To the car full of teenage boys that blew kisses back at Kaitlyn when she was flirting at the red light,

Thank you.

To the many friends I've had that accept Kaitlyn as a part of their friend circle because she's in mine,

Thank you.

To the countless people who have to listen to my abundance of Kaitlyn stories and still indulge me,

Thank you. 

To the boy who took Kate to prom after she very un-secretly had a crush on him for months,

Thank you.

To the students at our high school who always made Kate feel like every other student and treated her no differently,

Thank you.

To the varsity cheer coaches, who recognized Kaitlyn's talent and potential,

Thank you.

To the teachers who have had Kaitlyn in their class and worked tirelessly to make sure she was afforded all the same opportunities as her classmates,

Thank you. 

To her parents who tirelessly have raised Kate and her spunky sass for the past 19 years, fighting to make sure that she was doing everything her peers were doing,

Thank you.

To my mom who taught me what Down syndrome was when I first met Kaitlyn, supported me, and treated her like she was one of your own,

Thank you.

To her sisters and brother for giving Kate the same hard time any teenager would get from their younger siblings, defending her, and loving her,

Thank you.

To God for allowing me this amazing roller coaster journey of best friendship where I learn something new everyday, am constantly laughing, get pushed to try new things, am challenged in new ways, and cannot imagine my life without,

Thank you.