To my Ohana, my sisterhood, my hoodlums;

As summer ends and the whiff of Fall semester lingers among these last sunny days, I may cringe at the thought of syllabi and morning classes, but I feel like a kid on Christmas morning at the thought of being reunited with my family away from home, you guys. Papers and deadlines may haunt my dreams but I know along with that, I get late night Taco Bell runs and plenty of carpool karaoke again. The anxiety of new professors and the overwhelming amount of ‘group projects’ may make me grind my teeth, but knowing that we will have our Netflix binges and random trips to Target and Kroger just for soda makes it all okay. Because you see, you took the bitter things of college and turned them sweet. Because at the end of the day, you guys aren’t simply my ‘neighbors away from home’ or ‘the girls a share a bathroom with,’ you guys came into my heart and became my friends, my support away from home, and my sisters. And for that I want to thank you.

Thank you for being so supporting, always.

Whether I'm pacing in my dorm as I wait on for the grade for the test I'd been complaining about for weeks, or if I had lost all motivation whatsoever and want to do nothing but lay in bed and cry over a can of Pringle’s, you guys were always there with the right piece of advice. Honestly, y’all understand me more than any human being truly should.

Thank you for always being down for food.

I know, an odd one, right? But seriously though, after a day full of lectures and exams, if all I want to do is eat an entire bowl of Panera Mac and Cheese, eat CiCi's entire buffet or just wanted some Awful House Hash browns, you guys didn’t judge and were right there with me. Some of our best memories are from our late night adventures for food, and you even introduced me to a whole new world of wonderful carbs and sweets. And for that, my booty and tummy thank you.

Thank you for always being willing to listen.

It didn’t matter if we had a huge exam the next morning, or if we were dead tired, if I needed to get something off my chest and just talk it out, you guys were always there with patient ears willing to listen. Whether it was listening to my stories from high school or if I was really struggling with something from home, you listened and cared (even if I get super sidetracked or rambled entirely too much.)

Thank you for showing me new perspectives of life.

Considering we each grew up in completely different places, different family dynamics, and different lives entirely, it’s obvious that we were going to different. And honestly that’s one of the most incredible things about our friendship. You guys showed me different ways to look at life, each of you, and how to look at others AND myself. I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to see a new perspective outside of my small town mentality and you two were my gate way into that.

Thank you for sticking around.

I know I’m rather difficult at times. With my OCD, perfectionist complex sprinkled with a hint of anxious behavior and a dash of sarcasm, I’m honestly impressed with how long you guys have put up with me. We have bad days, stupid arguments, and just flat out random mood swings, but regardless of our problems, we are always willing to talk it out and grow stronger from it. And for that I am so, so thankful.

Thank you for everything you have or will ever do for me.

No matter how small. You guys have went out of your way so many times for me and sometimes I feel like I don’t say thank you enough. For three strangers who didn’t know each other all of their lives, now I feel like we would do anything for each other without hesitation and I know that my life wouldn’t have been the same with out you beautiful, intelligent, golden hearted critters in it.

So as we approach another Fall semester, I can’t wait to see all of the memories we will make. New songs will be sung, new restaurants will be discovered, and new late night adventures a wait. I know how fast the last year went by, so I plan to soak up every bit of these years with the two of you. Because honestly, I know that these days and memories with you guys will be the stories I tell my kids and will be marked in history as some of the greatest days of my life.

So let’s live it up.

With all of my love,

Your Thankful ‘Roomie’.