to enjoy the sport I love so much!! To the girls I was extremely close with, I love y'all with my whole heart!! So glad we had the chance to grow so close because of cheer! Forever and always Hornet Pride for the Maumelle cheer team!! #2GHBST321 #2WI3D1F1T #2LF3SWLT #4BROOKE

To my DECA, FCCLA, and many other different club friends...I love y'all just as much! I so enjoyed the many trips we took together and all the countless hours of meetings and planning we put into making the club so great!

To my 'ex best friends':

Maybe these friendships ended because we got in a big fight and neither of us wanted to apologize and mend the friendship. Or maybe the friendship just faded over time because we got close with other people. Either way, I cherish the time we did have together (because after all, you were one of my best friends at one time.) You not only gave me memories from our friendship, but you taught me some life lessons as well. You taught me that not every friendship I make will last a lifetime... how to let go and move on... that things WILL get better with time. You helped me learn how to grow through hard times (because seriously, losing a best friend is hard no matter what caused it.) Thank you. And despite how things ended with us, I truly hope you're doing well!

To my 'let's go eat dinner and catch up' friends:

These are honestly some of my FAVORITE friendships!! I currently attend college in a different state from where I graduated high school, so I love to go home and have dinner with old friends and catch up!! These are the friendships that I cherish because I know that we can go a LONG TIME without talking and still be able to just randomly text each other to make plans to go eat dinner. I may not hang out with these people often or even talk to them often, but they hold a special place in my heart simply because we enjoy one another's company and care about how each others lives are going!! Thank y'all for caring and always being down to meet for dinner!

To my friends in a different grade:

Wow... these are some of the best friendships, yet some of the hardest friendships as well. One of my BEST friends in high school was a year behind me. We hung out all the time and made so many memories, which of course made it extremely difficult to graduate and go to college knowing she was staying behind. I have many friends like this. We may not talk as much anymore (again, because going to college in a different state can make that difficult), but I am so grateful for the memories!! Thank you for attacking me with hugs when I come home to visit. Love y'all so much!

To my say "hey" and go about your day friends:

These friendships are the most simple. BUT they were a game changer for me. Some mornings, I just did NOT want to be at school. These friends would look at me, smile, and say good morning. They would come up behind me, hug me, and ask me how I was doing. We never really hung out, but I knew I could count on them to brighten my day!! Thank y'all for that!!

To my friends that hurt me or I hurt:

You were very important in my life. You taught me the importance of forgiveness. You taught me that holding grudges (most likely over something stupid) will get me nowhere in life other than resting in anger and bitterness (and seriously, that's no fun.) So thank you for whatever it is that you did to me.

You really helped me grow.

If I hurt you, I hope you know it was not my intention to do so! I'm sorry for whatever it is that happened between us, but I can guarantee you that I learned from it. I learned to think more before I speak or act. I learned that other people may be more sensitive than I am. Whether you hurt me or I hurt you, I learned that if it won't matter in five years, don't spend more than five minutes dwelling on it. The little things were not worth getting worked up over.

Maybe it's just me... but I am such a people person! I know I said this many times, but each one of these different types of friends holds a special place in my heart, whether we are still connected or not. Each one of my high school friends touched my life in their own unique way.

To all my high school friends in general: Thank you for your friendship!! I can't believe it's almost been a year since we graduated! Thanks for all the memories!! Hope you're doing well and enjoying the next chapter of your life! #L17forever

Image Credit: Ricky Aguilera