Mother Dear,

I am absolutely lucky to have such a strong and silly woman as a role model. All of the things you have overcome in your life, all of the hard work you have done and still do, it leaves me speechless. And it doesn’t go unnoticed that you do it all with a smile and kind heart. You are such an inspiration and I hope to grow to be just as resilient as you are. Thank you for teaching me to not care what others think of me, for teaching me to love myself, even to this day. Thank you for taking your time to raise five ridiculously crazy children, but raising us right. Thank you for letting me live my adventurous life, even though I have given you too many reasons to give me “goodbye” calls and take milk carton photos. I love you and I’m happy to have you as my first best friend.

The one I call father,

I am greatly thankful for your adventurous soul, for your sharp mind, and your emotions. I am so happy you’ve shared so many of your stories with me because without them I would have never been instilled with curiosity and an adventurous soul of my own. Thank you for randomly moving us to South Carolina, without that move I wouldn’t be the same. I had to learn to let go and move on, I had to learn how to adapt at a young age. Thank you for teaching me about politics, history, and music. Thank you for letting me know when my clothes don’t match and letting me know when I look beautiful. I love you dad and you’ll forever be my favorite travel buddy.

To the both of you,

Thank you for never giving up on your dreams or life and especially, never giving up on your children. Thank you for showing me, through your actions, that no one is ever too old to dance to music, or travel with the curiosity of a child, and never too old to follow your dreams. Thank you for sharing your love for God with me, and for always praying for me, along with the rest of the family, friends, and strangers around us. Thank you for being stern with me and thank you for passing down your morals and traditions. I am especially thankful for your honesty. The way you don’t hide your ugly past from me and the way you tell me like it is. You’ve taught me lessons through your life stories and have given me advice, even though you may not realize it. Because of this, I feel as if I’ve grown into a person you can be proud of. Which allows me to say that I am proud of you two and continue to look up to you guys with open eyes and an open mind to learn even more.

I’ll be home soon enough and can’t wait to celebrate how awesome you guys are.

I love you both!

Your crazy daughter,

Mary