From the moment that I came into this world, my aunt has been such a special gift in my life. I am also lucky enough to have her as my godmother. She has been such a great influence throughout my life and has been there through all of the ups and downs. She has also become my best friend and confidant. She has always encouraged my pursuit of knowledge and pushed me to never give up on my dreams. She, along with my amazing parents, have empowered me to become the woman that I am today. My "Ant" will always be one of my favorite people.

1. "Therapy sessions" in the car.

I remember car rides with my aunt when I was little where we would talk about anything from how the way the brain works to singing Madonna's "Little Star." Our car rides together were one of our first and most special bonding experiences. Today, they still are. A lot of our "therapy sessions" take place in the car, when we are on the way to the store to get candy to prepare for long nights of talking and TV marathons.

2. She always has time for me.

She is constantly busy with work, but she is always there for me no matter how busy she is. When I am away from home at school, I live with her. She has stayed up with me countless nights to listen to me jabber on about how busy my schedule is, listen to me practice presentations, and given me advice when I do not think that I can get it all done. She empowers me and reminds me that it is okay to not always succeed at first.

3. I can be my true self with her.

We all have different versions of ourselves. For instance, our private, professional, or social self. When I am with my aunt, I do not have to put up any walls. I can be my "Oscar the Grouch"-self, when I wake up in the morning before I have had my coffee. I can be an absolute moron and completely goofy, without fearing any judgement because she is just as abnormal as I am. We have a very symbiotic accepting relationship. We are 100% honest, even to a fault sometimes, with each other. There is no secret I have from her. She loves my grouchy, eccentric, melodramatic personality, and I love her wacky self.

4. She is my best friend.

We may have a 24 year age gap, but it certainly is not evident when people see us together because of how connected we are. We can finish each other's sentences and read the other's mind. We don't keep secrets from each other, and she knows more about me than anyone except for my mother and fiancé. Living together, since I began college, has been such a wild experience because she has been there for every little thing that I have experienced since I graduated high school. We are even more inseparable now than we were before.

5. We bond over the weirdest small things.

My aunt works pretty late hours at her job, and I have a crazy busy schedule at my college. The only time we are both in the house at the same time is in the evening, just a few hours before bedtime. One of our "most special" bonding experiences is sitting on the front porch with a cold drink, listening to music, and catching each other up on our days. We also re-watch the same shows together that we have been watching since the late 90's. It is these little moments that have cemented our relationship. Being able to bond over anything is probably the greatest and most humorous strength of our relationship.

I will always be thankful for my beautiful, courageous aunt!