Birthdays are my absolute favorite. Whether it’s a friend or a family member, I think it’s important to spend an entire day showering them with love, gifts, attention, and a whole lot of laughs! (I even sing along in a restaurant when they announce a complete stranger’s birthday!) I love my own birthday, of course, but it’s even better getting to celebrate the birthdays of the people I love most.
September 22, 1992.
Brianna Marie was born, and even though I didn’t know it yet (I wasn’t even born!), my future became a whole lot brighter. Brianna has blessed me with many years of friendship so far, and I can’t wait to walk the journey that lies ahead with her in my life. I wrote in her birthday card: “You are the BEST friend” but I didn’t actually explain. Let me try…
I’m a huge Grey’s Anatomy addict, and whenever I try to describe Brianna, I immediately think of Season 5, Episode 19. “Elevator Love Letter.” True fans will quickly realize this is the episode where McDreamy proposes to Meredith. It may seem odd that I chose his proposal as my description of my best friend, but hear me out:
“If there’s a crisis, you don’t freeze, you move forward. You get the rest of us to move forward. Because you’ve seen worse. You’ve survived worse, and you know we’ll survive, too. You say you’re all dark and twisty. It’s not a flaw, it’s a strength. It makes you who you are.”
- My best friend has fought through some of the toughest battles life could throw at a person. She has faced each battle with an incredible amount of strength and courage. Rather than buckling under the pain and heartbreak, she picks herself up and fights through to another day. And she doesn’t just push herself forward. She is always picking up the people around her, pushing them forward, too. I admire her strength, because I don’t think I could have even crawled my way forward, let alone charge ahead. Thank you, Brianna, for picking me up during my own battles, no matter how big or small, and carrying me forward with you. Your determination and perseverance are gifts to be admired by many.
- My best friend is also incredibly loyal. We have been friends for almost 10 years (even though I don’t remember that first year!), but I have learned recently that friendship is less about numbers and more about moments. Brianna has stayed by my side through the good, the bad, the fun times, the sad times, the boring times, and the exciting times. She has dropped everything when I needed someone by my side. She has sacrificed her own time to make sure my time was of the best quality. Thank you, Brianna, for caring about our friendship so much. Thank you for never looking at your schedule or plans when I need you.
- My best friend is the hardest working person I have ever met. Throughout high school, she worked unfavorable jobs while I played basketball or took a nap. (I didn’t get my first official job until late in my senior year!) I have admired her work ethic in recent years as she has worked hard to support herself, moving into her own apartment, and paying for her own car and bills. And it’s not just how hard she works at her job, but in every aspect of life. She worked hard in her studies all through school (and helped explained quite a few things to me along the way!), she has worked hard within our friendship, and she constantly works hard at making the world a brighter place for everyone she comes into contact with.
- Some of my favorite things about Brianna include her big, warm smile, her ability to have amazing hair even on her “bad” hair days, her love of cats, her equal (well, maybe slightly less) Doctor Pepper addiction, her encouraging words when I’m feeling down and her laughter when I’m telling jokes (regardless if they’re funny or not), her willingness to join me on all sorts of crazy adventures, and, most of all, her unconditional love and support no matter how annoying, depressing, crazy, or ridiculous I am acting.
This is what I meant by the four letters I wrote: You are the BEST friend, because of all of these things and so much more. I am so thankful for our friendship and how much it has grown in the past year. I am even more thankful that we will share decades of life experiences together. And I’m really stoked to be an old lady with you.
Here’s to your 23 years and all of the ones to follow! But, remember, “no one likes you when you’re 23” so you might want to hurry up and turn 24!
-rs
determinedtortoise 
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