Knowing someone for more than three-quarters of your life, obviously impacts you as a person. For as long as I've known my best friend, Emily, I've always known that no matter what I thought, I was never actually lonely. She's been the missing piece of my life that I didn't even know I was missing. We recently celebrated 15 years of friendship, and it had me thinking of all of the times I knew she was my best friend forever.

1. The first walk home from school

Emily and I had been friends for a few months at this point. We were in second grade and she was walking home from school with me because my mom was throwing me a birthday party. On this four block walk to my house, Em decided that she was going to wave at every car that passed us. To our 8 year old brains, it was hilarious, to the people in the cars we were waving to, probably not so much. She continues to spark such a pure source of laughter in me, and for that I'll always be thankful.

2. Billy Gilman

Our mutual love for this unknown country singing child brought us together. I was so jealous when she told me that she was going to see him in concert and spent the whole day of wallowing in my FOMO (fear of missing out). Much later in the evening (it was a school night) Emily called me and told me I absolutely had to come to her house right that second and it couldn't wait until school the next day, so my mom reluctantly drove me to her house in our PJ's. Upon arriving, Em came out of the house and gave me the best gift a Billy Gilman fan could ever possess, AN AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO SIGNED TO ME PERSONALLY (maybe it wasn't personally, but you get the excitement)! Knowing that my best friend was thinking of me on the "best night" of her eight year old life, made me certain that she was going to be a forever friend.

3. When we committed to spending whole summers together

Emily and I were in the same class for second and third grade, and when we found out that we wouldn't be together in fourth grade, we so afraid of losing each other as best friends, that we vowed to spend the whole summer together. Then again the summer going into fifth grade. Those summers included many, many sleepovers, usually alternating days at each others' houses, lots of swimming, lunch dates at the local pizzeria where we would pay with any change we could find, and lemonade/bake sales where we discovered how delicious Nilla-wafers dipped in chocolate icing were.

4. When we took a break

2007-2009 were weird years. Emily did some sports and art classes, and I liked Fall Out Boy. The break was needed, we found ourselves as individuals and were able to come out of that break as better and stronger best friends.

5. That one conversation in that one diner

It was after high school, we both had lives and jobs and college was happening, so we hadn't seen each other in quite a while. We went for dinner and just talked and talked for hours, and although it was a pretty relaxed and uneventful evening, I'll remember it forever.

6. The night before I moved

I had been dreading saying goodbye to Emily for weeks leading up to my move. It was kind of perfect that the night before I moved we had planned for months already to go to this 80's dance party. We were by each other's side all night; drinking sangria, dancing, and singing at the top of our lungs. When we were close to getting home, it was quiet in the car. Emily finally broke our silence to tell me how much she'd miss me, and how proud she was of me. We spent quite a while hugging and crying that night.

Emily has shown me what true friendship is and has taught me so much in the 15 years that I've known her. She's smart, funny, strong, passionate, and the most caring person I've ever met. I am so proud to call her my best friend.

Cheers to the next 15 years, my person.