After being in college for quite some time and realizing how I went from seeing you both everyday to now maybe only sending a text or two per day, it becomes pretty sad, knowing that you helped me get to this point and are the reason I am who I am today, and now you barely see me.

Thank you for being the best parents a girl could ever ask for. From multiple doctor's appointments and hospitalizations to those days you came home to the chores still not completed, you have been right by my side. You have taught me everything there is to know about how to live a day successfully.

All of those times you told me you weren't trying to pester me, and those times you told me I was sleeping in too late on the weekends, it all impacts me everyday. Everyday I wake up, I look at the clock and if it's not anytime before 9AM then I know you would be upset with me 'wasting the day away.' Now that I am living independently with a couple of friends, I understand how vital it is to clean up after myself in the smallest ways.

I know you both live a very busy lifestyle and you are both very hard working. I look up to the both of you.

Mom, I am so happy to spend 15 minutes on the phone with you before class. I hear your voice and I immediately smile because I know you are smiling too. The sound of your laughter on the other end of the phone is something that makes my day.

Dad, the simple texts that read "Hi Lauren Elizabeth" remind me of the sound of you coming home from work every night. I can still hear the sound of the door opening and your footsteps down the hallway, and I think of that sound whenever I am having a bad day.

I know right about now, Mom, you are probably reading your book, because obviously that is where I got my love for reading from. Dad, you are probably in the kitchen finishing up some work on your laptop because your busy day did not give you ample time. I am so proud of the both you. You both are such hard workers! Overall, to the both of you: I LOVE YOU. No matter how many days we might go without talking due to our busy schedules, I want you to know that I think of both of you every single day.

xoxo

Your youngest.