Dear Jess,
Let me first start by saying how lucky I am to have made such an incredible friend and sister so early on in college. You have brought so much fun, laughter, and craziness into my life in such a short period of time that I can't even begin to imagine what my college experience would be like without you.
I remember the first day we met like it was yesterday. We were standing in a circle of people at freshman orientation, rolling our eyes at the "get to know each other" games we were playing. The very first words out of your mouth to me were "No no no - I don't have the same name as Jessica Alba, Jessica Alba has the same name as ME." It didn't take long for us to tell each other our whole life stories and to realize that we had a lot of things in common. I knew early on that we were going to get along great, but what I didn't know was just how much you'd come to mean to me in the years that followed.
Jess, we've created so many memories over the past few years that at this point, I couldn't even count them if I tried. From marathon drinking days to walking around with Pierré the balloon in the middle of Connecticut, to the days off spent outside playing cornhole and football with half of campus, to singing at the top of our lungs listening to Sam Hunt with the top down, to Tuesday karaoke nights out to the countless game and movie nights, there has never been a dull moment and I love every minute of it.
You went from Jessica (wait, who?) to Jalba, to Salik, to Ranger, to New Amsterdam and the nicknames go on and on. So much has changed over the years - we have multiple jobs and actual adult responsibilities (well, at least we try to), we finally turned 21 this year, and our circle has gotten significantly smaller from freshman year to now. But, amidst all the change, one thing that's stayed constant is the love I have for you. You mean the world to me, and I hope you know how much I value our friendship. You're the kind of friend that I know I'll have forever, no matter how busy or crazy our lives become after college.
There are so many things that I could thank you for, but to be able to list them all I'd have to write a novel, so I'm just going to stick to the things that are the most important. Thank you for constantly looking out for me. Whether this means dragging me out of bed for class most days, not letting me get a tattoo without telling my parents because you know they'll kill me, making a degenerate wash my favorite hoodie after peeing on it like a five year old that isn't potty trained (yes this actually happened), or reminding me for the hundredth time not to text a guy that is just wasting my time, you've always got my back and for that, I am forever grateful. Thank you for raising my tolerance significantly early on freshman year. Thank you for picking me up off of bathroom floors, for cracking the whip when my side of the room is getting a little too messy (oink oink) and for dealing with my sass when I'm cranky and it's early in the morning.Thank you for treating my family like your own - you've become a fifth member, and rightfully so because you fit right in with all of the craziness that is the Nicolas clan. Thank you for picking me up when I'm down. Thank you for always being on my team, but also thank you for telling me when I'm overreacting or being stupid. Thank you for giving top-notch advice, no matter the situation, and for listening to me even when I need to vent about the same thing over and over. Thank you for being one of the best support systems when things aren't going well, and for being my personal cheerleader when they aren't - it all means more to me than I can put into words.
I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you for being you. You are such an amazing person who I am lucky enough to call one of my best friends. I have so much love for you today, tomorrow and every day!
XOXO, Bri aka MoMo aka Pink Moscato
