Dear Gina,

You have had a bad time of it my friend :( I am sorry that you had such a terrible experience with your finals, but the beauty of finals is that after them, you are done! Youu are done until late August! Howww terrific :)

I wish I was there to bake cookies with you and go on a subway run or something :( But that just means that you will have to go to my house and make them with my siblings! I got Garden Salsa Sunchips today to honor you, so I am there in spirit!

And I actually talked about you in church on Sunday! We were talking about people who have really shone out to us as kind, serving people and I said something like....

"My best friend Gina is a really good example to me of selflessness. She is always

putting others before herself. Like, I remember one time
I was sick and she knew, and she got me soup!

And it's just stuff like that that I'm like, 'who does that?' Basically no one.

But Gina does! And it is so nice and I always try to be like her because

she is just such a good example to be of what a friend is.

She is always putting others before herself and going the extra billion and a half miles

and it is just so nice to have someone like that in your life.

So I try to be other people's 'Gina,' because she really has inspired me."

So that's actually an accumulation of lots of things I've said about you in various different conversations, because I guess I talk about you a lot :)

Because seriously! It always blows my mind how much you do for others. You're always offering to help out, or making me swear "on our friendship Nicole. Our FRIENDship." that I'm telling the truth when I say nothing's wrong. I just adore you!

And I've always admired how much stock you put into academics. You say you slacked off this semester, and I realize I'm not there to prove you wrong but then you tried to tell me that you slacked off in high school too, like you never studied. And there, my young grasshopper, thereee is where you made your fatal mistake.

Umm excuse me?! Excuse me. This is a blatant lie. Everything you said to me about you being a bad student or unintelligent or whatever (which I never believed in the firsttt place, btw) was instantly cancelled out. You want to know what slacking reallyy is? Let me take you on "A Day in the Life of Nicole: Sen10r Edition." Here is an excerpt from a letter Ketty and I wrote to Concert Band as a way of us Band Aides saying goodbye. Ehm....

"I know that you all probably think I didn’t pay attention because I was

always in the media center writing papers, or doing WHAP homework,

crimping my hair, coloring, or anything irrelevant to band...."

That wasn't just a week where I was lazy. No. That was like, from Day Two onward. Day One I was getting rid of an ant infestation on the cabinet. My whole senior year I was sneaking off to the stage to sing or do "concerts" with Ketty. I neverrr did my job right.

In WHAP (which I took Senior year), I sat in the back left corner (looking at the class' left), next to the magazine rack (whyyy was it even there in the first place??). I read National Geographic, colored in that wonnnderful coloring book Veronica gave me in our MB spirit boxes, occasionally slept (rare, bc I love Mr Edlowitz), did Anatomy homework, did Math homework, did English homework, studied band music, wrote letters, drew stick figures, texted, made flashcards, ate drank and was merry, and in short did anything and everything that was nottt World History Advanced Placement. Except maybe reading National Geographic counts for something....

Prolly not.

So unless you can reach my level of absolute slack-dom, I suggesttt you embrace your role as really nerdy Korean girl. But you're not like, a weird nerd. You're really social and nice and cute and I adore your hair :) So.

But seriously, you are one of the most driven, smartest people I know. You just go for it, and you don't allow yourself to make excuses. My dad would so flip a chicken if you were one of his kids. My parents were always really glad when I would study with you, because they thought you could turn me around study-wise or something. Well, you did help :)

I guess all I'm saying is that I admire you a lot, and no matter what your grades say IIIIIII know the truth- which is that you are super smart and amazing and capable. It's just the truth. And Gina, if I can still believe that I am smart, even after all the horrible grades I got, then you, with one or two mediocre grades, should never have a doubt in your mind about your intelligence.

So stop worrying, and smile, and go running because exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Happy people don't kill their husbands. They just don't. (Sorry I had to throw in the Legally Blonde quote so you can know that I am serious about this!) Anddd you could also hop a plane out here and visit me. I guess I'd be happy if you did that.

:) I sooooo would :)

Or at least mark your calendar for July 26th (it's a Tuesday), which is the day that I think I'm coming home!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) I'm soooo excited and we are hanging out the instant I hit Kings Grant you have absolutely no choice in the matter.

So anyway. And now that you're out of school we can skype more often! Yayyy :) And you should listen to Magic by B.O.B., because it cheers me up every time :)

I justtt hope that you know that I mean every word of what's written here. You are seriously the bestest friend one could ask for. I'm soooo glad you're my bffaeae :)

Yap! I love you much chica bonita!

Loveeee,

Nicole <3