To Autumn VanSolkema, for being there for me no matter what

We met each other beginning of freshman year and have been inseparable since. It was in second-hour choir that our friendship started to foster. We may not be childhood friends, but we found each other at a time when we both needed it most, and I will be forever grateful for that. You have stuck with me through thick and thin. You always manage to brighten up my day with your bright nature, funny actions, and smiley face. You are so inquisitive and are always asking questions that make me smile. You light up every room you walk into. I am so glad we became friends freshman year, as I could not imagine my life without you in it. I have so many fun memories with you, from going to the Dollar Store eight times in one day to buying Ben and Jerry’s against your dad’s will. You can always make me laugh no matter what, and are one of the funniest people I know and I love you for that. Every time I am with you there is always a moment when we burst out in laughter, sometimes we laugh so hard we start crying. 

Spending time with you is so much fun and I enjoy every moment I am with you. I am so thankful that we became friends. Even when I am in a bad mood you still can find it in your heart to show kindness towards me. Thank you for being my best friend, you are the best.

To Rowan Szpieg, for being my rock

You are such a consistent friend. I can always count on you to be there for me when I need you. One of my favorite memories with you is when we pretended to be in Dirty Dancing and did the iconic lift that they do (we still have to perfect it). You are so funny and not afraid to be yourself which is something I deeply admire you for. When you dressed up as the Lorax for Halloween and showed up in the costume at school I could not believe you had the confidence to do that, and I seriously commend you for that. Thank you for noticing everything. Whenever I am down or am not acting like myself you always make sure to check up on me. I remember the text that you sent me asking if I was okay because I had been acting off. You may not have thought that the text you sent meant a lot but it seriously did. Thank you so much.

To Dia Sriram, for listening

I remember one night I called you when I needed to talk to you but I didn’t realize that you were at a concert. Despite the fact that you were at a concert you still answered your phone and made sure I was okay. Thank you so much for always being there and for listening to me rant on and on about the most random things. I love the conversations we have and all the fun we have together. I am so glad I did crew last year because if I didn’t we probably would not be friends right now. I wish I could go back to last year APUSH with you because that class was always the highlight of my day, mainly because I got to hang out with you. One of my favorite memories of that class is when we were planning out our future lives. I remember how we wanted to live in the middle of nowhere and I wanted to get a herd of buffalo. I love spending time with you. Despite all of the setbacks you have had in your life you are still positive and that is something I  deeply admire you for.

To Abby Satterthwaite, for being like my older sister

You have been so kind to me from the first day that I met you. I remember being so nervous that the other girls on the team would not like me, but you made me feel welcome from day one. I love our Culver’s tea sessions and rides to the barn. Thank you for giving me advice whenever I need it and for always being willing to help me out. You are so generous, funny, and genuinely kind. Thank you for being like the older sister I never had. 

To Jennifer Reuss and Stacie Berends, for being the best trainers

Thank you for being the best trainers someone could ask for. You two have not only helped me grow as a rider but as a person in general. I have learned about much more than just horses, you have taught me about God, given me advice on boys, taught me determination and confidence, helped me push through hard things, and given me life advice in general. I am so grateful to have you guys as role models in my life. Thank you for helping me grow in so many different ways.

To Mom and Dad, for being supportive and kind

Thank you guys so much for always supporting me no matter what. Mom, I truly appreciate you always coming to my horse shows and supporting me throughout the whole day. Thank you for putting up with me at horse shows and just in day-to-day life (I know I can get super grumpy… especially at horse shows). I love you so much, thank you for being the best mom in the world! Dad, thank you for always making an effort with me. I had so much fun with you in Maryland and I am so glad I went and got to spend time with you. You are so funny, and even if I don’t laugh out loud at your dad jokes, I promise I am laughing internally. I love you so much and thank you for being the best dad in the whole world. 

To Katy, for being the best little sister

I love spending time with you. Even though we get on each other’s nerves all the time, you are genuinely such an amazing little sister. I love going to Target with you and spending an unreasonable amount of money while we are there. You have so much compassion and patience for others, and it amazes me. I love how you almost always laugh at my stupid jokes. Thank you for being you, and I hope you know I will always be there for you no matter what. 

To Josh, for being the best older brother

I know we are not the closest but I always enjoy the conversations we have together. You are so funny, and even though you don’t share your humor with me very often when you do I always find myself laughing. I love talking to you because you are always so insightful and have good advice. Thank you for being willing to listen to me, and when we go to lunch together you always have a genuine interest in what I am saying. 

To Audrey Vanskiver, for always smiling

I swear every single time I see you, whether it’s in the hallways or at a musical rehearsal, you always have a smile on. Just seeing your smile instantly lights up my day. I loved doing musicals with you, it was so much fun, and I am so excited to do it with you again this year (assuming we both get in). I am so glad I met you, and Lucille and Lucinda will live on forever. 🙂

To Sadie Zachow, for being you

Where do I even start? First off, thank you so much for driving me home at the beginning of this year—if you didn’t I would have had to ride the bus. I know I have my license now but I miss our car rides together. Geology is so much fun with you, we may not get much work done in that class, but the conversations we have make it worth it. I am so glad that we decided to do that together at the end of sophomore year. Even though neither of us are very interested in rocks, or geology in general, I look forward to Geology every day so we can have more conversations, some consisting of random topics, and others including more important things. Thanks for being you.

To Maeve Klein, for talking with me about anything

If you look back at our texts we talk about everything and nothing all at once. I will go on a rant to you about an issue I am having with school or friends, and you will text me back with pieces of advice. We are always able to help each other out in nearly any situation, and the advice you give me always ends up working. I love it when you send me Pinterest links to random quotes that correlate with our boy troubles. Thank you for always being willing to talk, whether it is about a funny video that I sent you or a serious problem one of us is having. I am so thankful to have you in my life, and I love that I can have you as someone to talk to that is separate from all of my school drama. I will be forever grateful for your advice and friendship.