To my best friends from home,

I just want to say thank you for being there for me all these years. As life goes on, years go by and we see each other less and less, I wanted to say thank you for staying by my side. Even though we don’t see each other as much as we used to, every time we get together it’s like nothing has changed. We can go days and even weeks, when life gets busy, without talking, but we’re still able to pick back up right where we left off.

Thank you for listening to my problems, even when you have no idea who I’m talking about half of the time. Although you’ve heard me talk about my friends from school, you haven’t met most of them. When I’m having friend problems, somehow you still manage to give me great advice. When I’m stressed out about school, jobs or family drama, you are always able to bring me back to reality. You are the best for agreeing with me that everything is dumb, and still reminding me that everything is going to work out. I know that I can come to you when I’m overwhelmed because you always know what to say.

Thank you for creating the best memories with me. For spending the first hour of our night catching up on gossip with my mom, playing Just Dance and singing to the Cheetah Girls. For all the late night conversations, where we intrusively ask each other questions with no boundaries. All the nights we spent arguing over where to eat dinner, deciding who’s going to drive and who’s going to control the music, binge watching “My 600-lb Life” are the nights I loved the most. All the best memories I have are with you.

Thank you for being a constant friend. I'm so grateful I never have to question the status of our relationship. Our arguments are few and far between, so I never have to wonder if you’re mad at me. We know each other well enough to know that even when we annoy each other, we’re still going to be there. We’re at the point where we speak our mind, even when we know it might not sit well with the other person. When it comes down to it, we just want what’s best for each other, and that’s all that matters.

Thank you for being my support system. More accurately, thank you for being my family. You supported me and cheered me on through everything before college, and you’ve continued to do the same since I’ve been here. You care about what’s going on not just in my life but also in my family’s. You could walk into my house uninvited and nobody would question it, and quite frankly you have done so (more than once, too). You know everything going on in my life, and you love and support me through all of it. That’s what family does.

Thank you for helping create the person I am today. I don’t know where I would be without you. I’m so lucky to have had such amazing, caring people to grow up with. I don’t care how cheesy I sound, I know that no matter where we go in our lives we will always end up back together, and that’s something I wouldn’t trade for the world. I’m blessed to have found the people I know will never leave my side.

Love you and miss you every day.