Dear best friends,

I want to take the time to thank you for all that you have taught me. Not only have you been by my side for countless years, but I have confidence that we will be together for countless more!

Thank you for being my people. We may not have gone to the same high schools or even seen each other every day, but thank you for always being a phone call or short drive away. I know that whenever I need you, whether it be from 10 miles, 125 miles or 2,300 miles, I know that you will always be there for me. Coming to college was the hardest thing to do because I was leaving you. I know I still have days where I just really miss you ,and even an hour long FaceTime call can't help anything. I'm not used to being so far away from you. I know you have those days too, which makes me feel a little better, but I still count down the days until we will see each other next (let's be real, we will probably cry).

Thank you for keeping me updated on your whole life. Now that we go to colleges across the country, I was not sure how our friendships would ever be the same again. As we begin our second semesters, I know that we will be just fine. I have heard about almost every cute boy on your campuses and sometimes I even know what you have for every meal of your day. It is comforting to know you are doing OK,. On days when you feel homesick or just aren't all that happy, it hurts my heart. Back at home, I would just be a drive away and we could vent out all of our feelings at one time and watch a movie and everything would be okay again. Between class schedules and time differences, doing just that is tough, which really sucks. I love hearing about the positives in your life –– keep them coming –– but try to keep the negatives to a minimum because two sad best friends is not a good pair.

Thank you for loving me, even through middle school. It was a rough time for all of us and looking back on photos, I thoroughly regret most of my actions. Those terrible middle school years are far behind us, but the pictures still haunt us –– unfortunately. You know what pictures I'm talking about, the ones dressed as Starbucks Coffee cups and mirror pics decked out from Picnik. We had our middle school fights, but I think those only made us closer (I mean, do they even count as fights?). Even through high school, when I sometimes put you aside for school work (sorry, by the way), you still made sure we were inseparable.

Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for always supporting me with whatever weird idea I've come up with, and I know there have been plenty. Thank you for telling me I can do anything I put my mind to. Having a support system that is so encouraging is so important. You never let me once think that I wasn't unstoppable, and I could not be more grateful for that. When I took on a challenge that was way over my head, you had faith that I could overcome it and be great. Also, thank you for helping me when I really did take on too many tasks and couldn't do it all myself.

Thank you for counting down the days until our next adventure. I'm glad you are just as excited to see me when we come back from breaks as I am to see you. We make plans weeks in advance and it usually gets me way too excited way too early, but I wouldn't want to change that for the world. Seeing you makes coming home extra special.

Thank you for being you. And because of this, I know I can count on you. I can trust you and that means more than anything.

Thank you for everything,

Your forever grateful friend.