The day you two have been preparing me for, yet dreading, and the day that I have not so patiently awaited, yet feared, is approaching closer and closer by the day: Move In Day. I’ve tried to prepare myself for this monumental chapter the best I know how to. However, something I don't think I’ve appropriately done to date is thank you enough for what all you've truly done for me.

Mom, thank you for being my biggest cheerleader in every aspect of my life, whether it was through volleyball, my social life, or my writing. You’ve always shown this great sense of pride just for being my mother, even when I’m not the best daughter.

Dad, thank you for always being the voice of reason that I needed to hear, sometimes I neglected your advice and thought I knew better. Even through all of that you never let the words “I told you so” come out of your mouth.

Mom, thank you for being my shoulder to cry on from day one, way back to when my biggest problems were dealing with “boo-boos”, to being there for me when boys broke my heart. In both instances you knew exactly what I needed to hear and allowed me to know that the pain would only be temporary.

Dad, thank you helping me realize the importance in having goals. You are the hardest working man I know and have prepared me for not only college, but my career, by teaching me that everything in your life is a product of how hard you're willing to work for it.

Mom, thank you for loving my friends as much as I do. You’ve always treated them as your own and never turned down a sleepover-sometimes even on school nights- because you know how important it is to have such a strong support system outside of family.

Dad, thank you for setting the bar so high on what to look for in a husband, and for a father of my own children someday. You are the sheer image of what it means to be a man and how to treat your wife. I am so incredibly excited to find the right man who will treat me the way you treat mom.

Mom, thank you for never getting too mad at me for sneaking into your closet and stealing your clothes. Even when they go missing for months in the depths of my closet or come back stained or shrunken by the dryer.

Dad, thank you for staying up late on school nights with me trying to teach me how to do my math homework, an expertise I definitely did not inherit from you. I may never fall in your footsteps to become an engineer, but thank god you taught me how to foil.

Mom, thank you being such an empowered woman and giving me someone to look up to. Your work ethic, strong will, and “badass” attitude has shown me that you are living proof that there is a Wonder Woman. It truly has rubbed off on me and made me realize that I’m worth everything in this world and I can do absolutely anything.

Dad, thank you for never missing a beat in my life. Most fathers fall short in their roles and I am so entirely blessed that I never had to live with that. Every game, award ceremony, and birthday party you were active with.

To both of you, thank you for eighteen years of constant, unconditional love that I may or may not have always deserved. For being a landing place that I am always welcome to no matter where my life takes me. Without all of the things, lessons, and actions you’ve provided me with I wouldn't be half the person I am today, and what I am still working on becoming.

I am so lucky for it to be this hard to leave home, you’ve done a flawless job raising me.

With the most love my heart can give,

Your Daughter