Long ago, in the far far away land of Dalton, Georgia, a princess named Teresa took her dad to see King Steve, the best heart doctor in the kingdom, for a checkup. Little did she know that the doctor's own heart skipped a beat when he first saw her - it was a rapid-onset case of that rare condition, "love at first sight." Dr. Rohn inquired throughout the whole kingdom to find the identity of this fair maiden, and two weeks later he got up the nerve to call her on the phone. He picked her up in his royal carriage, a 14-year-old Camry littered with stethoscopes and lab coats, and whisked her off to their first date. They had a fine meal at Longhorn Steakhouse, and the rest is history.

Today, the happy couple has been married for over 10 years, and Princess Teresa has truly become a queen, at least in my opinion. She is royalty in my book - you see, King Steve is my dad, and Queen Teresa is my bonus mom. What's a bonus mom, you say? Well, when a kid has divorced parents and one of them gets remarried, the kid usually refers to the new spouse as a stepmom or a stepdad. That word, "stepmom," has such horrible connotations though (who isn't scared of Cinderella's evil stepmother?), so I honestly can't use it to describe Teresa. That's because she's my bonus mom - she's everything I could want in a mom, and more.

She's my best friend. I can talk to her about literally anything, from friends to boys to school and everything in between. She always knows what to say to cheer me up, and she has been the cause of more smiles for me and King Steve than she will ever know. Whenever I'm stuck on a big decision, she listens selflessly and always has some words of wisdom for me. She is the most thoughtful and caring woman I've ever met, and she is living proof that love knows no limits. No matter how many mistakes I make, I know I can always count on her to forgive me, even when I don't deserve it.

I go to school 2,100 miles from home. Whenever I show my college friends pictures of us on Facebook, they ask if the beautiful blonde next to me is my sister. I say, no, she's my bonus mom, and then I do my best imitation of her Southern accent. It's a bit overdone, but they all think she must be the sweetest lady ever and can't wait to meet her. She doesn't realize it, but every time I pick up the phone and call her, I'm smiling from ear to ear. I can't wait to hear the latest story about her clients at work, or about our goofy dog Sasha trying to chase a squirrel up a tree again. They're just little details of her day, but they always brighten mine.

Suffice it to say that I am incredibly grateful that Princess Teresa met King Steve and became a queen. She has brought more love and laughter into our palace than I could ever count, and I am beyond lucky to have her. Last week, I saw a quote that read, "I don't have stepchildren, I have children who happened to be born before I met them." I hope that's how Teresa feels about me, because she is not my stepmom. She's my bonus mom - everything a girl could want, and then some!