to my awesome Marcina:

So, there is this crazy girl in my life. I call her my Half. She was born only 14 tiny months after I was, making us almost twins. As kids we didn't always get along. We never fought. I never yelled at her, and she never yelled at me. We were pretty opposite, but because she hated to fight, and because I hated to hurt her, we would never fight. Yes, we got mad at each other, and we would get frustrated because of each other, but we would only fume in our own little minds and get over it before too long.

There were lots of times I cried because of her. Because we didn't get along. Or because she was just this tiny kid and wouldn't grow up. Or more lately, because I cared about her, and what hurt her hurt me.

As we have grown up, our friendship has changed a lot.

We know a lot the same things. We look like each other. Exactly. Almost like twins. Or not. Anyway, we struggle with the same things. We have the same parents. I know what she thinks about, and she knows how I feel about a certain thing. We share a grandma. We are one and the same.

We have done lots of things together. We were baptized the same day. We traveled, together and alone, to a strange foreign country. We go to youth stuff together. We went to summer camps and mission trips. And when we're apart, we're constantly texting and calling each other just to talk. I don't know how life would be without my half.

She is one of the craziest people I know. And I love it because around her, I am the craziest person I can be. It's awesome. I love that we're so serious and our relationship is so deep, but also that it is so funny and that our friendship has so so many different aspects.

Anyway, all that to say that I love this girl. And she's eighteen now! So old. And you really have to tell her happy birthday today. ok?

O yea, my sister is stupid enough to give me her password, when I tell her she has to, and I am stupid enough not to know how to hack an account. And yes, maybe I did lie a little bit.

Happy, happy birthday Half! Hope your day is really super awesome. And I hope this next year is even better. And I wish you lots of stress and hard time and tears, but strength to get through it all and to grow so, so much more. xoxx