Tashea,

We were inseparable growing up. If you saw one of us, you saw the other. I was the only child and you were the only girl, so we just clung to each other. It’s crazy because we could be fighting one minute and playing with dolls or the easy bake oven the next. You were my first friend. I remember when we would go to school we would tell people “ok you can by my friend by you can’t be my best friend” LOL who says stuff like that to people?!?!

We have memories for days. Racing bikes down the hill, full speed with no hands. Laughing at that crazy Robert and Michelle always fighting about something. Your brothers making ramps for us to jump our bikes. Playing in the creek. Your dad trying to make me eat turtle. Ummm that was just too much for me LOL. Playing curb ball. Walking to school together. Walking to the ice lady’s house. Playing Nintendo. Sleepovers that lasted the whole weekend. From 1^st grade through 3^rd grade you were like the sister I never had. Then it happened…we moved 😦 At first it wasn’t that bad because we just moved across town, but then we ended up moving to Goldsboro. That was the worse. I think we tried writing a couple of times but by then you guys had moved too and we had no way of keeping in touch. Occasionally, my mom would run into your mom and they would talk but it would be years before we saw each other again.

By the time I moved back to Raleigh it was our 11^th grade year. I think we saw each other a few times here and there but by then we’d grown apart. I often wonder how close we would have been had we not lost touch all those years. It’s crazy because I read hundreds of birthday messages on facebook this year and it was yours that literally had me in tears. No, we’re not as close as we used to be, but I will forever cherish the memories that we had. Though life has taken us in different directions, you were and always will be my very first friend.

Love Always

Danielle