Good Evening TXK
If you would have told me at 18 that my chat called “KIP,” I probably would have assumed it was a financial planning firm? Or a bad 2000s boy band I was a part of? (I always wanted to be in a band.)
Instead, it stands for “Keep It Professional,” which is hilariously ironic, because there is absolutely nothing “professional” about what goes on in that group chat. Just four best friends who somehow became family without realizing when it happened. Somewhere between Olive Garden dinners, group FaceTimes where we laughed so hard we cried, and planning 10,000 adventures, we built something rare, something that feels sacred.
Every fall, when the air turns crisp and candles start smelling like pumpkin spice and nostalgia, I think about how thankful I am for them. Life, at the end of the day, is really just about love. The kind that makes you feel seen. The kind that sits on the couch with you in silence when you can’t find the words. The kind that laughs until it hurts, and then asks where we are eating.
That’s the love I have with my best friends Hannah, Maddie, and Alex.
I’ve known Hannah for ten years now—an entire decade of chaos, growth, and memories, both good and bad. She’s like the little sister I never got to have, but with a degree. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, and yes, I remind her every chance I get because that’s incredible. She’s married now to my king, Kolten, and it’s wild to see how far she has come. I have watched her love deeply, lose bravely, and rebuild her life with grace. She’s organized to her core. She’s the one who makes the itinerary, the reservations, the color-coded spreadsheet. It’s the teacher in her. But she also loves the hardest. She shows up every single time, no matter how messy or inconvenient. Ten years later, through all the crazy and messy I have put her through, she’s still right there.
If Texas had a heart, it would look like Maddie’s. She feels everything. Not in a loud, dramatic way, but in this quiet, empathetic way that’s so beautiful. You would never think it, just having a casual conversation with her, but she’s the kind of person who will sense something’s wrong before you say it out loud. She doesn’t always wear her heart on her sleeve, but when you know her, you realize just how massive it is. Watching her with her boyfriend, her family, and even her dog, you can see how deeply she feels. She’ll defend the people she loves to the death. She’ll carry your pain as if it’s her own. And she’ll still be the one cracking jokes to lighten the mood in the room five minutes later, because humor is our safe haven and escape.
Alex is the wild one, the sunshine, the “say yes now, figure it out later” friend. She’s got an unshakable lust for life that makes everything feel bigger and more fun. She’s curious about everyone and everything and asks a thousand questions because her curiosity is love. When Alex asks about your day, she means it. She listens like you’re the most special person in the world, and that’s a rare gift that not everyone has. She’s the person I call when I have a ridiculous story that only she won’t judge me for (which is often). Thankfully, I know no matter what crazy things I am down to do, she’ll always say to me, “I’ll go with you.” No hesitation. Just joy.
Somewhere along the way, our friendship became its own little universe. We have words that mean nothing to anyone but us, and a shared TikTok account. We have built a world that feels like home to us. A space where we can be our full, unfiltered selves and still be loved exactly as we are. That is what friendship is about to me.
People think friendship in your twenties is supposed to be loud, wild, and full of plans. And they would be correct for the most part. But the truth is, there is so much room for the peaceful. There’s room for waking up in the morning next to each other, looking like we just got attacked by bears, and not caring one bit. There’s never a silent moment between us, but even if there were, it would never be awkward.
This year, heading into Friendsgiving season, I’m realizing it’s not really about the Jenga game or the food we want to obliterate. It’s about knowing you have people who love you unconditionally, who see you and know you fully. When you want to judge yourself, they remind you of all the reasons you shouldn’t. By writing about everything I see in them, I hope they’re reminded of how much I see them. Of how valued they are to me. I could not do this life without them. You know what they say, “Friends are the family you choose.” We all just want to be loved like that. We want to be fully known, fully seen, and still chosen.
LIVE MUSIC
November 1
Birds of a Feather Acoustic
Hopkins Icehouse
8 pm
November 1
Trent Cowie
Whiskey River Country
10 pm
November 7
Magnolia Brown
Fat Jacks Oyster and Sports Bar
8pm
November 8
Tracy Lawrence
Front Street Plaza
6 pm
November 11
Menopause The Musical
Perot Theatre
7:30 pm
November 15
The Moss Brothers
Fat Jacks Oyster and Sports Bar
8 pm
November 22
Texarkana Symphony Orchestra: Back to the Future In Concert
Perot Theatre
7 pm
November 23
Aimee Bobruk
Lost Pizza Co.
11 am-3 pm
November 29
Lane Bricker
Whiskey River Country
10 pm
November 29
Trey Johnson
Hopkins Icehouse
8 pm
LOCAL EVENTS
November 1
Candy Cane Corral Christmas Bazaar
Four States Fair Entertainment Center
9 am-4 pm
November 1
Bark at the Park
Kylee Sullivan Dog Park
9 am-12 pm
November 1
Tapas & Wine Benefitting HandsOn Texarkana
Collins Home Event Venue
6:30 pm
November 4
Metalsmithing with Jerome LeGrand
TRAHC’s ArtSpace
6-9 pm
November 6
Let’s Talk Menopause with Dr. DeDee Bingham
Twisted Fork
6 pm
November 8
Veteran’s Day Parade
Downtown Texarkana
11 am
November 8
Singo for a Cause
Texarkana Convention Center
6 pm
November 14
Downtown Live!
Downtown Texarkana
6-9 pm
November 15
Cosmic Crossroads
Broad Street
11 am
November 21
Mistletoe & Mimosas
Texarkana Texas Convention Center
9:30 am-12 pm
November 21-23
Mistletoe Market 2025
Texarkana Texas Convention Center
November 22
POL Care Turkey Giveaway
Texarkana College
10 am-2 pm
November 22 & 23
Cowgirl Market
Four States Entertainment Center
November 27
12th Annual Turkey Trot 5K
Spring Lake Park
7:30 am
