There are simply not enough words to describe the amount of gratitude and love that I have for my mom. She has taught me how to hold strong to my beliefs, become independent, and to love myself. These alone are not far too different from what other mothers teach their daughters, but my mom, like many others, had the difficult task of doing alone. My mom has sacrificed so much to get me to the place that I am today and continues to give so much so that I can succeed and be happy.

Although she had a full-time job, she always made time for me. Whether it was cutting her workday short to come to an awful school orchestra concert or chaperoning a freshman Yellowstone trip she was always there. For every cello performance, every awful sports game, school play or concert. I never had to feel like I was alone.

My mom has given so much of herself so that I can achieve my own goals, no matter the goal. When I was a preschooler I wanted to be a doctor, and in the second grade I wanted to be a pirate princess, and then in high school, I wanted to be an accountant. Now my goal in life is work in the government. Throughout all of these various goal changes, my mom always told me that the most important thing is that I have the "credentials to back it up". Most parents are not too fond of the idea of their child wanting to be a pirate princess, but my mom didn't care. What she cared about then and cares about now is that I will be happy and content with who I become.

There was never a time where you backed away from doing the right thing or teaching me to do the right thing. You taught me that the toughest lessons in life come from my mistakes and then apologizing for them. You also taught me that although it is important to admit your mistakes and move on, no one has the right to walk all over me and prevent me from moving forward. You instilled me with an immense amount of confidence and made sure that I would have enough confidence in myself to believe that I could be successful.

Through our wild cross-country adventures to the local run of the mill grocery trips, you have always found the way to make me laugh. Whether it be because we are lost with no cell phone reception or can't find the aisle with the gorilla glue, you know how to make it a fun adventure. You have always and with never-ending patience put up with my antics. Whether it be the phase where I demanded I only wear sweatshirts and ill-fitting jeans, or when I demanded to get succulents and promised to take care of them, only to kill them six weeks later. You let me make and learn from my own mistakes.

In the end, there is truly not enough words to express how much I appreciate you and how much it means to me that you have supported me so much. Thank you for accepting me for who I am and allowing me to develop my own thoughts and beliefs. Although we may not agree on ideas, you have always challenged me to think beyond myself and my experiences and helped me grow into the person that I am now.

So, thank you for the fights, the tears, the laughs, the hugs and the love. I know I don't say it enough but you are the person that I aspire to be when I grow up (even though you think I am grown now). If I am just half as witty, smart, creative and giving as you, I know I will be okay.