I know things are really shitty right now. We're young adults dealing with a thousand things at one time, with life and family issues getting in the way of how things are supposed to be.

Being states away from you is so incredibly tough. We went from spending every waking moment of high school together, to talking once a week (if we're lucky). A few years ago, if something went wrong in our lives, it was a 10-minute drive until we could comfort one another. Now it takes two weeks notice and a scheduled FaceTime date to make sure we can talk about our problems. I want you to know that no matter how crazy busy we both get, I still love you the same as I did when we were awkward sophomores sitting in honors English.

I know we could both be better at communication and reaching out, but I get that we're busy girls with busy lives. The good thing about us is that once we start talking again, it's like no time ever passed at all. I hope you know that I am still here for you, ALWAYS. You can always come to me, no matter what time of the day; and if things ever get bad enough, I will make the 14-hour drive home just to squeeze you and tell you that everything's gonna be OK for us.

Now that we're dealing with some hard things in our lives, we need each other more than ever. I know I can count on you to make me smile even in the shittiest of situations, and you can always count on me to be a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. Even though we go to different colleges and different towns now, nothing has changed.

Thank you for always being my right-hand man and for never judging me when I make dumb decisions.

Thank you for being my parents' child and my brothers' favorite sibling.

Thank you for being the best driving buddy/bathroom-company-keeper/vacation adventurer.

Thank you for staying by my side no matter how far apart we may get.

We're gonna be the coolest old ladies.