Hey you goons! Now that we graduated from high school and are living our own lives, I want to take some time to tell you how much I miss seeing you every day.

Don’t get me wrong, college is awesome. I’ve met some pretty incredible people who I consider close friends now, and I’m sure you all have found your people, too. But being away from home and all of you guys, I’ve realized that I don’t just look at you as my best friends anymore, but as my family instead.

I talk about you all the time while I am away, and my dorm room walls are covered in pictures of all of the memories we have shared together. I’m sure by now all of my college friends know your names by heart, and also all of the embarrassing stories that were just too funny to keep to myself (sorry).

All jokes aside though, I really do miss you. And I want to say thank you for all of the laughter and fun you have given me throughout the years.

Thank you for all of the Friday night bonfires, even when you would always play pranks on me because you know I am scared of the dark. Thank you for jamming with me to throwback Kelly Clarkson in the car, and thanks for always being down for late night drives with no destination.

Thank you for all of the spontaneous hiking trips, and for being the kind of people that would turn around halfway up the mountain to run home when we realized there was no memory card in the camera. That being said, thanks for all of the nice pictures, but also the “one-two-three, ugly face” photos.

Thanks for all of the trips to the movies, and for never failing to get frozen yogurt after. And despite how cold, or rainy, or icy it is outside, thank you for going night-sledding with me.

Thanks for the group message (even though it always blows up when I am too busy to respond, and it never fails to turn into a roasting session between each other). Thank you for all of the ugly Snapchats, and also for making it easy if there is ever an opportunity for blackmail.

Thank you for not being the type of people who sit at the tables the entire prom. And no matter how many times you all beat me in bowling, thanks for letting me have my made-up bragging rights. You may have the skill in bowling, but I will always be the better pool player.

Thank you for celebrating Friendsgiving, and for always wanting to throw birthday/going-away/home-from-college parties so we can all see each other. And thanks for mutually agreeing that our idea of a “party” is hogging the Doritos bag while we all squeeze together on the couch to watch Sponge bob.

Thank you for some of the greatest memories of my life, but I also want to thank you for being there for me during some of my worst.

Thank you for showing up at every funeral arrangement without being asked to come. Thank you for holding my hand and sitting in silence with me when it’s too painful to talk, and thank you for pulling the truck over on the side of the road to cry when it’s impossible to hold it in any longer.

Thank you for following me home when we stayed out too late, and thank you for waiting for me to get inside okay before pulling out of my driveway.

Thank you for going out of your way to make sure I am alright when I have bad days, and thank you for giving me your honest advice, even if I don’t always want to hear it.

Thank you for all of the bear hugs every time we see each other (even if it hasn’t been long). And for always, under any and every circumstance, having my back.

You guys play such a huge role in forming the person that I am, and I genuinely could not imagine what life would be like without you. I love you all with my whole heart, and I miss you guys every day.

Thank you for being my family, and I can’t wait for the next time I can beat your butts in bowling!