Dear Ice Cream,

You've been there for me for a long time. From the first time my mom let me have a bite as a toddler to the time my boyfriend and I broke up and I ate a pint in one sitting to last week when you showed up for girls' night, you never fail me.

Thank you for always being able to change yourself for me. You're so adaptable! Your Classic Vanilla self can play host to hot fudge, whipped cream, chocolate chips, and a cherry on top, whereas your more adventurous Death by Chocolate ego is good all by itself. You don't try to play games with me, you just make yourself available and change according to my needs.

I truly can't explain how much you mean to me. I can't even remember what my life was like before we met! It was probably sad, as most situations that don't involve you are. No matter how I'm feeling, you never fail to make me feel better. If I'm happy, Mint Chocolate Chip and Birthday Cake are there to celebrate. If I'm facing a bump in my tracks, Cherry Garcia and Rocky Road are there to show me that roadblocks aren't always bad. When sadness comes to call, nothing cheers me up quite like Butter Pecan and Strawberry.

Ice cream, you make life better. You come in so many different forms! Rolled in a cup, mashed with brownies or chocolate chips, carefully scooped onto a waffle cone-- you're beautiful however you present yourself. And you know that you don't always have to be the star of the show-- sometimes you top a hot chocolate chip cookie and allow the cookie to shine even more! But don't worry, the cookie wouldn't be nearly as good without your help.

I love how you are always there for people, no matter how old they are. You bring joy to people of all ages! Toddlers licking Chocolate for the first time, teenagers giggling over Half Baked and a movie, grandmas and grandpas sharing a cone of Moose Tracks as they celebrate an anniversary (okay that's a lie-- no one would ever share Moose Tracks, but that's besides the point). You don't discriminate, and that's a wonderful quality.

Recently, you've started to evolve even more. Your cousins, coconut milk ice cream and almond milk ice cream, have started to become more popular. I see why they're loved; they offer a slightly healthier ice cream option, as well as ice cream options for those poor unfortunate dairy-free souls. However, your cow's milk-based treat is superior in the important standings: taste, texture, and variety. So don't worry about your wannabe cousins one-uping you, you're better than them.

Ice cream, I love you so dearly. Thank you for always making life a little sweeter.

Love always,

A forever fan