Dear Best Friend,

It's crazy to me how much of life we have just done together. From the days on the playground while our moms attended Parent Club meetings to high school proms to long distance friendship to weddings and babies. It's not very often that someone sticks around for your whole life without that whole biologically related aspect. But, despite our biology, you are something more like family at this point.

We have survived so much that would tear apart other friendships. We made it past all the drama of high school. The girls who were too cool for their own good, the boys who knew they were cute so they were jerks about it and the annoying teachers who we didn't want to deal with were not enough to phase us. (Although, looking at some of the pictures from when we were in high school makes me think we shouldn't necessarily share that era of life with anyone else). We still call each other the ridiculous nicknames we came up with back then, and (I'm not sure if it's unfortunate or lucky) we lost the footage of us dancing around to weird songs in my backyard, but our friendship has stood the test of time.

We spent three years in a long distance friendship. And not just long distance, international. We went from living a block away from each other to having an entire ocean between us and a nine hour time difference. But, every one of those two a.m. Skype calls, the ones where I was crying because of something happening here, the ones where we were both laughing at memories we share and the best Skype call of my life, the one where you told me you were expecting my nephew, those all solidified a friendship that was already 16 years in the making.

Our problems have gotten more real over the years, but I always know that I can count on you to have a loving word or hug over the phone lines.

You have stuck by me through thick and thin and no one can ever replace you. I am so grateful that I can call you my best friend, my sister.

I love you.

Sincerely,

Your Puddin' Cup