Dear Dad,

First of all, I just want to say THANK YOU for literally being my dad. I know this is super cliché and as your daughter I am suppose to automatically say this, but you are seriously one of the greatest dads in the world. I would also like to thank you for all those little life lessons you have taught me over the last 20 years. If it was not for you, I definitely would not be the person I am today.

Thank you for forcing me to watch the hunting/fishing channel with you and taking me on numerous hunting/fishing trips with you. Yes, I am thankful I got to wake up before the crack of dawn for the majority of my life to go sit in the cold for three to four hours just so I could learn how to kill animals and use them for food. You have taught me what color camouflage I need to wear during turkey and deer season, to always wear a little orange vest or hat while hunting, how to read a compass, how to properly gut a deer or fish, and what deer/turkey tracks/poop looks like, so if I ever get stranded in the woods I will know how to survive.

Thank you for teaching me everything I need to know about sports. It is extremely rare that a girl my age will sit around in the morning, afternoon, and evening just to watch ESPN with her dad or even on her free time, but thanks to you, I am a rare girl. Thanks to you, I know that after a touchdown you can get six to seven points depending on if the field goal is good or not, that you need three strikes to get a batter out, to race in Nascar all you have to know is how to drive fast and turn left, the difference between offense and defense, and that Caremelo Anthony attended Syracuse University.

Thank you for teaching me that I am more than what I am worth. In today’s society, we are always putting down females for not being the perfect size zero, not being smart, being white or black, being straight or gay, and just being a female. Thanks to you, I am a strong independent female who does not take shit from anyone. You have taught me that if a guy does not like the way I look or act, that guy does not deserve to be a part of my life.

Thank you for teaching me "do not judge a book by its cover," I am thankful for this because we live in a society where everyone feels that it is perfectly acceptable to judge others based on their sexual orientation, race, gender, size, hair and eye color, and the brand name of the clothes and shoes that a person wears. Growing up I felt you and Mom continuously telling me this was stupid and did not make any sense. Now that I am an adult, I am grateful that you guys taught me that no matter what a person looks like on the outside, it does not define who he or she is as a person and it is extremely disappointing that kids growing up in today's society are being taught the complete opposite of what I was taught.

Thank you for being patient with me. I am a hormonal 20-year-old girl going to college full time and I seem to always be working, and I have an attitude bigger than my shoe size. I am extremely mouthy but that is not my fault, it runs in the family but thank you for always calming me down when I get upset/angry. Also, thank you for never taking any hurtful thing I have said to you personally, like I said the mouthiness runs in the family.

Thank you again for literally teaching me everything that I need to know in life. Thanks to you, I have grown up to become a strong independent female who can probably hunt and fish better than most guys, knows more about sports than most females, teaching me that I am more than I am worth, and thank you for being so patient with me. I do not give you enough credit, but thank you for everything!

Love,

Your Strong Independent Daughter