A Thank You :)

"A part of us stayed like that: fearful of the world around us, and- no matter how much we despised ourselves for it- unable quite to let each other go." -Never Let Me Go

This post is delving much deeper into the book than the quote, but here goes.

Also, these are just alphabetical- no special order. And it's just people in IB

Anne Ross: Anne Ross Pender, you are the absolute kindest person I have ever met. You are so beautiful and loving, and care so much about everyone dear to you. You have been by my side this entire year, and I can't tell you how much that means to me, as this has been a pretty difficult year for me. I truly don't have words to express how much your love and support mean to me. I could go on telling you how fantastic you are forever- you deserve the entire world. I can't wait to see what you do next :). All my love.

Ben: We've come a long way since freshman year. Even if you still think that I hate you, I assure you that I do not. You are so kind and absolutely hilarious, and I admire your ability to be so neutral and calm when it comes to any sort of drama- I don't know if I've ever heard you be truly rude to someone. I am going to miss you and your incredible math problem solving skills and your drive by high fives. You are going to do fantastic things. All my love :)

Blake: I know that this year has been crazy for you too, and I'm so thankful to have someone just as confused about college as me (although that's not necessarily a good thing). You are so intelligent and beautiful, and I admire your bold nature and determination- there is absolutely NOTHING that you will not achieve should you put your mind to it- please remember that! You are going to do amazing things one day. My dogs and I send all of our love to you :)

Brooke: Did I save this one for last? Yup. It's because there are no words (and certainly no reasonable amount of characters) to describe what you mean to me. Let's start with the obvious- you are absolutely flawless. Golden hair, long legs, tan skin? Model status. Next, you are literally a genius. That ACT score? Wow. Your grades? Wow. Your vast knowledge about anything and everything and ability to solve absolutely any problem, academic or not? WOW. Evidently, I could go on and on about your countless fantastic qualities- your dedication, determination, talent, superb sense of humor- but all of those things are truly just a bonus. The thing about you that I am the most grateful of is your unwavering, unconditional, endless, love and support. You have stuck by my side since freshman year (even if we weren't nearly as close then). You have put up with my ADD, my awful jokes, my obsession with musicals (also you came to all of them, even though you don't like them), my tendency to tell the same story over and over and over, my leaving school and (therefore) constant dependence on you for all things academic, and so, so many other things. You never cease to amaze me with your abilities or your love. There are truly no words in the English language (or Spanish, or Pig Latin, or any other language) that can explain the love I have for you. I am always willing to do anything and everything for you. Also, if you don't keep in touch with me, I will hunt you down (picture it: all my theatre friends against your West Point ones- there's a clear winner [it's me]). I love you with my whole entire heart Brooke Finnessy.

Choccocherry: You never, ever, fail to reach out to me and make me feel included and loved. Whether you ask me to come over on a Friday night or you bring me ice cream to make chemistry a little more bearable, you never cease to make me smile. There are so few people on this earth who have your generosity and kindness, and I am so incredibly lucky to call you one of my dearest friends. So, so much love for you Choccocherry :)

Cole: My dear husband, I love you so so much. I don't exactly remember when we got married, but I am forever glad we did. Your presence never fails to make me smile, and my day gets a million times better when you give me a hug or squeeze my hands every single morning. The only person who could possibly be more thankful for you is my mom, even though she's only met you once. You will always laugh at my terrible jokes, or play argue with me (we must have set a world record with all of our divorces), and I can always count on you to make my bad day better. I will miss you so much next year, and I will hunt you down if you don't keep in touch. All my love :)

Connor: If I'm being completely honest, I had absolutely no idea who you were until chemistry last year. I heard people talk about how funny and fantastic you were, and when I met you I knew exactly why. You can always make me smile, and I truly don't think I could have made it through chemistry this year without all of our looks at each other ("iykyk"). Even if I wanted to kill you everytime you turned my mic on just for the fun of it, I am always grateful for you. All my love :)

Emma M: Up until this year, I had only known of you, instead of truly knowing you. And I wish I had gotten to know you sooner. You are so very kind, and I love how you are always willing to laugh at my horrid jokes, or make a joke yourself. I cannot thank you enough for your support as we have grown closer this year- it means so so much to me. Thank you for your fantastic snickerdoodle cookies, and for signing my name on the stats list whenever I decide to go to Nolan's. You are so wonderful, and are going to go on to do incredible things. All my love :)

Emma R.: We may have gone our separate ways, but that does not mean that I care any less for you. You are a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent woman, and you are going to go out into this world and do incredible things. I wish you all the best. Love always :)

Hannah: Thank goodness you are always there to get me together at rehearsal (and have been for three years!). There were definitely days when I felt as though I wouldn't make it through another couple of hours of K's talking, but you always made it better. You are such a beautiful, intelligent woman, and I am so excited to see you flourish as a teacher. I am forever grateful for our conversations (in person or in text), and your calm, easy going demeanor that could always calm me down. All my love :)

Joseph: I am forever glad that I decided to make you talk to me in ToK last year. Although you might have been quiet at first (and probably really annoyed by me), I think I finally pushed enough to get you to tolerate me. Even if we didn't have any classes together this year, seeing you in the hallway and giving you a hug makes my day every. Single. Time. You are so kind and intelligent, and the most well spoken person I know. You also deserve the entire world. All my love :)

Joslin: Joslin, you are such an incredible person. You are just so flawless in every single way. You are gorgeous, kind, funny, and smart, and always know how to make me smile. You are so friendly and open as well- I can't think of one negative thing I have ever heard anyone say about you. You are always willing to listen to me, no matter what I want to talk about (which is basically like four things, I'm sure you can name them). Your unconditional love and support this past year has meant more to me than I can ever express. You are going to do incredible things (even if you don't want to be like the weatherman on TV). All my love :)

Lexi: Your kindness toward me this year has absolutely blown me away. I really did not know you well until this year, and wish I had spent more time with you sooner. Your personality is so bright (sparkly, I think of it as sparkly), and you make my day everyday, even if you just wave to me in the hallway, or ask me if I want to get a smoothie with you. You are so funny and intelligent, and will light up a room wherever you go- of that I'm certain. I have so much love for you pretty lady :)

Madison: Madison Mueller, I love you (and your entire family- tell them hi!). You are absolutely always there for me, and will stop at nothing to make me feel loved and included. This year has been insane, but you have been by my side the entire time, ready to lend a hand. I can always count on you for anything and everything, whether that means you are my rock climbing buddy, my math teacher, or my mother ("You can't eat cookies for breakfast"). You are so beautiful and intelligent, and I truly have no words to express how thankful I am for you and your unconditional love and support (and most certainly no words that I could type into this blog post without making this particular paragraph seem particularly long). Thank you for absolutely everything. I love you more than the moon :)

Mady: Mady Ignacio, you are a wonderful human being. Please remember that! I am forever grateful for your kindness (and the tea), and your willingness to laugh at my jokes. You are such a fun, well-rounded person, and I admire your ability to make friends with anyone and everyone. There isn't a single person who you cannot talk to. You are so generous and wonderful, and your friendship with your sister is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. I know you will go on to do fantastic things, and hope that the world gives you all you deserve (which is everything). All my love :)

Morgan: I will never, ever forget the way you stood up for the whole IB Chemistry class and left our teacher speechless (the highlight of the year). You are a natural born leader, and I have met very few people in this world quite as strong-willed and determined as you. You can always make me laugh, or provide me with a sassy comment to make me feel better. I wish we had the opportunity to get to know each other better, or spend more time together, but I'm incredibly grateful for the time we did have. All my love :)

Michael: My motivator since day one. You are such a kind person, and give the absolute best hugs! We haven't had a class together in three years, but that doesn't change the fact that you have been there for me every single day since freshman year. Seeing you in the hallways makes my day every single time, and things like the IB bonfire where I get to talk to you a little are even better. I have absolutely no words to express how thankful I am for you- you deserve the world. All my love :)

Otto: Oh toot, I am forever grateful for you. You are absolutely hilarious, and there is no one I would rather argue about vines with. Your sense of humor is fantastic, and I appreciate you always laughing way harder than is necessary at my awful jokes. I love how we are always thinking exactly the same thing, especially when it means we dominate trainwreck. You are just an all around fantastic, fun person, and I am so glad that our paths crossed. All my love :)

Sabian: Despite us having no classes together this year, I still absolutely adore you. You are so intelligent and talented (even if I have to hand you the right colors for psych posters), and your presence absolutely illuminates a room. I can confidently say that you are the most fun loving person I have ever had the pleasure of calling my friend. You always have smile on your face, and your laugh is so incredibly contagious. You are going to do remarkable things no matter where you go :). All my love.

Vinnie: This year has been crazy. Absolutely insane. I never would have in a million years guessed that you would become one of my closest friends (cause you sure were a weirdo in Civics). I am forever grateful for your terrible jokes, even if they're really only offensive comments and insults. You never fail to make me smile. As much as I say I can't wait until I don't have to deal with you anymore, I guess I'll miss you a little bit next year. As I write this I can see your "eehh" face, because I can already guess how much you'll hate this. But I am always thankful to call you one of my best friends. Love always (idiot).

And finally...

Mrs. Genesky: Dearest Mrs. Genesky. Thank you so much for your patience. I know that I most definitely have not been one of the most easy students in the world, but you've managed to put up with me and my awful habits (like turning in this blog post at 11PM) for almost a whole year. Honestly, that's something to be proud of. Despite my not being a perfect student, you still show me constant love, support, and kindness, and I cannot tell you how much that means to me. I also always appreciate our conversations that take place with just a few looks. You are so dedicated to your students and your subject, and you truly love what you do. Thank you for being an absolutely fantastic teacher. All my love :)

This was one of the sappiest things I've ever written. Also, I don't even think that half of these people will ready what I wrote. Oh well, it really do be like that sometimes.

Keep in touch friends. I'll miss you :)

Love always,

Lily