To the man who loves me unconditionally,

Thank you…

Here we are 18 years later and I couldn’t be more grateful to celebrate you as my dad. You are the most selfless person I know and now that I am older, I truly see how much you sacrifice for me. Going through my first year of college has really opened up my eyes about how hard you work and how motivated you are to make sure I have everything I need and more. You have made me appreciate you on a whole new level.

From the start, you have taught me to appreciate what I have and what I can give. Raising two girls could not have been easy, especially when we wanted to kill each other half the time, but I knew you did the best you could.

Thank you for the little things that you do without even thinking about it twice. Thank you for picking me up when I fall, or for all the times you cleaned up my cuts and bruises. Thank you for taking me everywhere with you or even letting me stay home from school. Thank you for holding my hand through lots of stiches and stables or buying me whatever I wanted and more. Thank you for wiping my tears or even rubbing my smelly feet. Thank you for protecting me and teaching me, even when I’m stubborn and I don’t want to listen.

But most of all, thank you for loving me when you didn’t have too.

Thank you for choosing me to love and cherish as your own. Thank you for showing me that water can be thicker than blood and for giving me a whole other side of a family. Thank you for all the opportunities you have given me and continue to give me even though you don’t have too. You have taught me some of the biggest lessons in life and I will continue to work hard and be the best version of me I can be. You were more than just a father; you were a dad.

So thank you for loving me and choosing me and dealing with me because I know it’s not always easy….

You are the best dad a little girl could ask for and the best friend anyone could ever have.

Love you always,

Your Daughter.