14 Things I Wish I Could Give My Friends

If I could give my friends 14 things that would last them forever, I know exactly what they would be:

1. The original Nantucket picture (and the original camera roll from Conner’s 18th) so they always can laugh at the stupid decisions we made in high school
2. An endless order of LH sugar cookies so they are always reminded of how sweet life can be even in the sourest of days
3. A hug from Kelley so they always know that every day is a gift, that’s why it is called the present
4. A wine glass that is always filled so they are always reminded that wine with friends is better than therapy
5. A pair of perfect red stilettos so they always walk with confidence in any direction they choose
6. P.S. I Love You on repeat so they know a fairy tale kind of love can exist, even in the strangest of situations
7. A string of pearls so they are always reminded to stay classy
8. A flame ignited in their heart so they never forget to follow their passion
9. Water from Mt. Everest and mud from the Dead Sea so they always maintain balance in their life
10. A bin of paints and a white canvas so they stay creative and think outside the box
11. A horseshoe so they always find themselves a bit lucky
12. A chocolate bar so they are always reminded that chocolate is the answer to everything
13. A pet pig so they never hesitate to get their hands a little dirty

Kaitlin, Danielle, Conner, Kristina, Devon, Makenna, and Elise: I wish I could give each of you these things to last forever.  I hope the list made you laugh but I also hope it always reminds you to stay grounded, follow your heart, and think about our friendship when life gets rough.

I mentioned there were 14 things I wish I could give you: #14 is a little bit of each other’s hearts.  I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true.  I wish we could each take a little bit of each other’s hearts so that no matter where our lives take us, we always have a piece of each other with us.

I cannot help but feel so blessed (and cultured) for meeting you 8 years ago.  I’ve never met such a group of girls who are so terribly different from each other but so uniquely collective at the same time.

So here’s to 80 more years of laughing (and crying) over shared bottles of wine.  How lucky am I to be in love with my best friends?