Speaking from experience, it honestly stinks to have your best friend live so far from you. I can’t imagine how some college students go to school across the country when being 3 ½ hours away is hard enough!

It all started from the beginning. When her and I first met, we clicked instantly. It was almost like it was meant to be. We share the same favorite drink (Diet Coke, duh) and the same guilty pleasures (red licorice and chick flicks), not to mention our day-to-day outfits are exactly alike (Is sporty casual a thing? 'Cause it definitely needs to be). You could say we were soul mates. I guess when God was planning out our lives, He knew the saying “friends come and go but family is forever” was true. He made sure my best friend was a part of my family, that she would be my mom.

I will proudly say that she is no doubt my favorite person to vacation, shop, and gossip with; no way would she let me buy anything that was unflattering (brutal honesty can be a good thing ladies, trust me), and by now she knows all my friends better than I do. The clothing mishaps and accidental word vomit in front of a cute boy doesn’t make me want to run and hide anymore as soon as she joins in with her embarrassing stories of when she was young.

Can I just say if it weren’t for my mom I don’t think I would be here today? No, I don’t mean because she gave birth to me, but because she is my hero, my inspiration, and my role model. She has worn so many honorable titles; nurse practitioner, single mom of four, ironman athlete, it’s hard to keep count. It’s even harder to believe that on top of that she even started her own business (Sports-chic, look it up) that reached out to young women and advocated for female leadership and empowerment. Yeah, my mom is kind of super amazing (cue hair flip). Her struggles and her fearless ambitions are nothing compared to what I have experienced and faced.

She’s my biggest advocate, my loudest cheerleader, and my hardest defender. She brags on me just as much as I like to brag to anyone with ears how great she is, my enemies are her enemies (not that I have any *wink wink*), and the ex-boyfriend I sobbed over forever ago is still on the top of her “list.” She always understands when something is wrong just by the look in my eye (I’m pretty sure moms have a sixth sense for that kind of thing), and when I can’t seem to get the right words out because I’m ugly crying so hard, she knows exactly what I am thinking. Her advice will always trump the advice of everyone else, even my own, and when I’m sick, cramping, or overall in a bad mood my first thought is still “I want my mom!”

At the end of the day, I know she’s not trying to win my affection, attention, or acceptance. She’s there for me because she actually cares. I know with all my heart she will always be there for me, whether it’s in the decisions I make or the hearts that I break, and even if she can’t physically be beside me, she’ll be with me in my heart.

She makes me a better person because everyday I strive to be just like her, and she’s the best person I know.