Cranbrook was so much more than just a school for me. It was the place where I met my life long friends, and the setting to almost all of my favorite stories. It was the backdrop to the memories that my friends and I will cherish forever, and the place we can thank for bringing us all together. Cranbrook supplied me with the amazing sense of community and family which is irreplaceable. It has taught me to embrace challenges and how to overcome any struggles that come my way. It has given me the knowledge and strength to pursue success in the future, and become the best version of myself. For all of that, I have Cranbrook to thank.

My best friends from high school are a very special group of girls. Anyone would be lucky to have them as their best friends; I know I am. I am grateful for each and every one of them every day, even now that we are at different colleges. I wouldn't have wanted to spend four years with anybody else by my side. You guys are the reason why I loved high school so much. You guys are the reason I get so homesick when I’m off at college, and the people I look forward to seeing the most when I come back home. You are the people who were the hardest goodbyes. There is no one I would rather have grown up next to than you.

So here we go ladies…

Thank you for always having my back and for always being my partners in crime. Thank you for always knowing how to make me smile, no matter how bad of a mood I'm in. Thank you for always being down to go out, or stay in and watch movies. Thank you for only wishing me the best. Thank you for the countless inside jokes and unforgettable memories that we have made and will make in the future. Thank you for accepting my weird quirks and habits. Thank you for always sharing your closet. Thank you for listening to my problems and giving me endless advice. Thank you for adventuring unseen territory with me like our first real boyfriends, and high school hallways. Thank you for being there to hold my hand for our first day of high school and our last. Thank you for making fun of me when I’m taking myself too seriously. Thank you for shaping me into the person I am because without your support and constructive criticism I wouldn’t be who I am today. Thank you for coming to all my Birthday, Secret Santa, and Valentine’s Day parties. Thank you for being the main characters in all of the stories that I tell my new friends at college. Thank you for being the girls who I want to call when something really amazing or really horrible happens in my life. Thank you for having a good sense of humor. Thank you for crying with me at graduation so I wasn’t the only one. Thank you for always letting me eat your food. Thank you for having good music taste. Thank you for making me laugh until my stomach hurts. Thank you for being strong when I need you. Thank you for being you.

Although you are all miles away from me now, I know you are only a phone call away. I hope you love college and are thriving. I hope that your roommate stocks your room with yummy snacks to share, closes the door quietly while you’re sleeping, doesn’t let you dance alone at parties, holds your hair up when you’ve had one too many, and makes you as happy as you all make me. When I come back home, I look forward to the small things like hanging out in my family room and watching rom coms, lunch at Embers, or walking around CK’s campus. I miss you all every single day. It is weird to think we are making new memories at our new schools, with our new friends, without each other, but I am so proud of each and every one of you guys and I wouldn't change you or our friendship for anything. We're not just friends, we're family. Cranes fly together, love you endlessly.

Sincerely,

Your Thankful Friend