Franndz.

Friends..

That's really what I am thinking about today.

I have been through major changes in friendships since high school. I think a big part of that comes from living in Athens- four hours away- for five years.

First, there were Tricia and Holly. They were my very best friends in high school- the ones I really considered to be sisters. The funny thing is that we are all VERY different. But somehow we made it work. I was also close with Devin- we had our ins and outs.... That was a very challenging friendship. Somehow I remained friends with all three of these girls through college by maintaining distant contact.

Holly and I would go through periods where we were close, and times when we did not get along. I guess she would be more like a sister.

Then in college, I became extremely close with my roommate, Emily. We were roommates all 4 years. She was always really focused on school and grades, but we had some really good times. I also became extremely close with Danielle, another KD who I lived with. We spent almost every single day together. I think I was probably closer to Danielle than any of my other friends. That friendship eventually fell out towards the end of college. It wasn't a healthy relationship, and its termination was probably for the best. However, that still makes me sad.

Then, when I moved back home, most of my friendships fell of the board with college friends. I still talked to all of my friends every once in a while, but things definitely changed. As I began my relationship with Tanner, I really considered him my "best friend." Who else, besides God, can you count on ALL the time to be there for you? Well, even boyfriends fall short. I started to hang out with some of my old high school friends, like Ansley and Liz. Eventually, I even made up with my friend Bethany. Devin and I started being friends again for a while, but that relationship eventually faded as well..

The funny thing is, friendships are constantly changing. It's almost like they can't stay the same. I always thought that a true friend was someone that was always there for you--always keeps in touch, cares about you. But if that were true, I have no true friends. And I'm not a true friend.

With life the way it is, always changing and moving, friends moving away and getting new jobs, it's hard to maintain that consistency. It seems to me that friends serve a purpose for a time in your life. When that time changes, so do your friendships. The only thing you can really do is consider your friendships a priority. Even if you're busy with work, boyfriends, jobs, you still make time for your friends. For example, I work anywhere from 10-20 hours of over time every week, but I still make time for my friends once a week. You've just got to. It shows that you care.

So what happens when all of those friendships you put so much effort to just move away? I'm not sure, I guess you just keep in touch as best as you can- that's something I haven't figured out.

The one thing I do know- to true friends, friendships are not dispensable. They are not replaceable with just anyone.