“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - Winnie the Pooh

To the best friends that make a city feel like home,

First of all, thank you for never missing a crisis. You never failed to answer the phone at 1 a.m. when I was heartbroken or stressed. You helped me get through a tough breakup, a close family member's death and all of the odd little bumps in between. Thank you for remaining friends with each other, not just me. I seriously can’t handle being in a divorced friend situation. Thank you for always being there when I come home, for being at the top of my list on people to see when I’m back for a weekend. And thank you for hating the same person I hate in college, without even asking why we hate him.

Thank you for being the best friends I literally couldn’t go a week without seeing. Remember when I came home Labor Day weekend to surprise you (Rowan) for your birthday? That was only a week into me living in my new apartment away from you guys. One week and you’d already dragged me back. And remember when you (Kori) had been texting me all week, saying you felt incredibly lonely at the moment and you didn’t know how you were going to go another two months without seeing me? Remember how I told you to take a picture of your closet after work so I could use it as a size reference when really I was waiting in your closet to surprise you? I couldn’t stand that you felt so lonely, so I knew I had to arrange to surprise you even if we were only together for 12 hours.

I’m not going to lie and say I knew our friendship would make it, because I got really worried sometimes. There were times that I was enjoying my new life so much that I didn’t answer your calls, and I didn’t freak out when your ex-boyfriend that we hate liked your Pinterest page. And there were times I really needed your help with roommate issues or boy problems, and you offered little advice or support. But I forgive you. I forgive you because this year, we all learned things about ourselves, and our friendship blossomed. We weren’t talking to each other because it was convenient, because it honestly wasn’t with how busy we were this year. We talked to each other because we truly relied on one another for support, and the occasional roast session to keep us grounded. I forgive you because I know we’re more than those girls who became friends because of the same extracurricular (thanks, yearbook). We’re the college girls that just spent a year away from each other, and the girls that will never stop planning our next dinner date while we’re on a dinner date.

As the summer days dwindle down, I would like to say thank you. Thank you to yet another amazing summer filled with photoshoots, forests, coffee and dinners. And thank you for being the reason I plan to keep coming back to our little (big) city, even after my house becomes another home for sale in the suburbs. Thank you for being the most selfless and loving best friends I could have. And get ready for another crazy year apart, but don’t worry, we’ll be there in spirit.

Forever and Always,

T.

I would like to dedicate this article to one of my best friends, Kelly Badger, who is getting back into photography and just launched her photography page. She is incredibly dedicated, and will most likely be the photographer behind the majority of my dominant photos. We’re all so proud of you, Kell! Keep on snapping those pics.