Dear Kelsey,

Tonight, I'm going to do something I didn't think I'd have to do anytime soon. I'm going to have to look at a girl who I have known since I was in third grade.. and tell her goodbye. I'll have to walk down the line of relatives, look her momma, daddy and brother in the eyes and tell them that I'm sorry. It's something I never thought would happen, but it has. Right now, as I sit and cry, my Creator is holding her in His arms. She is smiling, talking 90-Miles an hour in her southern twang, and laying in the sunshine beside the Lord. That.. is what gives me peace.

Dear Kels,
First off, I'm completely blessed to have had you as one of my first bestfriends. After spending so, so much time laying in the hammock in your backyard talking about boys.. planning out our weddings, picking out names for our babies and figuring out what we wanted to do when we grew up, you became like my little sister. I remember waking up every single Saturday morning, getting dressed as fast as I could, then picking up the phone and calling you to figure out where we were meeting to ride our bikes. We had hundreds of Saturdays full of dressup, adventures in the playhouse, swimming in the pool getting blisters on our feet, getting in "fights" with the girls, then making up five minutes later. And.. you can't forget going (flying!) down the hill on Larkspur really, really fast (Until that time Caroline and I double-biked and I flew off and sprained my wrist!)

Oh, and the golfcart. I wouldn't trade those hours for anything in this world. Your daddy wouldn't let you drive in the road, so we drove in circles in the front yard until we had a path. You drove so fast and we thought we were the coolest girls ever. And, we can't forget the birthday parties! I remember having my "Hollywood" sleepover- we all had makeovers and sang Karaoke.. and you didn't know the words to Goodbye Earl, but you stood there with us and sang the wrong words with your whole heart. We seemed to always play Twister at some point.. or Jenga if we were at Rachel's. And then Rachel got a pool, and we got to swim at night. Oh, I don't need to even say it. We all know what we did. I remember the night we begged your mommy to buy us fake nails, so Sherri put them on us, but I couldn't take my contacts out with them on, so we both plucked all of them off to go play Nintendo with David. We couldn't push the buttons with them on.

Adventures. We'd all beg our parents to let us go to the hills, and we'd sneak in our kitchens and bring anything we could find for our picnics. Anything from salad, to leftover KFC, to PB&J. We would eat at the top of the hill, and wear old overalls so we could slide down on our butts all afternoon. The four of us were inseparable. We all had each other's number memorized.. and we called each other until our parents got aggravated. I remember going to your VBS with you all week, and then at the end, they drew my name for the bike. You weren't happy about that.. but you hugged me anyway. We used to sneak in and out my house because you were in love with cheese and cracker snacks, and frozen water cups (we felt like chefs!). You always slept the latest. We'd all be ready to play and you'd still be sleeping.. so we'd just wait outside until you woke up. You always wanted to play cheerleader.. and of course, we went right along with the plan until Momma Rosie saw us and made us stop throwing you up in the air. We'd sit in your playroom and make it a big mess.. then get pillows and lay in the tanning bed. We played house, church, babydolls and anything else imaginable. Truth or dare was always a favorite at your house, because no matter what, you'd always be the one to eat the nastiest things.. like the ants or grass.

Looking back, I couldn't have grown up with anyone better. You, Caroline and Rachel were my sisters. My bestfriends. My family. Every little memory of you is inscribed in my heart.. because you are unforgettable. I don't want to say goodbye to you, Kelsey Nicole. If it were up to me, you'd be here, planning out our mexican trip with the girls and driving us around in your mustang. I wouldn't be the same if I wouldn't have known you. You are apart of me.. and you'll always be my little sister and my sunshine.

Rest in peace Kels,
xoxo- Lollie