If you’re a fan of Parks and Rec, then you know today is the holiday Leslie Knope herself created: GALENTINE’S DAY! A day to celebrate your girl friends and to focus on friendship.

I wish I could round up each of the girls in my life who are so special, but decided instead that maybe a blog post tribute would be the most practical. So in honor of the wonderful ladies I know, I’d like to take a moment to talk about some girls who deserve a shout-out because of how great they are.

So, ladies, Happy Galentine’s Day! I hope it’s just as special as you 😉

Jennifer DeBrino

You are a wonderful sister, despite the phase of stealing my clothes ;)- I am so proud of you. From search and rescue, to being an EMT, and being back in school full-time… you are an inspiration to women everywhere! I love you!

Lisa DeBrino

Mom, you are the most beautiful and wonderful woman to look up to. I’m so glad you put up with me since I call you almost every day because it sucks not talking to you. Thanks for always giving me advice in every situation, and supporting me and my dreams. I love you!

Kayla Marburger

It’s not often you can live with someone in the same room and not end up hating them at some point. It’s actually not often that you can live in the same room with a person and only get mad at them once because I was sad you were leaving me. Kayla, you are so incredible, I’m so lucky to have a friend like you in my life! Getting to talk to you each day is always a highlight, and it really sucks being so far apart. I miss you!

Makenzie Hickam

Thank God for group texting. Talking to you and Mariela about the most random things makes bad moments turn into silly ones, and silly ones into a good story for me to tell Dan (baha). But really, I miss our adventures, and girl nights, and can’t wait to see you and Mariela once again! Also, “you are my rock” haha!

Mariela Santana

Like I said about Makenzie, thank GOODNESS FOR OUR GROUP TEXT! It is my favorite texts to get. I’m so happy you found a job you enjoy, and I’m so jealous of your rock-hard abs. I miss you, please visit.

Kendra Cotton

Oh, Kendra. Thank you for being there for me in sixth grade when no one else was, again in junior high, and again after high school when I really needed to get out of a horrible situation. I’m so happy I can count on you to be a lifelong friend that I can cherish forever.

Autumn Welt

I am so happy we ended up in a house together at Universal for Halloween Horror Nights. I didn’t expect to make any friends, and boy was I wrong. Whenever I watch a “chick flick”, I always think back to the times we spent together complaining about men, daydreaming about a better future, and chopping off our hair (let’s never do that again). I miss you, Autumn!

Amalie Marti

I feel like there isn’t enough thanks to give you after not just my 22nd birthday, but our night downtown. You have always been so wonderful. I miss going to Buffalo Wild Wings with everyone to literally complain for hours straight, and drink $2 long islands. You are so beautiful and I am so proud of you every time I see you running ANOTHER marathon! My goodness!

Tehane Huang

Working at Captain Jack would have been so awful without you there. And I know this because it had to happen a few times. Thank you for being yourself, always, and believing in the best of people- especially me. I’ll never forget our summer together where we literally did nothing but watch movies, learn spanish, and eat food. You are the best person at Disney, period.

Patterson 1306

Carly, Dee, Katy, Sarah, and Kayla- I will never, ever forget the time we spent together as roommates on the college program. Thank you for putting up with me for four months. Getting to live with you girls was part of the best experience of my life, and I am so lucky to have been a part of that group. You are all amazing. It’s so wonderful seeing each one of you grow every day!

Amie Greene

One of my first friends at UNLV, and now my film buddy! I am so happy I have to you sit with as we endure both wonderful and awful films in our classes. You are so passionate, and it’s so great seeing someone so set on their dreams no matter what it takes to get there!

Camille Slusher

Camille. I can’t believe we had to reunite at DISNEYLAND to reconnect, but I don’t think it would have been as “magical” any other way. You are so wonderfully perfect, and I am so lucky to get to have you in my life! I can’t wait to see you at Disney in June.

Cindy, Katie, Tammie, & Diana Blickensderfer

You are all so wonderful. I love how creative and smart you all are, and how competitive everyone is when it comes to board games! Thank you for letting me join in on all the family activities and making me feel welcomed. Can’t wait to see you all at Tammie’s wedding!

Cyndi Proctor

Cyndi! I love talking to you on Facebook. And it’s silly that we haven’t met yet, which is why I’m so excited for March Madness. Thank you for being the best match for Scott, I can tell by how he talks about you (and smiles when you text him), and clearly there is a reason why! 🙂

Annie & Celine

I wasn’t expecting to find close friendships when I joined UNLV DECA, and as usual, I am wrong! Thank you for being my workout partner (Annie), and for always being so kind (the both of you). You are both so determined and smart, and I can’t wait to see where you go in life.

Shelby Webb

Oh, Shelby. You are my favorite source of entertainment at Disney. I miss talking to you in the middle of the night, and I love being able to complain to you about everyone else. You never fail to put a smile on my face and inform me of everything I have missed at Disney.

Roxanne Davies

It’s amazing how far we’ve come since January 2011, and just how in-synced our paths have always been. I’ll never forget calling you to pick me up because my car had broken down but you were in tears because yours had, too! What are the odds? Thank you for being there for Luna when I had to deal with that awful situation, and I hope everything in your life is going just how we always dreamed it would be 🙂

Cheryl Brooks

Thank you for introducing me to Cruden, and getting to be a part of the IAAPA experience. And for being a friend to me when everyone else seemed to turn their back. It was a blessing to have a friend listen and not make any assumptions. And of course, thank you for not giving me too much crap for when I decided to have fun at Cafe Tu Tu Tango for my 23rd! Haha.

Brooke Upholzer

Brooke, you are so talented and inspiring. And, not many people can pull off quite literally any hair color. Getting to know you through Tumblr and then in the Mouseketeria after randomly running into each other isn’t how most people meet at Disney, but I’m so glad it happened! I love reading your stories online, and getting to know you more. I hope I can see you soon!

Cynthia Cox

I am so happy I met you in astronomy at UNLV, because it brought me a wonderful friendship! I love hanging out with you and Chris. You guys are so much fun, and you don’t make me feel like a mom (since we’re actually the same ageish haha). Miss you!

Katie Aboujaoude

I can’t believe we have hung out at Disneyland TWICE, that is just insane. It was so great seeing how happy you are, and I hope there is nothing but that in the future! I miss our camping and lake trips, singing The Killers in the car, and taking way too many pictures.

Shelby Shoemaker

Shelby you are one of the most hardworking girls I know, and you never let anyone pull you down. We had a rocky start in junior high (haha), but getting to know you and Janelle and Katie was the best part of Kenmore Junior High. Thanks for always being my friend even after all these years.

The AGD Girls (PC 14, Jenna… well the whole chapter…)

I figured this picture best summed up my experience in AGD 🙂 Thank you ladies for bringing me into such a wonderful group of girls and not hating me when I couldn’t make it work with my schedule. I miss our days together and I love you all!

I KNOW there are so many other wonderful ladies in my life, so I will try to update this throughout the week. But for now, I got to get ready for the day tomorrow and finish my homework. 🙂 

Happy Galentine’s Day, everyone!