To Evvy: for being the person who always understands

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote four sentences for you in my Countless Thanks. Now, as cliché as it is, I don’t know if I could ever write enough sentences to express how thankful I am for you. Thank you for letting me cry with you and cry to you, and thank you for making me smile and laugh simultaneously. Thank you for the hundreds of drives, for the thousands of walks during sixth hour, and for being the person that I can talk to no matter what I have to say. Thank you for showing me that you would never judge me for how I’m feeling and for always being honest with me. You have genuinely changed my life for the better, and I’m so, so grateful that I get to know you. You are the highlight of my life every day. I am so glad that I got to witness this year’s first snow with you. Thank you for walking with me that night. It’s one of my favorite memories with you. Thank you for being passionate about what you believe in, and thank you for always trying to find the best in every situation. You’re the most optimistic person I know, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. You’ve made me a more talkative and positive person, and I can’t thank you enough for that. Evvy, I know you’re going to do incredible things in whichever big city you end up in. Thank you for your big dreams and thank you for how much you love the world. I’m going to miss you, but I’m so, so excited for you to live out your dreams. Thank you for making me love strawberries and the color red. Thank you for being my summer and my fall. Thank you for being so kind, for loving the world around you so much, and for looking for the best in every single person that you meet. Thank you for being the best best friend, and thank you for being you. I love you forever, and I love you more than you know.

To Ella: for being you

Ella, you are my synonym, my sun in the summer, and my everything. I’m more thankful for you than you could ever imagine. Thank you for the millions of hours that we’ve spent together in the past year. Thank you for the hours tanning, the hundreds of visits to Culver’s (for a minute there, I was worried every worker would know our names), the hundreds of hours that we’ve spent driving, and the days that we’ve spent in your basement. You were perfect timing. I miss hanging out every day, but I’ll take every moment that we can have together. Every hour-long hangout with you is worth it. Thank you for letting me cry to you, for letting me laugh with you, and thank you for every emotion in between. Thank you for being honest with me and for always listening to what I have to say. I’m so lucky to know you, and I’m so lucky to be able to call you my best friend. Thank you for sharing my love of lemonade and Skinny Pop. You came exactly when I needed you most, and I’ll be eternally grateful for that. Thank you for your playlists on Spotify; it’s always a good day when I check your account and see that you made a new playlist. Thank you for every song that we sing/scream together, thank you for understanding and noticing me before I even have to tell you anything. Thank you for making me happy, and thank you for being my best friend. Thank you for the millions of days that we’ve spent together in the past year, and thank you for being you.  I love you so unfathomably much, Ella, and I’m so thankful for you.

To Lucas: for our texting all day, for being the best at making me laugh, and for everything else

I know you’re going to yell at me for apologizing because I do it far too much, but I’m sorry that I’ve struggled so much with writing your paragraph; I have too much to say to you. Thank you for everything over the past six months. You truly did come out of the blue, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Thank you for the thousands of hours that we’ve spent texting each other. I’m more grateful for you than you could ever imagine. Thank you for being someone that I can tell everything and anything to, and for being someone that will always be on my side. Thank you for being willing to watch all of my favorite shows and for (hopefully) enjoying them. Thank you for always listening to what I have to say, even if I’m occasionally being a little bit dramatic (only a little dramatic and only sometimes). Thank you for the Culver’s trips, for all of the times that we’ve said the same thing at the same time,  for being one of the people that I’m most similar to, and for every time that you’ve ‘purposefully’ messed up your grammar. Thank you for talking so passionately about things that I could never understand. I will always listen, even if what you’re saying makes no sense to me. Thank you for being my favorite part of the 2-man (even though you turn evil during them), for driving me everywhere, and for the consistently pink flowers that you buy me pretty frequently (no complaints about that from me).  Thank you for always wanting to spend time with me and for being one of my favorite people. Thank you for every 11:11, for every reel that you send, and for every lesson in Clash. Thank you for every time you laugh and every time you make me laugh (which is every time we’re together). I could endlessly thank you for everything that you’ve done for me, but unfortunately, this story was due six hours ago. So, to end the paragraph here, thank you for being the best part of my day and for being one of my best friends. I love you.

To Brynn: for being my breath of fresh air and for being my everything

Thank you for making me who I am. You were one of my only friends for a while, and I am eternally thankful for our friendship. Brynn, you are my first warm and sunny day in the spring, my sunflower, and honestly, the epitome of the color yellow. You are my everything. We hang out significantly less than we used to; we both have gotten caught up in school, new friends, jobs, theater, and forensics, but I want you to know that I’m still so, so incredibly grateful for you. You have no idea how much I love you, Brynn. Every hug, every quick conversation before church, and every laugh with you is a breath of fresh air. I miss seeing you 24/7, and I will forever be thankful for you. Thank you for being there for me through the loss of my dog, the loss of friends, and thank you for being exactly what I needed. Thank you for randomly showing up at my house with presents or with hugs, for every movie that we’ve watched together, for every time that we’ve had Wendy’s, and for every walk and golf cart ride that we’ve spent screaming along to songs. Thank you for being my “Space Between” duet partner. You’ll always be my Mal. Thank you for making me who I am today. Thank you for being my breath of fresh air and my everything. I love you.

To Aiden: for being the easiest person to talk to

Thank you for being someone that I can talk to for hours and hours, even if you don’t actually listen to any of it. I genuinely feel like I can say anything to you, even though I know you’ll judge me for some. Thank you for being the most blunt person that I know. I’m so thankful that I’ve gotten to know you over the past three years. Thank you for showing me how happy the color green is. Thank you for remembering and noticing the most random things about me and for always getting what I’m trying to say. You have no idea how thankful I am for you. Thank you for your love for The Lord of the Rings, for forcing me to watch it, and for saying the most random facts about it throughout the movie. (Speaking of, we need to plan the next time we watch.) Thank you for being so kind to me and for the million times you’ve driven me home. I know that I promised you wouldn’t need to drive me anymore, and I’m sorry that you still have to sometimes. Thank you for (almost) never complaining about needing to drive me around; you’re actually the best for that. Thank you for being one of my closest friends, and thank you for hanging out with me during theater. You’re an incredible actor and so talented. Thank you trying to find 100 different synonyms to different words with me and for leaving everyone around us very confused. I’m grateful for every conversation with you. I know band was the most miserable time of our lives, but I am forever grateful for band, because it introduced me to you. Thank you for quitting that with me, and for being my friend ever since. Thank you for being the meanest but kindest person I know. I know that I don’t tell you this enough, but I appreciate being your friend more than you could ever know. Thank you for being such an easy person to be around, and thank you for being such an incredible friend over the past few years. 

To Micah: for laughing the same as you always have

I’ve known you for a little over six years, but I wish I were closer to you in fifth and sixth grade. Although I’ve known you for that long, I didn’t know you well enough until freshman year when we both walked into Room 139. You, me, and Kathryn were the only freshmen in TCT, and I will forever be grateful for that. I will forever be grateful that I got to know you as a person; I got to learn how intelligent you are and how much you love your friends. Thank you for the hugs, thank you for sitting with me, and thank you for being so, so kind. I am so thankful for you, Micah. I’m thankful for your bright red car, for your sweaters, and for your silver jewelry. (You are genuinely the only person that I think looks better in silver.) I have been so lucky to know you for the past six years, and I can’t wait to know you for so many more. You are such a kind and caring person, and I will always admire you for that. Thank you, Micah, for being you, for your love for ladybugs, for your love for obscure words, and for being my friend. I love you.

To Alex: for doing everything and anything with me

Thank you for everything that you did for me when we were in high school together. Thank you for listening to everything that I had to say. Thank you for letting me come along with you when you were taking pictures at games and assemblies my freshman year, and thank you for always coming with me when I began taking pictures my sophomore year. Thank you for driving me everywhere during any theater thing, and thank you for always showing me that you want to spend time with me. This year, during theater, I began missing you more than I usually do. I knew that I’d be driving around with you when we had time before rehearsals, but instead, I was driving myself. That actually made my heart break. Thank you for coming back to visit during the play. Even though you lied to all of us about not coming, I forgive you. I didn’t quite expect to cry the way that I did, but I’m so thankful that you came back. I miss you, and I love you.

To Addie (Adelaide): for being my name twin

Thank you for always arguing with me in middle school over who deserves the name Addie more. I still think it’s me: just because you’re older doesn’t mean you deserve it more, but I’ve definitely moved past that. Thank you for telling me that I wasn’t annoying in middle school, even though many other people say that I was. Thank you for being such a significant part of my life. I’m so glad that we both go to Wednesday Night Dinners now, because I love spending time with you. Even though I despise playing pool, I’ll always be happy to watch you guys play. Thank you for being so weirdly obsessed with Ticket to Ride; I find it so funny how often you mention it, even though I always judge you. Thank you for the game night that we had a couple of weeks ago, and that we hopefully have on Wednesday. Thank you for being my friend; I’ve had an amazing time getting to know you again this semester.

To my family: for being my biggest influences

Mom, I have way too much to thank you for; I’m not entirely sure how to fit it all in just a couple of sentences. Thank you for teaching me to be a kind, (maybe a little too) empathetic, and strong-willed person. Thank you for being okay with me barging into your room at 10 pm just so I can tell you about my day. Thank you for watching our shows with me when we both remember and have time for it. I’ll always appreciate everything that you do for me, Mama. Dad, thank you for being so gentle and kind, and for teaching me to be the same. Thank you for teaching me how to regulate my anxiety and for talking to me long past my bedtime to help with whatever I’m worrying too much about. Thank you for never getting too angry at me and for being so forgiving. Thank you for everything, Dad. I appreciate you more than you know. Ellie, you’ve been away at college for so long that I’m more used to not seeing you every day. However, there are some moments where I miss you so, so much. I miss our drives and screaming to music. Thank you for being my sister. Megan, I know you don’t believe it, but I pinkie promise that I was planning on writing to you. You were on my list the whole time, and I’m sorry if I led you to believe that you weren’t. Thank you for becoming one of my close friends in the past few years. Thank you for letting me wear your clothes as long as I let you wear mine, too. I love being your sister.

To TCT and the people in it: for being the best part of my day

TCT has been the highlight of my time so far in high school. It’s the most refreshing part of my school day, and I am endlessly grateful for it. However, this class wouldn’t be as perfect as it is if it weren’t for the people. Maylee, you are the most beautiful girl inside and out. Thank you for the smiles in the hallway and for always asking me how I’m doing. You’re an incredible writer, an incredible person, and I’m going to miss you more than you know. Elle, you are an amazing writer and so kind. I look forward to seeing you every single day, and I’ll miss you next year. Also, thank you for being so kind with my rubrics. It really means a lot. Kathryn, I have had the most amazing time in TCT with you the past three years. I can not believe we only have one more after this. Thank you for being a part of “the three freshmen” with me on our first day in Room 139. I’m so thankful for you, and I’m so thankful for the time that we’ve had together so far. You are the most beautiful, relatable, and kindhearted girl. You’re an incredible writer. Ellerie, thank you for being such a bright part of my day. You are so genuinely kind, so beautiful, and such a talented writer. Thank you for always caring and asking how I am. I’m going to miss you next year. Leah, you are such a sweet person. Thank you for being kind, funny, and a great writer. I love having class with you, and I love when we talk. Sophia, I have loved getting to know you over the past year. You’re so funny and such a good writer. Brooke, I miss spending half of my day with you SO much. I miss talking and complaining with you, but I do not miss last year’s Spanish class one bit. I love still having one hour with you, but I miss you. You’re truly so funny, and I love spending time with you. Kylin, I’m so grateful that I grew up with you. While we’re not as close as we were, I love reminiscing with you, and I love talking to you. I’m so glad we’re in a class together. Cam, even though we don’t have actual class together, I’m so glad you’re in TCT. You are a great writer, and so fun to talk to. I love it when you come to our end-of-month parties, even if it’s just for a little bit. Nova, it was so much fun getting to know you during the play. You are so fun to talk to and so intelligent. Your editorials are perfect, and I’m glad that you took TCT again. Zoe, you are so sweet and do an incredible job at the social media position. I’m so glad you took this class again!

To the people in TNG: for being so easy to be around

I always look forward to TNG Sundays; not because of the weird, terrible activities that we do, but because you are all the people that I get to spend them with. Lucas, thank you for being one of the funniest people I know. When you’re at TNG, I know that I’ll spend the whole time laughing. Thank you for always listening to what I have to say. I’m so glad that I know you. Anni, thank you for being the sweetest girl at TNG (when you’re there). I miss you so much, and I hope you come back soon. Carson, thank you for being so fun to be around. Although you always make fun of me for being younger than you, I really love hanging out with you during TNG. Nathanial, you are truly the most entertaining person I know. I love talking to you after church and during TNG. I’ll miss you when you leave us. Wyatt, thank you for always high-fiving me when you actually do come to church. You’ve become one of my favorite people to be around. Thank you for always laughing with me about the dumbest things, and thank you for being such a kind and funny person. Also, thank you for occasionally giving me rides to TNG; those are actually so fun. Nate, thank you for being so easy to talk to and for being such a funny person. I miss seeing you as often as I used to, and I’m sorry that I used to invade your house basically every day to hang out with Brynn—thank you for tolerating that. Isaac, you are genuinely the funniest person that I know. It is so fun talking to you, and I love hanging out with you during TNG things. Elias, you are so incredibly intelligent and so fun to talk to. I know that we make fun of you for being performative often, and I’m sorry about that, but the coffee that you drink after every church service is pretty performative. Some honorable mentions (I miss you both): Ava and Corynn. Ava, you have the sweetest soul. You are so beautiful and so kind, and I miss you more than you know. Thank you for always giving me hugs and for being one of the most genuine people that I know. Corynn, thank you for always sitting with me after church when our parents are taking years to be done. I miss you, and I hope that you’re having an amazing time in college.

To the people in theater: for making my time in high school genuinely enjoyable

Since I began high school, theater has been my outlet. The weeks leading up to the play or musical are the most stressful moments of my life, but every single one of you has made it a little bit better. You are all who have made me continue doing theater. Audrey Milanowski, thank you so much for everything over the past three years. I loved working with you during the play, and I’m already looking forward to the musical. I’m going to miss you so much next year. Thank you for being such a genuinely kind person, and thank you for being you. Lily Meade, thank you for making the play so fun. I’ve loved getting to know you, and I can not wait for the musical. You are such a funny, talented, and truly kind person, and I’ll always appreciate you. Mia Fernandez, you are the sweetest person. You are also so, so talented. I had a great time getting to know you during play, and I can’t wait for the musical. Thank you for making the long hours during the play go faster. Audrey Vanskiver, you did so so good during the play. I’m so happy that you finally got a lead role; you are so talented. Thank you for being so kind. I’ll miss you next year. You’re incredible, and I can’t wait for the musical with you. Kristin Hotaling, you are such a truly genuine person, and I admire you so much for that. I had a great time getting to know you during the play. Thank you for being so kind to me and to everyone else. Abby McConnell, Annaliese Hoffman, Aubrey Hibma, Yahvi Patel, Katie Scanlon, and Delilah Nelson, you are all the highlights of my time during the play and musical. Abby, I’m glad that I’ve been getting to know you again. You truly have such a big heart, and I love getting to hang out with you during theater. Aubrey, I’m so lucky that I’ve known you for so long. While we’re not as close as we were, you are one of the funniest people that I know, and you are so kind. Thank you for being you. Katie Scanlon and Rosie Prasarnsith, I had the best time selling tickets with you guys. You are so fun to talk to and to be around. Thank you for the past couple of weeks. Timothy Barnes, thank you for being so, so kind. Thank you for always making me laugh and for getting mad at me when I don’t go to Wednesday Night Dinners. Ms. Beckett, you did an amazing job this year. The show turned out so amazing; I can’t believe it was your first time directing a production like this. You’re an incredible teacher and an incredible director. I truly hope that you direct the play again next year. Thank you for everything. Miss Dykstra, you are also an incredible director. Your first production with us was spectacular, and every production has been since. I’m so, so excited for the musical. Thank you, Miss Dykstra.

To the people that I can’t put under one specific category (in no particular order, I promise): for making my life better in arbitrary ways 

Paulie Erickson, thank you for being my friend for the past couple of years. Thank you for the hundreds of 8-ball games (I miss those) and for losing to me (almost) every time. I had such a fun time with you during the play, and I can’t wait for the musical; you are so talented. Evalyn Linnert, thank you for hanging out with me this year. Thank you for that night on your youth group trip when you, Evvy, and I talked until 3 a.m., even though we had to be up early the next day. It was so, so fun talking to you. Thank you for hanging out with me at the football games, and thank you for homecoming. You are so easy to be around and the kindest person I know. Thank you for being so easy to talk to. I am so lucky to know you. Gavin Verwolf, you might be one of my favorite people on earth. You are such a funny person and the most fun to be around. Thank you for always hanging out with me and for being okay with me bothering you during rehearsals. Thank you for playing over 10 triple drafts with me and for even losing to me in some of them. Thank you for knowing me so well that you know I want a high five every time I see you, and thank you for still high-fiving me even though you say you “don’t like high fives.” (I will always judge you for that.) Thank you, thank you, thank you. Honorable Verwolf mention: Evie Verwolf, for being the coolest girl in the world, and for playing all of those board games with me. Trey Wondergem, thank you for being such a kind and funny person. You, Ella, and Lucas together are all evil, but I’m still thankful for every time that we’re together. I really love being around you. Andrew Payne, thank you for still saying hi to me every time you see me in the hallway, even though we don’t have classes anymore. I miss class with you! Max Reinhardt, six years ago, you were one of my closest friends. We got separated by middle school, and I’m so grateful that I get to know you again. Thank you for being such a kind and genuine person. Thank you for allowing me to sit by you in second hour, and thank you for being my friend. I’m going to miss you next year. Harris Ward, I know that I’ve said this to you a thousand times, and I know everybody else has too, but thank you for having the most insane comeback that anyone has ever had. Thank you for being so funny and so fun to be around. Thank you for being okay with me sitting with you guys during second hour. You truly are so fun to talk to. Aaron Anglin, thank you for being the most fun person to be around and for being so, so funny. Thank you for being the highlight of my fourth hour. Thank you for the eye contact during quizzes and tests, and the laughing with me because we both know we’re absolutely cooked. You have no idea how happy I was to have Spanish with you again. Avery Smith, I’ve had an amazing time getting to know you this year. You are such a funny person, and I love seeing you. You’re so kind, and you’re the best! Norah Choura (Hearts), thank you for always saying hi to me in the hallway; you don’t know how much that means to me. Thank you for making me feel included at your youth group events and at dinner. You truly are the sweetest girl, and I love being with you. Ava Suderman, thank you, too, for always saying hi to me in the hallway. Thank you for including me the minute I arrived at the first youth group thing. You are a hilarious person and so kind; thank you. Ella Krauth, thank you for being one of my favorite parts of the school day, and thank you for always helping me with Spanish (even if you’re just as confused as I am). You are so kind. I love seeing you every day. Gunnar Ohlman, you’re such a funny person and so kind. You’re truly the most selfless person, and I love sitting with you during second hour. Thank you for buying everyone hot chocolate at the football games. That was my highlight of FNL. Eliza Zorn and Mia Shaffer, thank you, guys, for being the best part of Sem. You make the hour a little more fun. Mia, thank you for always telling Eliza and me how difficult the APES tests are going to be. Also, thank you for helping me whenever I’ve been confused about different things in sem. Eliza, you are the most hilarious person, and you are truly so kind. Thank you for always being kind to everyone. I love being with both of you every day. Perrin and Eden, it was so much fun working with you guys on the mock PT 1. Perrin VanderMeer, it was so fun working with you on PT 1 stuff! I love it when you come to our table and sit with us; thank you for being so interested in my life and always asking me about classes. Carolina Hargis-Acevedo, I couldn’t put you under one category because I spend both of my favorite school activities with you: TCT and theater. And you, Carolina, have made both of those activities better. You have the sweetest heart, and you are so, so hilarious. Thank you for making my days better. Lulu Cousins, thank you for being my emotional support during APES. I genuinely can barely make it through that class, and you make it a little easier. Thank you for always complaining about the tests and quizzes with me. Emmy Norton, I miss working with you so much. You’re so kind and so funny. I’m so glad that you joined TCT; I love talking to you. Thank you for being my favorite bobarista. 

To the adults in my life, from friends’ parents to teachers and everything in between: for making my life better every day

Brian VanDrie, thank you for everything over the past couple of years. Thank you for the “dad hugs” when we were in New Mexico and for always treating me like a daughter. Thank you for being the strangest guy I know. I miss you. Kara VanDrie, thank you for being like my second mom and for always welcoming me like a daughter. Thank you for the hugs and for asking about my life. I miss you. Lindsey Dykema, thank you for immediately treating me like I belong with you guys. Thank you for being so kind to me from the beginning. Thank you for the hugs and the birthday present. I appreciate it more than you could ever know. Rick Dykema, thank you, as well, for treating me like I belong. Thank you for welcoming me to family things, and thank you for being so welcoming when I started going to some youth group things and to some Wednesday Night Dinners. Señora Stacey, thank you for being the kindest person. You are so incredibly understanding; I can’t explain how much better you make my school day. I’m sorry that I tend to struggle in Spanish, but thank you for always being willing to help, and again, thank you for being so understanding. You are an amazing teacher. Ms. Beckett, thank you for making Sem such a fun class. I’ve always loved English, but you make the heavy workload a little bit easier. Thank you for that. Miss Dykstra, I appreciate having an independent study with you so much. It’s one of the highlights of my school day; I love talking to you at the beginning of class. Thank you for always being willing to hear my hundreds of complaints, and thank you for being such a fun person. I can’t wait for the musical. Mr. George, thank you for being so, so kind. I miss having two hours of the day with you, but I’m grateful for having one. Thank you for saying hi in the hallway every time you see me; it means more to me than you know. And, to respond to your favorite thing to say at the end of the day, “go change lives today,” I can promise you that you change lives every day, Mr. George. Thank you for that. Mr. Lowe, I know you’re not actually my teacher, but thank you for being so kind. Thank you for talking in the side room with Evvy and me, and thank you for giving us candy and cookies. You truly are so kind, and I’m sad that the only time I see you is in the side room. Thank you, Mr. Lowe.