Camryn Bushong. What a gal.

Camryn and I have had quite the journey. We met our freshman year of high school. Camryn had braces, I'd just gotten mine off, and neither of us ever expected to be friends.

I asked her what the homework was for our journalism class, and we found out both of us are Irish, and that seemed to do the trick. Camryn has always been one of the people who always knows how to make me laugh. We would try to get together to study but would end up talking about anything but school. She came on vacations with my family and me, and we would drive around and sing and have the time of our lives, but it's always been a deeper friendship than that.

We went through some major stages of our lives together. We both had our first serious boyfriends at the same time and broke up with them in pretty close proximity to one another, so we had to be there for each other. That, I think, is when we grew closest. Camryn knows how to comfort me and knows exactly what to say because she and I have been through the same things.

It's hard to stay close to someone when they live so far away from you, and even in the last couple years we've grown a bit more distant as our schedules seemed to really have a hard time matching up, but we always found time for sushi dates.

No matter what we're doing, we always fill our time with laughter. Camryn helps me to show my true colors and be 100% myself. The best part is- it doesn't scare her away! She introduced me to so many things in my life that have made it better. Not to mention she accidentally introduced me to my boyfriend and little does she know that is the nicest thing she could've done.

Though we don't get to talk that often anymore when we do talk it's like I saw her yesterday. She is by far one of the best people I know, and she cares so much about everyone in her life. She will drop anything and everything to help those she loves, and that is truly one of the most valuable things.

Anyone who has the privilege of knowing this girl is a lucky person. She brightens your day without even trying. So thank you, Camryn, for sticking around, even though we've grown apart. Thank you for checking up on me and being such a genuinely kind person and for looking out for me through thick and thin. I love you pal, and I hope you know that.