Dear ____________,
Would you believe how time flies? It seems like only yesterday we were in Spanish class together and you were always jerking me around on my chair. Remember that? I think the reasons I put up with that was it was kind of fun and I was planning how to get you back after class.
We had some good times together, and we had some times where you were so annoying I was determined to rip your head off. But I won’t talk about that. The point of this letter is to tell you what an awesome and amazing guy you are, wish you a happy eighteenth birthday, and thank you for being one of my best friends for the last three years.
I think some of my favorite memories were when we would go to the music room after school and I got to listen to you play on the piano. Coming from a girl who only knew how to play “Heart and Soul” with two fingers it was like magic to see you make up all of those cool songs off the top of your head. Sometimes we would be there for so long without realizing it and Andy (my carpool mom) would have the Administration Building call me in over the loud speaker. It was worth it though. And then when I got home about ten minutes later you would call me and we would chat for three hours straight.
Another favorite was when we met by your house and went for a walk in the park right across the street. I had no idea how to get there but between you and my Mom we managed to find our way. I think it was there we found out how close-and far apart our birthdays were. We planned to go on a huge hike on my birthday so we could celebrate the ONE day in the whole year we were the same age. When we got to the lake you showed me that cave that was down this very narrrrrrrrow cliff ledge, and right over the water. You convinced me that if I slipped, I would just fall in the water and it was no big deal because it was deep so I couldn’t get hurt but either way neither of us wanted to fall in it because it looked sooooo cold.
Remember that dance I dragged you into or you dragged me into? We were all assigned a certain bird and you always go the vulture and you HATED it. The ONE time you weren’t in the middle the “vulture” go to be an owl. That made everyone in our group laugh so hard.
Now its many, many years later. (Well, not that many.) Despite the fact we are some thousand miles apart we still talk a lot, and for the most part we are still close friends. And here I am, slaving away at the computer, still in my “jammies” at one o’ clock in the afternoon, doing my best to create a memorable gift for a deserving friend.
I want to thank you for always being there for me. You are a truly kind and compassionate person who took the time to listen to a little freshman whining how she didn’t get Algebra or how tough it is to come from an easy middle school to a challenging Public High School. You stole my movie plot book and turned a deaf ear when I said it was not a diary or a journal and played keep-away for a good part of lunch time easily evading my attempts to get it back. At times like those you allowed me to hit you as hard as I could as punishment. How you put up with me I will never know. But I thank you fervently for doing so.
Now you are on the brink-or past the brink of turning eighteen. (I have no idea when you will get this letter.) You are now able to legally vote, no doubt already drive and just graduated from High School. In a couple more years you will graduate again and be set free to make your way in the world. The point behind this nonsense is anything could happen in the future. But I want you to have at least a few documents of a time that really made me who I am today.
So enjoy, and have a memorable day.

HAPPY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY!!!

With Love,


Me