If you hail from a town of less than three thousand people, about 800 in my case, or one of those school districts who have the same building for all students K-12, I really hope you can relate to my friends and I. If you can't, well that would make this whole situation pretty awkward. I grew up with the same group of girls and we've had our fair share of earth-shattering arguments as well as monumental victories. The group of girls who were there for me when I didn't make the cheerleading tryouts in fifth grade are the same group of girls who hovered around my table at my graduation reception, and I think that makes me pretty lucky. Along the years, we've done a pretty good job of spreading the love, but there are some things that you just don't think to say thank you for until you're two hours away from them and missing the little things. Here are a few of our 'little things.'

"I'll give it a shot if you do."

From said cheerleading tryouts to playing the flute in band to basketball and the fall play and pretty much everything else, I would have had a pretty boring extra-curricular experience if it weren't for you guys. Thanks for introducing me to some of my favorite things.

"So if we're like 40 and we're single you'll marry me, right?"

Whenever one of us were rejected, just feeling lonely, or coming of a semi-heavy breakup, we had the same conversation. Every time. My childhood best friend and I have it planned to a T. Marriage and cats and lots of money and vacations. Thanks for the hundreds of marriage proposals, my self esteem needed it.

"You've told me this story, but I'll hear it again."

So I've always had an awful memory, and thanks for understanding that when I'm telling you for the fifth time the only funny to me story about washing dishes in the bathtub while our kitchen sink was broken. And all of my other awful family/friend/boy stories that you've had to endure.

"I'll come, but I'm not wearing makeup."

Not that we needed to wear makeup, every time we left the house since we were eight years old we saw the same people out and about, and no one really cared what we looked like because they all knew what we looked like in our stringy-hair-glasses-skinny-armed-big-bellied phase. Your begrudging acceptance of my invitation out of the house was always welcome.

"Lipstick?" "Lipstick."

Again, since we were from such a small town full of people with more important things on their mind than eyelashes and blush, and no one had the time for that in the morning anyway, it would have been a shame to be the only one at the party to put that much effort into the color of their mouth. Thanks for participating with me.

Living down the street from me.

I guess I have to thank your family more for this than you, but the news that my best friend was moving to the house just a block and a half over really made my life. Getting our cheer hair and makeup done on game day was so much more fun when I could walk down to your house and we got ready together. Thanks for being close.

Thank you for adopting me.

When your family never fails to remember a birthday and I'm invited to functions like church and thanksgiving, I can't think of a better term for that than adoption. Some of my fondest family memories happened with people who weren't my blood relation, and I only have you to thank for that, because you chose me first.

Thank you for still being here.

The easy thing to do when I left for college a year early would have been to let me go my own way and do my own thing, but you didn't because you're relentless, and I love you for that. Now that most of you are also in school, I'm so glad our little family is surviving. Can't wait to see you lovely ladies this thanksgiving.