To my best friend who became the love of my life,

Before I met you, I never thought I would ever fall in love. I didn't think anyone could ever love me for who or what I was. I always believed that I would spend my life alone because of how I looked and how I spoke. I never in a million years thought someone would ever want to spend their life with me. Growing up I watched all of my friends have boyfriends. I was always the third wheel. I was always the one they all came to for advice, yet I had never experienced a real relationship.

When we first met, we didn't even like each other. Until that one night on a mutual friends back porch. We were sitting there in the dark while the song "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias was playing. All of our friends were slow dancing with their partners or parents. I was just sitting there, watching from the side lines as I always did. Until you came up to me with your hand out asking me if I would dance with you. My heart started racing, my mind was blown and I started to become extremely shy. I don't dance, I've never danced with anyone but yet I took your hand without hesitation and followed you. We danced the entire song not speaking, but just staring at each other. I couldn't believe it. I was dancing, with a boy! After the dance we just sat down and totally ignored that we just danced to the most beautiful song together. The night went on and you needed a ride home. I offered to drive you and with no hesitation you accepted. We sat in front of your house in my car until 4am just talking about anything and everything. We couldn't believe how much we actually had in common!

From then on you became my best friend. We spent as much time as we possibly could together. We would go to the mall, go grab food or we would just sit in my car and hangout. You came to every family party or event that I had. I started to fall for you, but I didn't want too. How could someone as handsome, kind and loving as you want to be with someone like me? Months went by and I just kept falling harder and harder. I'd talk to my mom about it and she would tell me to wait. She told me she knew from the beginning that you would be the one for me. She said she knew deep down that you were going to be the one who swept me off my feet. I didn't believe her despite how badly I wanted her to be right.

You started spending the weekends at my house. We would cuddle on my couch and watch our favorite movies together, even if we couldn't stand what the other picked. You slowly but surely had tore all my walls down. My entire life I spent building these walls around me so that nobody could hurt me. You were different, I couldn't stop the walls from falling. Something about you made me feel safe and secure that you wouldn't hurt me. We continued our journey together for 8 months long. We weren't official but we knew what we both felt and that was all that mattered.

Unexpectedly my life flashed before my eyes and suddenly I was a mess. My mom had passed away and I couldn't get a hold of myself or my life. I became so lost, confused, sad and angry. You were there, right by my side the entire time. You did everything you could possibly do to comfort me in that time. Months and months I kept spinning downward. I felt helpless and hopeless, but you didn't give up on me. You kept pushing. We fought and we argued more than we should have, but it was my fault. I was taking all my emotions out on you because I didn't know what to do or how to handle the loss of my mother. Together we worked, we worked so hard to push past all the mood swings, the break downs, the depression and the tears. I thought I was going to loose you. I was certain I had already lost you, yet there you were still standing by my side. You pushed me. You helped me threw the absolute worst time of my life and for that I am forever grateful.

Then, one night we were sitting at the diner for dinner. I knew I loved you, I had known for months that I loved you. It was normal, we were joking and laughing about anything and everything. I took my paper menu and wrote you a note on the back to mess with you, but in reality I wasn't joking. You wrote me back within minutes. What you wrote had changed my life from that moment on. After 8 long months of waiting, you finally asked me to be yours! I couldn't believe it! I started crying and screaming "IS THIS REAL, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" You had tears in your eyes and told me you were more then serious. That was it, just like that I became your girlfriend. We walked out of the diner holding hands and at that very moment I felt like the world was mine for the taking. We kissed our first kiss in the middle of the parking lot. Those butterflies are something I will never ever forget for the rest of my life. We went home and told my family. They were so excited and beyond happy for the both of us! We celebrated the rest of the night.

We were doing great! We went on vacations and just really started to enjoy our life together. You moved in with me to really start our life long journey. We both got new jobs and were doing so good. We were living the life we knew we wanted. We were having fun and exploring life together as a team. All was good for a while, but then your dad became very ill. We knew he was sick for a while, even before I came into the picture. We were about to go through yet another tragic loss. My heart broke for you because I already knew how it felt, I already knew what loosing my mom made me go through. I was there for you and your family the same way you were for my family and I. I loved your dad very much, he accepted me as his daughter in law and knew I would take care of you. He always went out of his way to talk to me and even come visit me at work with my favorite coffee. Your dad and I spent a lot of time together and I will forever cherish all of those times and conversations we shared. When he passed away, I knew I had to be your strength the way you were for me. We pushed and got through another loss together. We had each other and that's all that mattered. At this time is when I realized that you were so much stronger than I ever knew before. My mom and your dad are probably in heaven together drinking a lot of coffee, smoking and laughing at us and all we have done since we have lost them both. They knew what we had, they knew it before we knew it.

Time went by and we became even stronger. I changed my entire life around, I had the weight loss surgery and you stood by my side and supported every choice I made. You pushed me harder than anyone else. Here we are 4 years later. We have been through more than what we probably wanted, but we made it! You have taught me so much in life as well as I know that I have taught you. You have made me become a better person just because of who you are. You made me believe in myself again. You made me love myself again. You gave me hope and faith again. You proved me so wrong, I did find love. I found a love I've always wanted and so much more because of you. You loved me for who I truly was when we first met and still to this day prove how much you love me. I don't know how I would have came this far without you. I am forever thankful to have you in my life. Thank you for being my best friend first, and my love second. Here's to many more years to grow, love & support each other.

I love you more than the stars in the sky.

Forever the love of your life.