I have met some absolutely incredible people in college. Despite the fact that we just met a year ago, I feel like I have known them my whole life. These are the people I run to when I have failed a test. The ones who have seen me cry when I miss home. The ones who won’t judge me for eating a whole sleeve of girl scout cookies because midterms are overwhelming. The ones who will wait up with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream until my late night exam is over. The ones I can sit with in silence, doing absolutely nothing, yet feel completely at peace. These people have made me a better person. They have brought me out of my shell, and helped me to discover a part of me that I didn’t know existed. It’s only been a year, but I already tear up when I think of the day when we part ways and live in separate states.

However, there is something to be said for the girls who got me to this point- my childhood friends. The ones who shared their play-doh with me before I could form complete sentences and the ones who held my hand during ballet performances.

Madeline and I met in preschool when we were just two years old. I hadn’t socialized with many other little kids, so preschool was a whole new world. I don’t know exactly how Madeline and I began our friendship -- it probably started with our mutual love of dolls or stuffed animals. Nonetheless, we clicked and have been by each other’s side since. Our parents signed us up for ballet with Madeline’s two neighborhood friends, Paige and Abbie. I can’t say that I learned anything about the art of dance, but I did find three girls who would become the Wiltondale Crew.

We all grew up within a block of each other. Madeline lived across from me, Paige was just down the road, and Abbie was one street over. Every summer was spent running from one house to another, American Girl dolls in tow. When we got bored, we would walk to the pool to play Stars and Categories, or Sharks and Minnows if we wanted to try to be like the older kids. At night, we would play Jailbreak until our parents cut us off to prevent us from waking the neighbors. At which time we would usually beg to have a sleep over, although the late-night pleading only had a 20 to 30 percent success rate.

We played soccer and softball together. We watched marathons of Little House on the Prairie, and had premiere parties for every Disney Channel original movie. We played endless games of Life (even though Abbie and Paige tried to steal my money -- and for the record, the house is very stormy). Snow days were for building forts and sledding, followed by hot chocolate and cookies. And days off from school were excuses for extra playdates.

However, people change in middle school. There are so many new people to meet and sometimes we lose sight of who our true friends are. Fortunately, I can say that we never experienced this. These girls stuck by me during the middle school days of questionable fashion trends. They didn’t abandon me when I would kiss up to the teacher and remind her to collect the homework. High school can be an equally tumultuous time, but our friendship didn’t waiver. We were by each other’s side through the field hockey practices, the boy troubles, the college search process and AP classes.

Now that we are away at school, we don’t see each other often enough, but when we do, it’s like we have never been apart. They still mock me for the time I wanted to write an angry letter about my unsatisfactory Chicken and Stars soup. We still re-watch our ballet class performances just to get a good laugh. And we still can stay up talking all night, just like we did during our childhood sleep-overs.

I’ll always be grateful for the friends I have made in college, for they have made me a better version of myself. But, there will always be a special place in my heart for the girls who I grew up with. I still call them when I have had a bad day because they know exactly how to make me feel better. They understand all of me - my quirks, my passions, my flaws, my dreams. These are the girls who know me better than I even know myself. When we are together I can be completely, 100 percent me. Sometimes, I wish I could go back to the days when we didn’t have a care in the world. As kids, we took time with our friends for granted. How were we supposed to know that someday the real-world will set in?

As much as I hate not being able to see you guys every day, know that I always have you on my mind. You were my first friends, the original squad, the girls who will be my bridesmaids, the ones who I will always look to for support. Thanks for being the absolute best friends a girl could ask for.

All my love,

Katiekinz