I was once told that I would find my best friends in college. I didn’t completely buy into that at the time though. However that person was right. It’s weird to think that I have people in my life now that I didn’t even know a year ago that mean more to me than someone I have known since kindergarten. I am really grateful to have them, even though I’m not the best at saying it. So here is a thank you letter, but it does not even begin to cover how thankful I am to have you in life.

Thank you for being there. I know I can count on you to be there for me whenever I need you whether it is two am when I am overthinking every possible thing and making up a bunch of scenarios that will never happen in a million years or if it’s three in the afternoon when I am excited and hyped up on coffee (which you know is a regular occurrence) and want to tell you some stupid story that probably isn’t as funny as I think it is. There are other times when I just want to tell you about my book and occasionally spoil it or I want to talk to you about whatever book I'm currently reading. Sometimes you can relate and sometimes you can’t but no matter what it is, you are there for me. You have seen me at my best and my worst in the past year, and you were always there and you have no idea how thankful I am for that.

Thank you for not giving up on me. I know that I can be a pain sometimes. And I know that my life seems like a sitcom, but you haven’t given up on me, not even when I shut you out while I figuring stuff out or wouldn’t tell you what was wrong. You didn’t give up on me when anyone else would have. So thank you.

Thank you for believing in me. You have so much faith in me it isn’t even funny. You never doubt me, even in the times when I doubt myself. Sometimes the amount of faith you have in me scares me because I don’t want to let you down, but then I remember that there is no way I ever could. You’ll proud of me no matter what and that means so much.

Thank you for not judging me when I am angry. I don’t typically get mad at people, but when I do, you never think differently of me, even when I don’t have the most valid reasons for it. Sometimes, you even get mad at them, too. Other times, when I am mad at people you don’t know, you just pretend that they don’t exist and you have no idea how much that makes me laugh just thinking about it.

Thank you for being my shoulder to cry on. Whenever I am upset, I know I can go to you, whether it is to vent or just because I need a hug and won’t tell you what is wrong until the next day. I know you will always give me comfort when I need it and an unlimited amount of hugs.

Thank you for making me laugh. You are few people who without fail can make me laugh when I feel like crying or screaming or banging my head against a wall. Sometimes it’s because you call me a crackhead (still not sure whether I should be offended by that or not) or making a joke about being on someone’s permanent sh*t list. You can make me laugh at things I really shouldn’t think are funny but I wouldn’t change it.

Thank you for picking me up when I fall. This is meant both figuratively and literally because we know I trip walking on flat ground and fall down (or up) the stairs on a regular basis and you laugh, but then you help me up but it’s OK because chances are, I’m laughing, too. Also, when I am feeling down on myself, you always make me feel better and make sure I know my importance. You make sure I know that I'm not only good enough for you, but great enough.

Thank you for having fun with me. It doesn’t matter what we are doing, we always have fun. It can be sitting at work, having dinner or sitting in one of our dorms studying for the final the next day. It doesn’t matter. Any time spent with you is time well spent.

Thank you for all the memories we’ve made and will continue to make in the future. There have been plenty of fun times, like the s’more party for my birthday or playing volleyball as soon as it warmed up enough. I love thinking about all the great times we have had in the past year and I can’t wait to see what things we do in the coming ones as well.

Thank you for the phone calls when we aren't near each other. I’m not going to lie, being away from you all summer has sucked tremendously. But there’s the phone calls, the texts, and the FaceTime calls that last two and a half hours but don’t even feel like they lasted five minutes. You may not have always replied to my texts, but you definitely replied more often than I expected you to. Thank you for still keeping in touch even though I wasn’t down the stairs or the next hall over from you.

Thank you for making sure I’m OK. I know that sometimes I don’t always tell you when something is wrong. But as soon as you think there’s even a chance that something’s not right with me, you make sure I’m OK. Sometimes you just ask, other times it’s a simple look. If I say I’m fine and you don’t believe me, you don’t let it go and you make sure I know that I’m not a burden for telling you even though there are times I feel that way.

Thank you for loving me. This is definitely the most important one. Thank you for loving me and never making me question whether you do or not. I love you, too, even though I know I don’t say it near enough.

I could thank you for more, but I will end with this. Thank you for not only being my best friends, but my family as well.

-D