Growing up, I have been so lucky to have the parents I do. They love each other to the end of the world and would do absolutely anything for their kids. They are the first people I want to call on my good days as well as my bad days. They have always pushed me to do my best and always told me, as long as I worked hard, I could do anything I wanted.

Thank you, Mom and Dad.

It's not every day I express how lucky I feel to have you both.

Thank you for giving me the confidence I needed to get where I am today. Thank you for all of the sacrifices you made to give me the best life possible. There is nothing I could say or do to show you how grateful I am for you both. For the past 19 years, you have done everything possible to make sure I succeed, and I am so thankful you did.

Dad, thank you for always taking care of me. Thank you for getting my taxes done because we both know I would have no clue how to do them myself. Thank you for always knowing what to do when I have car trouble and always being there when I need you the most. Thank you for making Mom so happy and showing me how a man should treat the person he loves. Thank you for lunch dates because I ran out of money for food the first two weeks of the semester. Thank you for never letting me worry about anything and always making my dreams possible. Thank you for treating all of us like princesses but also teaching us to be hard workers. Thank you for giving me the confidence to do anything I wanted.

Mom, thank you for everything. Thank you for making me the person I am today. You've pushed me to be everything I could be and helped me achieve so much. I truly would not be the person I am today without your guidance through the past 19 years of my life. I would not be a runner, I would not have completed six half marathons and I most definitely would not be as prepared for life without you as my mom. I don't know if you ever realized it, but you are my biggest role model and the person I want to be most. Thank you for being the best mom and role model you could be.

I love you both more than words could ever describe. One day, I will put you both in the most beautiful nursing home out there (you are welcome). Thank you, Mom and Dad, for being the best parents possible and for always knowing just what to say. I hope I'm making you proud. Thank you for everything you do every day; nothing ever goes unnoticed – not your hard work, the meals you make or the plans you cancel for us. I love you both to the end of the earth.