The Mac to my Cheese

Today I wanted to talk about something that is important to every person in the world; friendships. I have been really blessed when it comes to good friendships. When I was only a year old I met my first best friend, Lauren, who was the daughter of my parents close friends. We basically grew up together and during those tricky late elementry schools days, when no one really knows where they belong or who they should be, she was always there. We didn't go to the same school so it didn't matter who we hung out with or what we were into, we just knew we were friends. Thats the one thing I miss about being young, the simplicity of everything. Elementry school was kind of a mess of friendships for me, I never really fit in with anyone and to be perfectly honest some of my friends were mini-bitches.

Middle school was a whole different story. I moved the summer before sixth grade and had to go to a new school where I didn't really know anyone. At first I hung out with the few kids who went to my elementry school and eventually I drifted into a group of friends that fit me better; two girls I met in dance the year before Ashley and Anna and than a few people we met along the way. I miss those days, there is nothing like middle school friendships where the most exciting thing in the world was getting to ride the bus home with them and spend an afternoon together eating pop tarts and cookie dough (although the cookie dough part totally still happens today). Sixth grade was also the year I joined band...It was fate from there!

The summer before Freshman year I became a certified band geek and went to my very first band camp. This is where some of my life long friendships formed...Although it's only been four years I know I'll stay close with a few of them forever. It is kind of funny how my group of friends formed, all the girls came from the same middle school and all the boys were from another. The girls thought the guys were the weirdest people ever. There was Lucas who always wore an Orange Crush shirt, slightly awkward Sam, Kyle who was kind of a jerk that first year (love you!) and Alex who I think is the one we all thought was cute. There was also Laura, the one girl who didn't go to middle school with the rest of us. The rest of us being myself (Katie), Carly, Liz, Sammi, Kristen and in later years Sarah. I don't really remember how it happened but one day we were all strangers and the next we were nicknamed the "crack posse" because of how crazy we all were together. I think the fact that Alex and I became close when he hit me in the face with a dodgeball and made me cry in gym class, gives you an idea of just how odd we all were...are :) I can't even begin to explain the kind of trouble we have gotten into; super gluing pennies to the floor, crazy memories on band trips, stuffing people in lockers, hiding things in the ceiling, silly string, keeping bugs as pets in a locker (ew, I know), crazy movie nights and of course plenty of drama. We all had our fights and troubles and some of us have definitely drifted apart (for the best in my opinion), but over all when I look back on those friendships I can't help but smile.

Now of course I have to give a shoutout to my bestest friend, Carly. Its funny how even within the group we kind of divded into subgroups. Carly and I were always super close, than Liz and Laura, Sammi and Kristen and when Sarah came I think she just loved everyone! Anyways, Carly Carly Carly...I gotta fess up, it was the two of us who super glued pennies to the floor and laughed, ALOT as people tried to pick them up. We have had our fights, our own silly litte drama, but the good memories by far out weigh the bad. So many movie nights, inside jokes, laughing hysterically while trying to fall asleep in Disney World and of course plenty of mischief! We're 600 miles apart now in college but we write letters to each other all the time. And yes, we still eat cookie dough! I think what really kept the two of us close is that we have always been honest with each other; we're usually not afraid to tell the other if she is being a bitch and needs to mellow out, in nicer words though! I think thats one of the most important things in a friendship, honesty. You gotta be upfront with each other or neither of you will be happy. The fact that we bitched about the same peole also helped ;-)

One of the weirdest things about friendships for me is how easily they change. I remember those middle school friendships and how we always promised we would be friends forever and be bridesmaids in each others weddings, and I hardly talk to them now. I still love them and miss them but things aren't the same anymore. I hope my high school friendships and the friendships I'm making in college don't change like that. I think the older you get, the stronger your friendships are even if you don't know the people for as long. But you do know yourself better, you know what you want in relationships both friendly and romantic and you know how to be a better friend in return.

I guess thats all for now. Maybe later I'll talk about what it means to be a good friend and actually tell you the important stuff about the friendships I have had, but today I just wanted to tell you all about the wonderful people I have been lucky enough to call friends. They have helped get me to where I am today and lately I have realized how much things have changed, yet again. I just wanted to let all those people know they have had an impact on my life, no matter what college brings or what happens in our future, we will always be the crack posse.

Oh yeah...And to those of you who were on the merry-go-round adventures, we need firewords!