My Best Friend, My Mario

Man, I always hated standing next to Kim! Isn't she just gorgeous?!? And I can hear her already- "Dude, whatev! You're, like. . . Yeah." Kim has been a rock and flashlight through the craziness of this world.

It sounds cheesy, but I honestly know that Kim and I knew each other long before we came to this earth. I can see us now- waiting in line to be born, making up the choreography to the Christina Aguilera song that we would be singing nonstop in ten years. Or not. You never know!

So yeah. Needless to say, we've been best friends for as long as I can remember! One of my favorite pictures is of the two of us dressed up like princesses for our preschool Halloween party. It just brings back memories of long afternoons playing Barbies after dance class.

Then we got older. As we began our lives in middle school, we learned that we needed each other more than ever. We traded our Barbies for basketballs and running shoes. Aah, basketball and track! The good old days! I'll never forget the night that we discovered that my legs were so white they literally glowed in the dark! Good times!

High school was interesting. Kim introduced me to a whole new world, i.e. the Mexican Mafia. I dunno if you can tell from this picture, but I am an honorary Mexican. Yup.

In our US History class, Kim fell in love with the movie, The Last of the Mohicans. We would drive up and down Main Street, windows rolled down, blasting the soundtrack. We were pretty much crazy, but enjoyed every minute of it! I dedicate that song to her- and those memories that will probably never fade.

Graduating was so stinkin' hard! On one hand, we were excited to start our new lives, but in the back of our minds, we knew that soon we would be going our separate ways. Kim was accepted to a college in Nevada, and I was going to Idaho. That day came, we left, and here we are, miles apart, but not separated- not really. A friendship like ours can't be severed by any distance.

I absolutely adore this girl and the strength that she has given me. She's amazing! She's Mario when I'm Luigi, the one who understands me when I can't understand myself, and the one who never had to be told when something was going on in my life. We lived each other's pain and triumphs, felt every disappointment and simple pleasure.

Truly, in every sense of the word, Kim is my best friend.