Okay, I know I missed National Best Friend Day by a week (the holiday is on June 8th), but I don’t think there’s a bad time to celebrate your best friends. I know I’ve said it before, but I’m so lucky to have the friends that I have. It’s in times of sadness and emotional turmoil that you really see who your true friends are – the ones that step up to the plate to comfort you even when they don’t know what to say, the ones who hug you when you’re crying and sometimes even cry with you, the ones that let you ramble on and say the same things over and over without complaint, the ones who are there for you and do things for you without expectation of anything in return. I’m fortunate to say that I have many friends like that, and the love I have for them is something I know this blog post won’t even do justice.
When you’re in school, your friend group is defined by the people who you sit next to in class or the people you ride the bus with you or the people who are on same sports teams as you. Proximity and seeing each other everyday is what brings you together. When you’re out of school, the friendships that stick are the ones that are true. You don’t always see your friends everyday. Instead, you have to purposely seek out ways to be with them, which means your time together is that much more meaningful.
I think it’s natural to gravitate toward people with whom you have common interests. I’m an ESFJ and Type 2, so I like to talk to people about anything until I find that one thing that makes me feel connected to them. I love people who love to read, enjoy traveling, love watching movies, are Harry Potter fans, drink wine, sing karaoke, listen to Taylor Swift, feel lost sometimes, love the 90’s, look at the bright side, enjoy throwing parties…I could go on for days. Really if I’m speaking with someone, and we have a “me too!” moment then sorry; you’re stuck with me.
Molly has been gone for six days now, and to be honest, I feel like I haven’t really had time to properly mourn her. I get sad about it often, but my friends are going through some difficult times too, so I do what I can to help them out. I think that’s a really good measure of friendship – being there for other people even when you’re struggling to get through something yourself. The friends that I truly care about are the people that I will be there for no matter what’s going on in my life, and I do that because I’m confident that they would do the same for me.
Growing up in the military, it was difficult to form long-lasting relationships because I saw everything as temporary. I would move or they would move, and that was life. If a friendship can stay afloat when you’re growing separately (not apart), then that friendship is likely to last a long time. I have friends that are miles and miles away, but when we get together or talk on the phone, the conversation flows easily as if no time has passed. Those are friendships that I truly treasure.
So shout-out to some of my favorite people:
BREANNA
I think the best thing about having a sister is that you basically have a built in best friend. Even though we didn’t live together until I was fifteen and she was eight, we still have memories of crazy summers together where we did embarrassing things that I won’t share on here (sister secrets aren’t meant to be shared). Now that we’re older, I lean on my sister for advice because even though she’s six years younger, when it comes to certain things, she definitely has had her head screwed on straighter than I do. When she’s in town, we have sister dates, and we just talk forever. We feel the same way about people, and we laugh at the same things. We quote movies that no one understands and have so many inside jokes that sometimes I can’t even keep up. We’ve been on many adventures together, and there are so many more to come. I love her more than I could ever put into words.
RACHAEL
The friendship that I have with Rachael would make you think that we’ve been friends for years, but we only just met in December 2015. Rachael is my go-to person when I have any kind of problem. She’s so patient with me. She never judges me. She loves me even when I think I’m unlovable. She’s texts me every single day just to ask me how my day was. We see each other almost everyday, and when we don’t, we still know what went on in the other’s day. She’s honestly one of the sweetest and most caring people I’ve met, and I don’t know how I got through any of my problems before I met her.
TODD
When Todd introduces me to anyone, I like to say, “Hi, I’m Tiffany. I’m Todd’s best friend.” Todd and I also met back in December 2015. We have very different ways of viewing the world and solving problems, and I think this is why our friendship works so well. He keeps me grounded and reality checks me when I need it. I love when we have real talk because he gives me different perspectives to consider. He’s the only friend that calls me regularly just to chat even though we live just a few miles from one another. Beyond that, we also love to jam out to the same music, and he’s the perfect music festival partner.
ALYSSA AND JESSICA
It’s crazy to think how much our relationship has changed since November when I first met Alyssa and Jessica. They came to my house for Friendsgiving, and it was the first time I ever met them. We had a girls craft night soon after that then a joint Christmas party in December. After that, our friendship has grown, and now that I live with them, my love for them has too.
Alyssa was one of the first people to step up when I said I was looking for a place to live. Even though we had only known each other for a short time, she was there for me during a tough time. When Molly died, Alyssa cried with me and even offered to come to the vet’s office to help me say good-bye to Molly. She offered to hold a memorial surface for my puppy. All of the love she showed me after Molly passed just made me love her more. I love knowing that I get to come home to someone whose heart is so big. She’s one of the most loving people I know, and I’m so lucky to call her, not only a roommate, but also a friend.
Jessica is honestly one of the most genuinely nice people I know, and I’m not just saying that. She is so caring and kind, and I love hearing her perspective on anything and everything. She makes me want to be a better person. Just the little things she does, like telling me she loves me and sweet dreams before she goes to bed, really warm my heart. She never judges anyone, always sees the best in people, she’s not selfish. Her heart is so big and so giving. I don’t think I have enough words to say to tell y’all how much I love having her in my life.
ROED
Roed is my fellow Pinoy, and though our friendship has been brief (we also met in December 2015), we’ve grown close in such a short amount of time. We have the same taste in people, meaning if I don’t like someone, he usually doesn’t either, and it’s often for different reasons. Roed is my favorite person to sit next to anytime we go somewhere with a big group of people, and he’s my fake boyfriend anytime I need him to be. He’s seen me at my worst. He’s never judged me. He’s an incredible listener and has let me talk through all of my mundane problems and has never called me irrational or crazy.
HALEY
Haley came into my life as my intern at work, but she’s stuck around because we have the same feelings toward people. We start every morning with a rant session to talk about the things that have happened since we last spoke. Our friendship in the office turned into a friendship outside of the office, and I’m so grateful for that. She offers me advice and keeps me in check (especially when it comes to guys). She loves sushi as much as I do, so sushi dates are frequent. She came with me to Baton Rouge to be my wedding date, and we made a plethora of ridiculous memories. I love this girl so much, and it makes me sad that soon she’ll be living four hours away from me, but I know we’ll continue to exchange “what is my life” stories and random Snapchats.
BRYCE
Bryce is a friend I don’t see enough, but when we do see each other, we always have such amazing conversations. I met Bryce in 2010 when he was one of my orientation students. We didn’t talk much in college, but since he’s moved to Shreveport, we’ve had a constant dialogue. He’s opened up to me about his personal struggles, which made me want to do the same. He’s helped me see the beauty inside myself and has helped me learn more about the way I think and feel. He’s such an incredible person, and I love when we get together because I always walk away feeling relieved to get things off my chest and refreshed from the light that he allows me to see within myself.
MANDY AND ANAMARIA (aka ATM)
As I mentioned before, any friendship that can withstand distance is one that is going to last. Mandy and Anamaria were my roommates in college, and in spite of the distance, we’ve managed to still keep our friendship pretty solid. Anytime we get together, we have so much to say that we talk over each other.
Mandy was always my go-to person for hashing out problems and venting. She shared my love for Harry Potter, themed parties, crafting and living on a budget. I’m always astounded by her creativity and her ability to outdo herself. We have the same taste in movies, TV shows and books. Mandy is the friend that gives me a reality check when I don’t think I need it. She took care of me even though I’m older (only by a month). If a reunion is happening, it’s usually planned by us. I could on and on about Mandy, but that’s expected because we’ve been friends for about seven years now.
One of my favorite things about Anamaria is that she’s always down for anything. When it came to parties, photoshoots, concerts, meals, spontaneous plans, Anamaria was always one of the first people I would ask. She’s the reason I know the Tech Fam, my close-knit group of friends at Louisiana Tech. We have the same taste in music, and I always loved jammin’ out to songs with her in the car. We lived on the same floor when we were roommates, so we often went to each other’s rooms when we needed someone to talk to. We met back during our freshman years of college, so she’s pretty much stuck with me now.
TASK
All four of us have been through so much together during our 10-ish years of friendship. Between breakups, sleepovers, road trips, family drama and way too many other things, these girls have been a constant in my life since my sophomore year of high school. I don’t remember when we decided to call ourselves TASK (Tiffany – Amanda – Sarah – Katherine), but even people who didn’t go to high school with us refer to us by this as a group. Now, Sarah is getting married in September and the rest of us will be bridesmaids, and it’s crazy to think how far we come together over the past decade.
JON
After seven years of craziness, my friendship with Jon has been a whirlwind of emotions. Even after our breakup, Jon has been there to listen to me vent about other guys, help me fight many of my inner demons and comfort me after Molly passed away. No matter happens, I know that he’ll always be there for me when I need him, and I will forever be grateful for that.
#TNK
There are so many things I could say, but I’ll try to keep it short. During the mere six months that I’ve known most of the people in this group, it’s basically been a bunch of crazy. I’m not as close to some people as I am to others, but when we get together as a group it’s always a fun time. Beyond that, it’s incredible to have a group of friends that will be there for you in spite of how close you are. I haven’t had one-on-one time with everyone in this group, but the conversations that I have had are ones that I truly treasure. Not to mention, when something happens to someone in the group, whether it be good or bad, everyone steps up to either support them or be there for them as much as they can.
When I had the opportunity to film a commercial for the tourist bureau, so many people came to support me, even though it was such a last minute thing.
When Molly passed away, I received so many messages and texts from everyone. The day after she passed, my friend, Naomi, had a party, and at the party, they gave me two condolence cards that many people in the group signed. I cried while reading their messages because it touched me so much that even during a time of celebration, they thought about me and my loss.
Happy belated National Best Friend Day to everyone I consider a friend. I wish I could sit here and name every person I love and cherish, but this post would end up being way too long. Just know that if we’ve ever had a “me too” moment, you’ll always be a friend to me.
I was inspired to write this post after reading an article on Elite Daily called “The Defining Decade: How Your 20s Will Reveal Your Truest Friends.” I definitely recommend it. It was a pretty good read.
Who is your best friend? Tell me something you love about them in the comments!
