To the person I have known for the past four years: You have been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. We may have not been together the whole time I have known you, but we make up for the lost time every summer when you come home. We spend almost every day together and enjoy the excitement of no school by creating memories with one another. We try new things, go out to eat at different places and bike around our favorite city. Everything I love, I get to do with you.

The only downfall to this summer is that I won’t be spending it with you.

This time it will be different. The months of June, July and August I usually look forward to will be calm and quiet. I won’t get the urge to wake up in the morning and see if you're free to hang out. I won’t have anywhere to go but home after work. I won’t be able to surprise you with a new place to go to or something fun to do. The adventure that my summer is usually filled with will be an adventure for one instead of two.

Now I’m not going to sit around and sulk all day (I know you wouldn't want me to)! I’ll surround my self with work and lots of other friends I’ve made, but of course, I’ll still miss spending the summer with you.

I’m proud of you for getting out there and taking such a wonderful opportunity life is giving you. We have spent so many summers together already, and this is your chance to experience something totally unique and eye opening. You’ve worked so hard to get here, and I’m so content that everything you’ve ever hoped for is finally paying off.

Before you go, I’ll appreciate as much time as I can with you. I’ll beg you to hang out as much as possible until it gets annoying. I’ll cram in as many bike rides, lunch dates, concerts, festivals, baseball games, dog-walks, movie nights and frisbee tosses as I can. I’ll miss it all.

Once you leave and travel half way around the world, everything will finally set in. The reality of the summer without you will all of the sudden just hit me, and it will hurt for a while, but I’ll be OK. I’ll miss you when you're gone, but I know I’ll see you when you're back.

Good luck out there! Miss you always.