I'm not sure when it happened.

Maybe it was during the endless shifts having worked together and countless laughs we shared while doing side-work.

Or maybe it was the first time we hung out outside of work.

Either way, the specific date is irrelevant; all I know is that my co-workers are my best friend.

Sure, you may want to rip each others' throats off at times during a particular shift. Maybe that particular shift was hectic or you were having a bad day, but your co-workers have your back. They'll help bring drinks to a table, help you carry out food to your tables, or they'll simply just be a person to vent to.

I used to be the quiet girl at work four years ago. I was afraid that people wouldn't like me and that I wouldn't do well at my job. I would simply just show up for my seven or eight hour shift, do my work, and then leave at the end of the day. I would just go home and sit with my family. I didn't really have any friends at work, because I didn't make the effort to make friends.

I'm not sure when I let my personality shine, but when I did, the greatest people came into my life. Yes, you're supposed to act professional at work, but that doesn't prohibit you from forming bonds with those around you. The moment I opened up, I realized how much I had in common with many of my co-workers.

These people aren't my co-workers. They're my closest friends.

I find myself hanging out outside of work with these people almost 24/7. We'll laugh until we cry and stay up until 3:00 A.M. We'll go to one another's houses for bonfires, go to parties and the bars together, and they're the first people I call to get Applebees with.

My co-workers push me to be the best I can be, both in and outside of work. I'm surrounded with the hardest working individuals around. We know a good portion about one another. After all, we can spend anywhere between seven and eleven hours together in one particular day.

So, as I go into my fourth summer working at my favorite restaurant, I am excited for all my friends to come back from school and reunite with one another. Cheers to Summer 2017.