Elder Miller.

I can't believe that it's time for Austin to leave! I still don't think it has hit me yet. Austin has been one of my best friends for a really long time. I moved in when I was in 4th grade. He was in my Sunday School class and I immediately had this huge crush on him. He was cute and super flirty. At this time I was just figuring out boys, and figuring out that I liked them. So that made it even worse. We were in the same Sunday School for the rest of the time when we were youth. We talked a little bit here and there, at combined activities and ward parties and stuff. Just because we were the same age we saw each other a lot. I remember a point when I thought that he actually like me. It was when I was 15 and we were at our youth conference. We call it the "special" youth conference. For reasons that can be left unsaid... He flirted with me and Amanda a ton. What I didn't know, is that he really liked Amanda. The next summer in 2008 we started hanging out. Me, Ash, Christina, Amanda, Andrew, and Austin. That was a really fun summer. None of us had jobs or even a care in the world. It was a blast. We would talk sometimes all day on my porch. We got to know each other so well. We also would do fun things like go rafting down the canal, or walk to walmart plus a lot more. We all say that it was one of the most fun summers we have ever had. Austin and Amanda were really close... not really "going out" but ya know. Andrew and I were sorta really close too... but I still liked Austin a LOT. I hadn't stopped liking him since I was in 4th grade. But all of us just had fun. Especially when we had youth conference in Moab. Then once school started I kind of drifted away from Andrew, and Austin started dating someone else. We were still way good friends. But I was kind of sad. Mainly just because he was my friend, not really because I liked him. Homecoming... that was a disaster on my part. Zach asked me, and I was a jerk to him because Austin was in our group and I still really liked him. I was a little jealous. So I butchered that date. Then he broke it off with his girlfriend and he told me that he liked me. I got my first C ever in Astronomy because he was in my class. Plus, our teacher hated us, and we got in trouble a lot. I remember him telling me that he also liked this other girl and it was kind of between me and her right now. He started going out with her for a little bit, and then broke it off. After that we first held hands at Jeff's farewell party and had our first kiss in the parking lot after my sisters game. We started officially "going out" the next day at combined mutual. You can see from the pictures all the fun times that we had together. And those aren't even all of them. Now I'm not going to go into detail about how many times we broke our relationship off and things like that. I hardly remember how many times it was or for what reasons. But really, it doesn't even matter. I just know, that we had so many good times and moments. Every day I remember learning something new about relationships, love, friendship, myself, and him. But I was for sure not good at a relationship and ruined that. We broke it off after about a year. It hurt me more than I can even express. I regret ruining that relationship. I still believe that everything happens for a reason. But I know it was for the best (plus, this post is not my sob story, it's just a summary of our friendship). We have just been really great friends for the past year and a half, and I'm totally loving that as well :) a lot less pressure, and not as much fighting. He is just an amazing person. He will make the people of Georgia so happy, and will make a really lucky girl amazingly happy someday. :) I feel so lucky to be able to call him one of my best friends, and to be able to have spent so much time, fun, and laughs together. I am going to miss him more than I can even explain. But I know with all my heart that he is doing the right thing and I could not be more happy for him!

These pictures are not in order by date or anything. They are actually super random, sorry about that!