I would like to start by giving the sincerest of thank you's to all of the men and women who wake up every day and defend this country that we are all beyond lucky to live in. Without your service, none of us would be able to enjoy the many liberties that we are so blessed to have. I would especially like to thank my best friend, Jake, who enlisted in the Army this past year and is currently off kicking ass at basic training.

As I sit in my dorm room writing this article, staring at the pictures of us and our friends plastered on my walls, I am filled with bittersweet feelings. As hard as it's been without you around for the past couple months, I am so impressed with the incredible person that you have become and beyond proud of your decision to serve this country. I admire the hell out of you for it. What you're doing is awesome and I truly believe it is what you were born to do. The Army is extremely lucky to have you and I have faith that you are already doing big things down in Georgia.

At the same, I miss you like crazy, and I know Meg and the boys do, too. It's been too long since we've been mauled by Chief, played some games of Phase 10 or poker, or messed with Meg's car. You would be proud of me, though. I've been teaching some of my friends at school how to play poker — I've gotten a lot better, I swear. It's definitely not the same without you, Brendan and Joey making fun of me for folding every other hand, though. For real though Jake, you mean so much to us and our little group just wasn't the same when you left. It was weird to spend our last summer before moving away to college without you. It was even more weird when we started talking about our new college lives in a group chat that you weren't in. You are my best friend and moving on to this new chapter in my life doesn't feel right without you. I think not being able to talk to you almost every day is the worst part about all of this. All I want is to tell you how school is going and hear all about your training. I remember when you first left for basic, you could still text us when you had some free time and that rocked. We were thinking, "OK, this won't be so bad." But then, the texts became few and far between and it really started to sink in that you were gone. Thankfully you were able to send us some letters, though, and that definitely helped fill the void of your absence.

I remember the day that I got my first letter from you. I was in the car with your sister and some of our friends on our way to the Florida Georgia Line concert. When we pulled into the lot, I got a text from my mom saying that something had come in the mail for me. Then she sent a picture of an envelope with your return address on it and I screamed. I was so excited to hear from you that I wanted to go back home right then so that I could read your letter. I remember telling anyone and everyone I saw that night that I got my first letter from my best friend. I remember Meg and I crying in the concert thinking about you and how this was our first concert of the summer without you there with us. But when I got home later and finally got the chance to read your letter, I was the happiest I had been since you left. Just knowing that you took the time to write to me made me feel awesome.

When writing back to you, I struggled to find the words to express everything I've been feeling since you left. You are, and always will be, a huge part of my life. I just want to thank you for everything that you have done for me since we've met. Jake, without you I would not be the person I am today. Throughout our six years of friendship, you have taught me so much about life and who I want to be as a person. You were always there for me whether I needed some tough love or for someone to pick me up, dust me off and tell me to keep going. You have honestly made my life so much better since you became a part of it. I will never be able to explain to you how much you mean to me. You have such an effect on everyone you meet and I know Meg, the boys and I will forever be changed because of you. You made all of our senior year's so amazing and I can't even begin to thank you for that.

I can't wait to tell you all of this when I finally get to see you again in person in a couple of months! I am incredibly excited for you to come home again. Just a heads up, we're probably going to give you the biggest group hug ever and never let you leave us again. You rock, Jake, and I can't wait to see what you accomplish in the Army.I miss and love you so much,

Cass