Your best friend has been there through the good, the bad, and the ugly...literally. From elementary school all the way through high school and now college, she has seen it all and she's stuck by your side. You've been through everything together — the awkward middle school days, high school drama, break ups, college stress, etcetera. But your friendship has survived and continues to grow stronger. Not everyone is lucky enough to have the same best friend for so many years, so if you are-- count your blessings and let her know much you appreciate all she does for you! Here are 8 things you should thank your best friend for:

1 . Listening to you.

Whether you're talking about a new guy you have a crush on, crying about how AWFUL your day was, or you just need to vent about life...your best friend is always there and is willing to listen to whatever it is you have to say.

2. Constant laughter.

When you two are together, it's rare that you're both not laughing hysterically. And even in the absence of your BFF's presence, laughs are shared through your text conversations and tagging each other in memes that describe your lives with scary accuracy. It doesn't matter if you're laughing at each other or with each other, it never ends.

3. Always checking up on you.

You're both super busy between school, work, and your social lives. But your best friend never fails to make time to shoot you a text or call you to see how everything is going, especially when she knows that things have been hectic lately.

4. Random FaceTimes or phone calls.

This is a MUST if you're ever going to get all the details of the latest drama, or your BFF's first date, or you need someone who understands the awkward situations you get yourself into on the daily. No matter the distance, you both always try to remain caught up in each other's complex lives.

5. Encouraging you.

Your best friend only wants the best for you, and she consistently offer you words of encouragement when you're struggling to see the bright side of things.

6. Sharing your sweet tooth.

& also your love for chips and queso, pizza, Olive Garden...the list could go on forever. But getting fat and then hating yourself afterwards for eating all that unhealthy food is better together than alone, right?

7. Understanding your awkwardness.

You somehow manage to get into awkward situations on a daily basis. And your best friend understands because she knows you, and also because she's just as awkward as you are. Luckily you two have each other, so you can just make light of the awkwardness by laughing at your lives together.

8. For being your person.

You two are so in sync that you often finish each other's sentences or say the same thing at the exact same time, which weirds your other friends out. And your other friends call you guys "annoying" because of the endless laughter, the loud singing and horrible dancing in the car, and all the other craziness that comes along when you and your best friend together. But you can't help it, because you two get each other and she's your person.

HUGE thank you to my best friend, Kenzie DeCamp, for always being there for me. I miss you & I love you so much!!