Recently, the opportunity of a lifetime fell into my lap. Deciding to take this internship at Disney has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make. Not only will I be moving to Orlando for five months, but I’ll be caught up in a new way of life down there without my family… and without my best friends.

I know this is going to be hard for them too, I’m not stupid… but I also know that there are a few things that need to be said before I leave.

To the Best Friends I’ve Ever Had,

I never thought I would find people like you. I never thought that I would have such a close relationship with anyone. I never thought that I would ever have someone that I could call at any time, from anywhere, and know that they would be on their way in half a heartbeat. Thinking about the time we will spend apart this fall, I don’t really know how to feel. I’ll be three hundred and eleven miles from you, four and a half hours away from you by car, and that terrifies me.

In comparison to the way my life is now, I spent my freshman year of college alone. Sure, I had a few friends, and I was surrounded by classmates, by roommates, and by over 20,000 students all over campus… but then I met you and now I couldn’t imagine going back to that. I couldn’t imagine going back to the times before I spent every free moment with you guys.

You see, I’m really scared that when I move you’re going to replace me. I’m afraid that because I’m so far away, I won’t be the person you call anymore. I won’t be the one you look to for advice. I’m afraid that I won’t be your best friend anymore, and you’ll still be mine. I’m afraid that I’ll come back in January, and that I’ll be alone again.

I need you to know that even when I won’t be here, I will be here. That sounds crazy, I know, but I also know that I will talk to you every day. I know that I will find a way to get you down there to visit. I know that I will FaceTime you, even when I’m dead tired after a night of closing up at the parks. I know that my person will always be my person. I know that my best friends will always be my best friends. I know that I will never forget you, I won’t even think about replacing you, and I also know that you will always be my family.

Looking forward, I ask you to answer my phone calls. I ask you to leave your phone on loud when you sleep, in case I need you. I ask you not to get mad at me for leaving. I ask you to support me, to love me, to visit me. I ask you to be my best friends, to be my person. Most of all, I ask you not to forget me, and please… don’t replace me.

You are my people. You are the ones I can always count on. You are my family. You are my backbone. You are my shoulders to cry on. You are my best friends.

I am going to miss you, so much, but I know that our friendship is stronger than anything this world can throw at us.

“True friends are never apart, maybe in distance… but not in heart.”

I love you guys.