My parents, who I consider “old,” (who really aren’t old at all).. have done everything in their power to give me such an extraordinary life. Although, I try to take the time to thank them for the little things here and there, who really takes the time to really thank their parents for everything that they’ve done for us? So, let’s all take a moment to give credit where credit is due, but mostly some thanks instead.

Mom and Dad, this one's for you. I know that we’re all a bit older now and I never have really taken the time to let you both know how incredibly thankful I am for yall. Thank you both for simply being you, growing up in such a loving and happy home has been such a blessing. I know that not everyone has the same opportunity that I have had growing up, and not once have I taken that for granted (but maybe when I was younger and naive and possibly mad). One thing I’d love to really thank you both for is that you’ve shown me what true love looks like, within our family, you’ve shown so much love for each other and just as much towards our entire family. As much as I’d love to thank you both, together, It would be much easier to thank you each, personally.

Dad. I’d like to thank you for being the man that you are, you’ve taught me so many things in life. I’d like to thank you for showing me how a man should treat a woman. You’ve set the bar extremely high for how any man should treat me, watching you treat mom with so much respect throughout the years and being surrounded by so much love has been more than incredible. Not everyone gets to grow up with a father, having you as my father and best friend is something that I can’t thank God enough for. You’ve never left me, whether I was pushing you away for reasons I cannot understand or spending every second with you that I possibly could. You know me more than I even know myself, which I find quite incredible. Never one day have you ever disappointed or made me feel any type of sadness, you’ve let me stray and make my own decisions (or even mistakes) but you’ve never left my side. Not once. You were there for me in what I’d like to say was the hardest time in my life (so far), you’ve always been there for me whether it’s been a phone call away or just a few feet away. You’re by far the best man I have ever known and being one of your children has been one of the biggest blessings. So thank you for simply being you.

Mom. We’re quite different than one another, yet in some ways alike. Throughout this lifetime with you, being younger and not understanding you as much has been a little harder for us both. I’ve grown, understanding you more and more throughout these years have been very memorable. I’d like to thank you for being the woman that you are, in general and especially within our family. Although, I’m not your favorite child (and she will disagree with this, saying that she doesn’t have a favorite), I’d like to especially thank you for everything that you’ve done for me. You’ve dealt with my obnoxious attitude, many, many more times than I’d like to admit. You’re the most patient, genuine, hard-working woman I’ve ever met and I’m more than extremely proud of you for everything that you do. You graduated in the class of 2016 but you wouldn’t let me brag about it as much as I’d like to so I’d like to brag on here. You started taking classes at Central Texas College a little bit before I was born, you always found the time to take some classes throughout the years and watching you so motivated to finish has shown me so much about you. It also gives me even more to admire about you, you’ve always been there for me in absolutely every way possible. Whether I preferred not to talk to you or even when I decided to vent as much as possible, I’d like to thank you for being such a perfect mother to me (and to my brother and sister). You're one of the biggest blessings in my life and you’ve taught me so much, so many life lessons, life talks and maybe even plenty of lectures. I’d also like to thank you for showing so much love within our family, watching you and dad together my entire 21 years.. has taught me so much about true love. Thank you so much for being everything that you are and all that you do for us.

Knowing that not everyone gets to grow up with parents that are high school sweethearts, even more so getting to grow up with both parents. I’m absolutely more than grateful and thankful for having you both in my life, everything I have learned in this lifetime would not have been possible without the both of you. I cannot put into words just how thankful I am of ya'll, but this is just a fragment of trying to share my gratitude. Mom and Dad. I’d like to thank you for giving me everything that I’ve ever wanted or needed, thank you for being so selfless and teaching me everything that I know now. Thank you for helping me after the divorce and helping me realize that life was going to get better, even more so that it wasn’t my fault that all of that happened. Thank you for helping me restore my faith and understanding that there’s an ultimate plan for me. Thank you both, for giving me life.. such an extraordinary, wonderful life. Overall, I wanted you both to understand that everything you do never goes unnoticed. Maybe we don’t thank you as much as we should but after this I’m hoping that you know (and understand) at least a little more than you did before.

I love you.