I like to think I had a pretty awesome childhood. Some of the highlights that come to mind may or may not surprise you. I got to eat sugary cereal and have pancakes for breakfast. For lunch some of my favorites were fish sticks and grilled cheese. We went somewhere different just about every weekend, and we would get to go out to eat probably more than most. Sometimes I got to watch T.V a half an hour past my bed time because I wanted to hang out with my family. All of these things were pretty cool to me.

Right now I know you're thinking, "get to the point, I don't know where you're going with this.," but I promise there is a reason. I want to make one thing clear: I only had a pretty awesome childhood, because I have pretty awesome parents. This is only a taste of some of the things that made me happy as a kid (I know, I'm pretty easy to please). But none of this would have been possible if I didn't have two of the greatest people I have ever met teaching me and nudging me along the whole way. Very often I tell my mom how much I appreciate her. Her calming demeanor is much needed when I feel like I am drowning in all of life's struggles. Her love for others and me has made me into a caring and loving person as well, and I hope that she knows that. But even though my mom has turned me into a great person, she was not the only one who raised me. There's someone missing from this equation, someone who I sometimes forget to give credit and appreciation to. So this one is for you Dad.

I give you a lot of grief. Your sub-par spelling, your stories and their not-so-accurate details, also, notice how I used the correct "their?" Okay, all jokes aside, you are one of the most life-smart guys I have ever met. I may not call you when i'm having a bad day, but when I got rear ended you were the first person I called. Why? Because for my entire life you have been the guy with all the answers. If anyone knows what to do when "it" hits the fan, its you. So thanks for being there and being calm, cool, and collected when I have car troubles, or my bike tire needs fixed, or when I'm completely broke and I don't know how to not go bankrupt. Life skills are pretty important, and you taught me just about all of mine. Except couponing and sales shopping, those were definitely mom.

I'm basically you in a smaller frame with a higher voice. A few of my biggest traits like my humor, my competitiveness, and my spontaneity are definitely direct implications of the fact that you are my dad. For a while, the fact that we are the same person made things really difficult. Two strong personalities tend to create more waves than they subdue, and during my teen years I was a real Jerk. I'm sorry for that. Now that I have moved away, I've grown a little wiser and we have become a lot less like feuding forces and a lot more like father and daughter.

I appreciate you a lot more now that I don't have the opportunity to take you for granted, and I really miss you and mom when I'm at school. But the fact that I know you are always rooting for me is so encouraging. Every Facebook post even hinting at me having a bad day or week you comment with encouraging words reminding me that i'm awesome, and that I can do this. It helps more than you know. You've always had my best interest in mind, and you've always made sure that I keep smiling and having fun. From coaching my sports as a kid, to setting up t-ball in the back yard, you've always been a parent who actively participates in my life. We joke about this moment, but there was a day that you took me to the gym to learn how to reverse pivot. You remember, I know you do. I was frustrated to the point that I was crying and repeating "I can't reverse pivot!" You pushed me until I did. Every time I struggle in life. Every time I say I can't do something. All you say is "I can't reverse pivot!" It reminds me that I can do things that I don't think I can. I thought you were just teaching me how to play basketball, I didn't realize you were teaching me how to live.