My Best Friends' Birthdays: Celebrating Life and Love

It's finally November, and that means many things to me. It means Thanksgiving is near, the semester's almost over, and winter's almost here. But this first week is special in its own right and means something to me. November 5th and 6th are the birthdays of two of my best friends, Leslie and Carly.



I've been friends with Leslie for nearly eight years now, while I've only been friends with Carly for about a year. But regardless of how long I've known them, they're still two of the best friends I've ever had. Friendship isn't about who you've known the longest. It's about enjoying each other's company, being there for each other, and sharing experiences. And I've been able to do that with both of them.

If you've been keeping up with my blog lately, then you probably know that last week wasn't the easiest for me. My uncle passed away, so that's obviously upsetting. Also, my mom's 8,000 miles away from me right now because of that. In the 20 years I've been alive, we've never been in different countries ― let alone different continents ― until now.

And that scares me, It does. Not only because she's so far away, but because it's definitely hit me that the time you get with the people you love is not infinite. There will be a time when you can't just call or text them to say hi or make plans. There will be a time when you wish they could be there with you but they can't.

So since two of my best friends are celebrating their birthdays this week, I'm going to cherish and celebrate the next year of their lives. I'm going to tell them how much they mean to me, and how much I care for them. I'm going to tell them that I love them, that they're two of the best friends I've ever had, and thank them for being there for me, whether it be over the course of eight years or just one year. And to show them that, I got them presents! (I love giving presents, and the two of them are lucky because they're getting theirs early.)

The nicest gift I've ever received comes from Illinois! Some great friends I have @amanda_carmela and @wijangco12 ❣ pic.twitter.com/4uXpE37EQa

— ⚓️⭐️ (@leslie_taylor7) November 4, 2015

And even though they're probably going to read this blog post before their birthdays, I'm going to tell them all of this again anyway, because you should try to make every moment you have with your loved ones special. You never know when the next one might be. Celebrate life and love while you have the chance.



Happy early birthday, Leslie and Carly!

Leslie,
It's been a long, but good, eight years. (How has it been eight years?!) I don't know if our seventh-grade selves would've predicted us to be where we are today, but I'm happy we're at where we're at. Thank you for obsessing over Ryan Sheckler with me and continuing to do so. If it weren't for you, my sister would probably be sick of hearing about him. Thank you for always asking me for fashion advice. I really enjoy helping you out, whether it be looking for clothes or just talking things through. Thank you for eight years of being there for me and staying with me. It means so much. I look forward to the day we get to go to an action sports contest together.

Carly,
It's hard to believe that it hasn't even been a year since we became friends. It feels like it's been so much longer than that. I'm still fascinated by how much we have in common. I'm not sure that's ever happened to me before. Thank you for always talking gymnastics with me. I love having someone to obsess over the sport with. Thank you for making my life at U of I more exciting. I don't think I enjoyed it as much before you got here. Thank you for just coming into my life. You came at a perfect time. I can't wait to watch more gymnastics together and hopefully meet some elites.