Nobody is perfect, and life was set up for us that way; what we fail to understand growing up is that our mothers who have been here since day one (literally) only want what is best for us. They made us, and just like one would treat a valuable piece of artwork, or a brand new pair of shoes, they are careful to never give up on helping us to be the best we can be.

I'm sorry for every single time I said those dreaded three words, I hate you. I want you to know that never did I ever once mean it. We all go through a phase in our life where we pulled a DJ Tanner and "ran away" to the hall bathroom; packed up all of our things, put pillows in the bathtub, and locked the door like that would somehow lock out our troubles. I am sorry I almost never do what you tell me to right when you tell me to do it. If I forget to take my medicine before school, or leave my presentation on the counter, you have always been the first one to drop everything and come to the rescue.

I am sorry for embarrassing you, for my temper tantrums, pouting, whining, and not going to tell those people from elementary school hello even though we both know we should. I am sorry my finger nails were not always groomed like they should be, I am sorry for waiting until the last minute to do the things that are most important. I am sorry for ever making you so upset you cry. I am sorry for leaving pens in my pants and starting the dryer, and for all of the times I came home past curfew.

Thank you. Thank you for teaching me to be the person I have become, I never could have done it without your constant support. Thank you for never letting me leave the house looking like someone I am not, and for slowly developing an interest in my picky wardrobe. Thank you for being my number one fan in whatever I chose to do. Thank you for believing in me when I thought no one did at all, and for sticking up for me when I thought I had no one. Thank you for forgiving me when I say things I don't mean, and always listening so closely.

Thank you for getting mad at me when I was wrong, and showing me that I can not always be right. Thank you for holding me when I thought my world was crumbling apart, and for making me get back up and "Give it all to HIM." Thank you for pushing me to finish what I started, and finish to the absolute best of my own ability.

Thank you for sacrificing your time to watch my concerts, plays, and recitals, and for making sure everyone know how I did even if it was awful. Thank you for buying me clothes when you didn't know how to say no. Thank you for teaching me how to cook, and more importantly how to clean up my mess! Thank you for asking me for fashion advice, and sharing your clothes with me even when I don't ask.

Thank you for showing me the value of family, and what is most important in life. Thank you for loving my friends, my boyfriend, and even those friends that you're not really sure why we still talk. (It is because YOU taught me to be humble and forgiving by the way.) Most of all, thank you for loving me. Thank you for teaching me not to take the words "I love you" for granted, and to use them wisely.

We may fuss, argue, complain, disagree, and even not talk for two days straight, but no one can change the person that you are to me. You have done more for me in the past 20 years than I could ever deserve, and I honestly do not know how I could ever repay you. I have not made the best decisions, I have ran when you said walk, I have given up when you say keep going, and I do not deserve the blessing that you are to me.

I do not tell you enough what you truly mean to me, and I do not know how else to do it than through words. I want to give you the world and show you it all, and one day I hope I can come close. Thank you for making me the woman I am today. You and Dad have worked as hard as possible to make sure our family survives and for that you both deserve the world.

I love you,

xoxo, Casey