Kim is my roommate, but really she is family. She is tough, and thoughtful, and impossibly talented. There has never been anyone like Kim, and there never will be. She wants to be a therapist. She practices on me often.
Merrick is the smartest person I know. He is observant, and funny, and full of joy. He treats everyone like they are the most interesting person he has ever met. He told me once that if you think someone is boring, you don't know them well enough.
Grace is universally beloved. She possesses a lightness and ease that is hard to come by. She is hardworking, and silly, and genuinely good. Her laugh is one of the best sounds I have ever heard. I admire her positivity, and her heart. She wants to be a teacher. Her students will be lucky.
Kaitlyn is my oldest friend. She is creative, and fun, and earnest. There is no one who can ask a good question like Kaitlyn can. I have watched her love people with her whole being for half my life now, and still I am constantly in awe of her. She makes people feel known.
Brennan is my boyfriend. He is everything I have ever wanted in a person, and everything I didn't know I wanted. He is sincere, and compassionate, and honest. He loves me with a softness that I will never understand. He makes me laugh and he holds me when I cry. He is a doer, and a fixer.
Ashley is the sweetest girl I have ever known. She is smart, and brave, and motivated. She is my most athletic and well-traveled friend. She writes beautifully, and she loves hard. I made it through high school because I had her hand to hold. She will be whatever she wants to be.
Matt is my father. He is strong, and gentle, and consistent in every way. He reads everything, and he remembers it all. I do not think I have doubted him once. He puts his family first. My friends think he is very funny-the jury is still out on what I think.
Elin is my mother. She is beautiful down to her bones. She is generous, and outgoing, and firm in her beliefs. She is the reason I turned out okay. (She is also the reason for my shopping addiction.) I am becoming more and more like her as I age, and I am truly pleased.
Zachy is my brother. He is my heart and soul. I am consistently impressed by his drive and spirit. He is grown now, and much taller than me, but he was once small enough for me to hold him in my arms, and I have loved him ever since.
