My momma always had a wise saying about friends. She would say, "There are friends for a reason, friends for a season and friends that will last forever."

All throughout my life, I had a slew of friends, something of a colorful and emotional variety. I had long-term friendships, close friends, part-time friends, friends with benefits and yes, best friends. But even those who landed the coveted role of "best friend" were never always there. There was one more type of friend: the true friend. I've only had one of those in my whole life, and she, Kelly, is someone I will always include, love and be within my life. Honestly, she will probably be the godmother to my future kids, the mom I will go through my mid-life crisis with, and the old gal I grow old next to on the front porch swing.

I dream of these days I have coming with her.

With the other girls and guys, it is different. I loved these friends, protected them, was loyal to them and supported them always, even when they didn't support me. Some of these girls or guys left, moved away. Some of us drifted apart, became ghosts I would longingly gaze at in the distance, remembering all the good times we had together. Some of them just vanished, disappeared into thin air, leaving me dangling like a broken tree limb after a hurricane.

For me, the concept of friendship was that you should always be there for them, become the voice of reason or encouragement needed to ask that boy out, apply for that long distance internship, cry to at 3 a.m., scream Hannah Montana lyrics with during study sessions. You know, the typical girl groupies shit that we all know and love.

When Kelly moved away during my sophomore year of high school, I lost that. But upon coming to college, the very place I was looking to for a fresh start, I found that. Well, actually, I found five of them. Five girls, five roommates, five "forever friends" as my momma said.

There is May, the West Virginian backwoods sweetheart. May is a sensitive lover, a wonderful hugger and a quiet thinker, who always is down for late night conversations with flavor blasted goldfish and plush pillows.

There is B, our sarcastic African goddess. B is honest to a fault, blunt without flinching and not at all tethered by expectations or opinions. She makes us all laugh, something we all crave after a long, tough day.

There is Kathy, the mini-sized mod life coach. Kathy, while small in stature, is larger than life, a human Yoda. She is truly someone who doesn't give a damn about what anyone thinks, as long as she is striving to her highest potential, and taking all of us along with her.

There is Em, the beautiful art hoe. Em is as delicate as she is tough, a shimmering diamond of an individual with impeccable skin, great style and a gorgeous heart. Emma is the kind of powerful individual that draws strength from being quiet and grounded, something that I envy and hope to achieve one day.

And there is Rhi, the free-flowing local cutie pie. Rhi, like me, is always ready to go, buzzing with energy as she dashes around, making friends with everyone, the residential social butterfly of Mod 420 (yes I'm not even kidding you that's true).

It is these girls who I strive to become and learn from. They push me to be my best self, and call me out when I'm wrong, as I do for them. These are the girls I will never lose to the tides of life, be that marriage, jobs, kids, long distance or simply just time.

So, to conclude, all I have to say is this: we all might be a long ways from home, but here in Athens, we girls of Mod 420 have found a new family to live with and depend on. A forever family forged in many laughs, many arguments and many late nights spent drinking blue Kool-aid, learning how to play Mario Kart and singing at the tops of our lungs. I hope those nights never end.