To my friends,

I’m writing this letter to you because sometimes it’s easier to write things on paper than it is to say them out loud. And trust me, I know I’m not always the most vocal.

I don’t want this to be some sappy, cliché letter, but I feel like I need to say what’s written.

I can’t truly thank you enough for our amazing summer together.

Throughout the past year, especially with all of us entering our first years of college, we constantly heard that you never keep your high school friends. They would say that as everyone went off to their separate schools, we would lose touch with each other with daily conversations turning into weekly ones, then monthly ones, and eventually an occasional text or FaceTime every couple of months.

I can’t tell you how proud I am to be able to say that we have proved everyone wrong.

Some of us have been friends since we were born, some elementary and middle school, and some high school; however, I can honestly say that all of us are more like a family now.

We’ve faced hardships together, overcome obstacles and have always been there for each other no matter the situation. The feeling of knowing that literally someone always has your back is one like no other, and I know that our friendships are one of the few that will last a lifetime.

From weekend getaways to New York, to day trips to the beach, to “family dinners” on Sunday nights, to car rides with music playlists that could put anyone into a good mood, to boat rides on the lake, to watching Disney movies, to creating crazy nicknames for each other, to playing Just Dance, to just dancing just to dance, to pushing each other off paddle boards, to watching the stars, and to even just sitting around talking and enjoying one another's company, this summer especially has made me realize how amazing life can really be when you have people in it who just make it so much better.

This summer felt like we were truly living in the moment. We were spontaneous and adventurous. We put down our phones to spend a vacation together and didn’t have a worry in the world. There were times where I wish we could just pause the moment and let everything slow down and sink in.

I know one of my first articles was another letter written to you, my friends, but to be honest I felt like you deserved another one.

I truly enjoy writing articles like these because they have a purpose and a certain value that expresses a sense of authenticity. I genuinely want people to know how much love I have for our little group and hope that there are people out there reading this article who can connect in one way or another.

As naive as it may sound, I never gave much thought to the day where summer vacation would come to an end and we would have to once again part our ways while holding onto all the memories we’ve created over the past four months. Everything seemed so normal coming back from college, and we managed to pick up right where we had all left off.

It never gets any easier when it comes to saying goodbye, but I have to remember that it’s never a goodbye, just a see you soon. While we may be hours away from each other, I know that each of us are where we need to be and are doing exactly what we need to do in order to become who we are destined to be.

With that being said, I wish nothing but the best for you guys and already can’t wait to continue our adventures together.