Hallie Elizabeth Fields.

I only titled this blog "Hallie Elizabeth Fields" because we both hate when people do that - write whole names for dramatic effect - and I knew she would understand. Hallie is really the most wonderful person I know. She's so under-appreciated, so smart and so sentimental in the loveliest ways. It will be her birthday in a few days, and we can never believe how old we are when we really think about it.

Whenever I do really think about it, I'm always glad I've been able to spend all of my time being old with her. She will be the first person I live with when I move away from home. She is my keeper, and she is the only other person in the world to experience an Acsuf high. We've already made our dorm rules; number one is "always love ACSUF." There are so many animals named after that silly band: a turtle, a fish, a goat...

I'm so glad we will not be separated as so many best friends are while transitioning from high school to college. There's still so much we need to do. I want to learn how to knit (or crochet) with her, hear more of her stories, stroll across college campuses with her while giggling and answering her questions about whether or not people think we're best friends (how could they not think that?), share books with her, scrapbook with her, cry with her at graduation, and stay up all night laughing and ranting about politics and feminism and boys.

I truly feel in my heart that life would be miserable without her. We've discussed this many times before, often after people have told us we are too dependent on one another, but who better to be dependent on than your best friend? It's so nice, in a way, to have someone to be dependent on without being afraid of their leaving or betrayal.

In one of her sentimental cards to me, which I always love so much, she sent a picture of us in the snow and said we looked like two people who had our whole lives ahead of us. I've always loved that. I love the idea of us having our lives ahead of us together. Hallie with her life, me with mine, and both of them together - being flighty and silly and happy...