Where do I even begin. I believe that the best types of friendships are those that come naturally. Those that neither person has any other ulterior motive than mere friendship. I met my best friend on freshmen move-in day and didn't even know. Actually, I lived next door to my best friend and didn't even know it.

At first we were just teammates. But because she was a pitcher and I was a middle infielder we didn't talk much during practice. In fact, we didn't talk much at all. The first half of the fall semester freshmen year we maybe carried three and a half conversations that I probably initiated. It’s not that we didn’t like each other, it’s just that she’s quiet. Some think she's even “judgy" because she’s so quiet (her moon-sized eyes give away her emotions so look at those if you want to find out the answer to that accusation).

I don’t know when exactly we became real friends or when we graduated to best friends, but by the end of our sophomore year, we were inseparable. She can tell you my Jimmy Johns order like it’s her own. She knows the way I like my coffee, what I’d order for dessert at numerous restaurants, and how to make me feel better after a rough day. These are all things that I am proud to say that I can do for her as well.

I believe that one’s college years is one of the most confusing stages in one’s life. It is at this stage that we are trying to figure out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. So sometimes that one thing we thought we wanted more than anything changes. Goals change. Wants change. We change.

My best friend told me she was thinking about transferring schools while I was making instant mash potatoes. Fast forward to some time later and the day came when I had to say goodbye to her for the summer. She’s not much of a hugger so I had to snap at her to hug me back with both arms, she really thought she was going to send me off home with a one arm hug.

Recently I’ve had a lot of time to think about the fact that when I step foot on campus this fall, my best friend won’t be by my side. She’ll be at another campus, on another field, wearing a different school’s name across her chest, but you know what, that’s okay. Our friendship will not end because we no longer attend the same school. Like I stated previously, she is stuck with me. We’re only in year two of our friendship. We still have countless cookie skillets to eat, break-ups to go through, weddings to plan (if we find men courageous enough to deal with our crazy) and pregnancies to coordinate around each other. Even though the latter is far, far, far, far, far, off I’m at ease knowing that even though our college experiences will no longer be merged, we still have so many incredible things to experience together.

Ash, I wish you nothing but the absolute best. I hope you are so unbelievably happy at your new school that you annoy me with all the joyful details. I hope you fall in love with everything there and maybe even meet the one you’ll spend the rest of your life with. You kept me together when everything was falling apart and for that, I will forever be grateful for you. You will make one hell of a doctor, wife, and mommy one day and I can’t wait to be there every step of the way.