We've been best friends for the entirety of our adult lives. But when we met on that fateful summer night in 2011, he was just some quiet kid invited out for pizza by a friend of a friend.
I would never have guessed how close we would become.
Check out the picture at the top. These are two people that made my early 20's super memorable: Justin and Kylee. In this picture, we're at LOVE Park in Philadelphia, about two years after Kylee brought Justin to Pizza Hut.
I remember there was some dude standing in front of the statue offering to take pictures for tourists. Most people take a significant other to the LOVE statue. Not us. We decided to capture the memory through a jump.
And we probably gave the cameraman a few bucks. But moments like this are always priceless.
Fast forward a few years. Kylee moved to the city for college. Justin and I stayed behind, still trying to figure out which direction to go. We didn't plan it that way. Things just happened that way.
Just like when we first met.
When you're the only two people left at home after your friends have moved away, you become close pretty fast.
Our families got used to us always being together, hanging out at home or going out. We did things that you can only do when you live in a boring small town: drive around all night, go to diners, and complain about how there's nothing to do in your boring small town.
Eventually, I transferred to Rowan, but it's close enough to home that Justin would come and visit. My college friends all know and love him just as much as I do.
We've been through so much together. Three graduations, 14 combined birthdays, countless family parties, and the birth of our friend's child. He's my automatic plus one for Canoe Carnival every year.
Justin has literally held me like a baby when I was crying over my worst breakup. He stood by my side as I watched my dad die.
He's my pong partner and my coffee date. If you see one of us, the other is most likely close by.
Together, we've experienced just as many sad moments as happy moments.
It honestly feels like a lifetime has gone by since we've met.
Sometimes I don't feel like I deserve a friend who is as genuine and kind as Justin. There are a lot of times when we get on each other's nerves, but that's what happens when you're close with someone.
In those moments, I feel horrible about the things that I did or said to him. He'll deny it, but he really does have a heart of gold.
A few years ago, it started snowing while we were out grabbing a slice of pizza. I couldn't find the snow brush that I usually keep in my car. Justin literally wiped the snow off of my car with his bare hands BEFORE cleaning his own car off.
Serious friendship goals.
I really love Justin and wanted to share how awesome he is. If you find a friend as good as Justin, never let them go.
