Andria and I became friends in 2nd grade... I remember us sitting on top of the monkey bars at the playground and pinky-swearing that we were best friends. Our moms became great friends, as well, different as they were, and I loved her entire family like they were my own. My family was in the Army, so we moved around a lot, but every few years when we'd swing back through Iowa on leave to visit family, Mom and I would manage to make our way over to Ames to visit and it was always as if nothing had changed. The last time I saw Andria was the summer of 2003 - she still had that infectious smile and that laugh that would make everyone in the room laugh along with her. It broke my heart to learn that she had died, but I know that I'll see her again someday when we are both in a better place.