Dear Julie,

It’s here! Your 21^st birthday is upon us. Now you can drink legally and be seen in the eyes of the public as a real adult! I wanted to take this time, so near to your day, to write you this to show you how much I appreciate you and our friendship.

You are undoubtedly one of the most important people in my life. I know that because I know you, (to quote the musical “Wicked”) “I have been changed for good.” I have had the honor of being your friend since freshman year of college where, at the hands of destiny, we lived across the hall from each other. As most friendships go, we started out as acquaintances and then friends, but wasn’t until a year later that we really got to know each other and realized how much we had in common. From there we were inseparable, eventually, we became roommates through a twist of fate. I don’t think I can thank the universe enough for bringing us together like that.

We have been through so much, individually as well as together, and have come out stronger than ever. This year’s living situation in our on-campus apartment was less than ideal, there were many problems within the apartment that we could not control, but we stuck together. We came out better people after all was said and done. You were my source of positivity when things were tense and I will always cherish our movie nights we had to de-stress. We always found a way to have fun and be happy.

You have proven to me what true strength is. You have been through so much in your life but continue to live every single day to the fullest. You are so kind to those around you and make every one of your friends happy with your contagious positive attitude. This is why I was drawn to you even more once we got closer as friends. You get up every day and actively choose to be happy, you choose to work hard in school and be the best person you can be. I am grateful to have a friend like you to keep me motivated and in high spirits always.

When we started hanging out more we started getting to know each other’s personalities. Something I always liked about you was that you were always down to just stay in when others went out so we could talk about movies and watch funny YouTube videos (Markiplier comes to mind). We never had to go out to enjoy the night, all we needed was each other and we were set. There was no stress, only laughs and late night deep conversations. This year living with you felt like each night was a fun sleepover with my best friend, which it was. We always spent a few extra minutes laying in bed before sleep just making each other laugh with funny stories from our day and I will treasure that always. You always knew how to get me to laugh and I love how we are both the right level of crazy.

You have quickly become one of my best friends on this planet. Without you, I honestly don’t believe I would be as great as I am today. You have become not only a best friend but a sister as well. I never thought I would meet someone who could touch my life like you have. I am thankful to have met such a kind soul like you and I only hope I have affected your life in a similar way. On this, your 21^st birthday, I am blessed to have you in my life and I know we will be friends for many birthdays to come. I love you so much! Thank you for putting up with me as a friend and thank you for always sticking by my side through everything.

Love,

Victoria

Or as Markiplier would say, “As always, I will see you in the next video! Buh-bye!”