So this post had to go through a bit of a rewrite. I’ll get straight to the reason why: a longtime friend of mine died yesterday. She had been in the hospital since February, fighting tooth and nail to recover from a cardiac arrest, and in the past few days, she decided that she didn’t want to fight anymore.

I’m shaken. I’m unsure of how to really feel about it. I hadn’t seen or talked to her in a while up until then. But it was always a joy seeing her posts and photos on Facebook, watching her live the incredible life she had. It’s been sort of strange to learn of that sudden incident and witness her ordeal through a screen. I think it’s made her passing all the more difficult to digest. I wrote a lengthy post on her timeline and let her family know that I was thinking of them and holding them in my heart. Yet it’s still hard to believe that she’s truly gone. I will miss her so much, and I wish for her family to find a sense of relief and healing.

I wanted to start this post with that news and then proceed with what I originally wrote. However, what follows means even more to me now than ever before.

At the time I began this post, I was talking with my best friend, Emily, on Snapchat. We were using all of the ridiculous lenses and laughing about the silly voice changes. We were discussing each other’s hair! We text, message on Facebook, and Skype, too. She’s an amazing artist, so I get to see a lot of her work on Instagram, and it makes me so happy to see how talented and passionate she is.

Facebook continues to be a great way to stay in touch with friends, but I’m a sucker for the Memories feature. It’s been awesome to have a way to go back in time that doesn’t involve scrolling all the way back through your timeline. It seems like on most days, going as far back as 10 years, I can find wall posts, tagged statuses, and photos between us. From dinner dates and park adventures to ice cream cravings and favorite movies, you can see how close we’ve been. Emily and I have known each other since high school. She was my maid of honor! She’ll be my best friend for life.

There’s, of course, my husband, Kevin, as well. As the saying goes, I’ve married my best friend! Marriage is a topic suited for its own post, but I think it’s worthwhile to write at least a little bit about Kevin and me. We were friends in marching band back in high school. I’ve locked texts from him on my phone, whether they’re 5 years old or they were sent yesterday. Even though we live together now and have for a while, we talk over the phone while he commutes home.

Life has truly been an adventure for us ever since we started dating almost 9 years ago. Our second wedding anniversary was just over a week ago. In two years, we’ve done and seen so many things traveling in different parts of the US. We’ve experienced a lot with each other already, the highs and the lows. But the whole time, we’ve communicated with honesty and laughed with sincerity. There’s never quite been a dull moment! We have so much in common, and we understand one another so well. Again, I could write a post on its own, and I most likely will because I’m struggling to stop gushing here! Yet Kevin and I have been amazing friends from the start. He’s my greatest love, and there’s so much more to come in our lives.

We both have wonderful friends that we share, too. We’ve known Elias since high school, and he’s a close friend to this day. We have such hilarious and fond memories with him; along with Emily, the four of us all played in band, ate and drank together, and spent many a late night driving around and blasting some rock music, singing at the top of our lungs. We’ve never failed to stay in contact. Elias likes shenanigans on Snapchat in particular. He’s a member of the National Guard and a middle school teacher. I get to see a lot of his life and story on various social media platforms as well. And occasionally, we chat over the phone!

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the members of the Sweatpants Brigade: Jarrett, Matt, Jake, Ben, and Gabe. Kevin became friends with them during their undergraduate days. Plus, there’s Ben’s wife, Abbey, and Jake’s wife, Bekah, and we’ve all gotten to know one another better over time. However, it began with that group of guys. Coming from me, any description of their lasting friendship will feel underwhelming and insufficient; it’s not going to do them justice in the slightest. But they’re a really funny, smart, unique, and committed group. They’ve crossed great lengths of the country to meet up. They go on adventures together, challenge each other, and discuss just about everything, no matter what. They even made a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and they’ve played on a weekly basis!

Finally, there’s Ash, who we just visited this past week. We’ve known her since high school, even before that in middle school as well. She and Kevin have exchanged postcards for years now. We got the chance to go see her in Virginia at last, and all things considered, it was a great trip and awesome to spend time with her and her boyfriend (we had an injury and some car trouble to contend with). While we didn’t get to do all of the things we planned on doing, we ate and drank, played games, walked around town, and watched plenty of the World Cup! It was a vacation we all needed, and it was good quality time to catch up with a dear friend.

Friends make up such an important facet of life. Having good, best, close, lifelong friends is something I cherish and hope to never take advantage of or take for granted. Kevin and I actually haven’t made friends since we’ve lived on the East Coast… so that’s all the more reason to hang onto the ones we love and try to see them and talk to them at every opportunity. We miss our friends, and they miss us, too. They’re some of the greatest people I’ve had the pleasure and privilege to know.