I've depended on you, loved you, hated you; I've felt every emotion towards you. Sometimes I wanted to punch you after a fight we had, but looking back, you made me the woman I am today. So many attributes that I have now, I've learned from you. I would be lost without you and I'm so blessed to have a mother like you.

From the time you found out you were pregnant with me to carrying me for nine months, I cannot thank you enough. I can't imagine the morning sickness you endured, the late night cravings you had to send dad out for, and pains you may have had in the night from me. Thank you for going the hours of labor. You must have been so scared and yet so happy; something you and dad created was alive and well in this world. It was a new beginning, my beginning.

As a baby I'm sure it didn't get much better. Yes the joys of having a child were great, but I had to be a pain. Thank you for rocking me at night when I whined, watching me sleep, making sure I was warm enough in my crib, and nursing me in the early hours of the morning. Thank you for changing my extremely smelly diapers and starting my life off right.

Growing older, my childhood years took a turn. I looked up to you like you were my entire world. Thank you for teaching me how to walk, talk, read, and eat on my own. You put up with so much with me as your child. I'd stand in the corner of the room and make my pooping face and you knew you had to change my diaper right then and there. You'd listen to The Lion King twice a day, everyday. Thank you for flushing the toilet for me because it was "too loud" for my ears.

You were my idol (well, you still are) and I wanted to be you. I'd pretend to be a teacher because that's what you are. You gave me everything I ever wanted, but you taught me to be humble. I worked for the trips to Cedar Point by obtaining so many Reading Counts points, I worked for the doll house and Barbie car by doing so many chores. From the beginning, you taught me that life hands you nothing, you work for it. You taught me manners and so many life lessons. You set up play dates with people I didn't care for. Now I know that you were only teaching me how to talk to those types of people. Thank you for that.

Finally, my teenage years. Thank you for listening to my stupid boy problems. You held me every time I went through a break up, and after a while you taught me how to deal with them. You showed me how to be independent, and that I should rely on no one. You always knew who my true friends were before I did; it must be a magical motherly power, because I still have trouble with that now. You give the best hugs, especially when I need them. Thank you for making me clean the house, even though I'd yell at you that "it wasn't my mess." It only taught me that I need my home perfectly clean now. Thank you for coming to all of my sporting events, even if you were swamped with work or stress, you were always there. You were, and still are, my biggest fan. We didn't always get along, lets be honest, we hardly ever got along. You were my worst enemy. After fighting with you for a while, I learned to choose my battles carefully. That's incredibly useful, especially now that I'm an adult. You drove me insane and I couldn't wait to get out of the house.

Now that I'm at college, our relationship has taken an incredible turn. You aren't my rival anymore, you're my best friend. I know I can call you for anything. Whether it's the recipe for your family famous Christmas cookies, roommate drama, or stressing about school, I know you'll be there. Thank you for pushing me to figure out my dreams, and to strive for them and nothing less, even if that means changing my major three times. Thank you for buying me food because you didn't want me eating ramen noodles, and for buying me three containers of toilet bowl cleaner because you didn't think I had enough.

You've taught me now to trust everyone who just says, "trust me". At the end of the day, I know I can depend on you. You taught me how to cook a decent meal for myself, even if it was at 10 p.m. at college. You taught me self-respect and how to hold myself. Because of you, I'm confident and I know when to stand up for myself. I know the value of forgiveness. My entire life, you've always taught me to be the bigger person. I can't tell you how much it drives me crazy, but in the end, I know I'll feel better if I do. You taught me that one of the most important qualities is honesty. Fessing up to someone about something I had done wrong was so hard for me at the time, but I now know the value of that. Most importantly, you taught me to never give up on myself; strive to be the best in whatever I set my mind to and don't ever stop.

You have done so much for me, and now it's time for me to thank you. You are so incredibly dependable. I know I can call you, even if it's 2 a.m. and you're sleeping, you'll answer. You're so loving; you loved me even when I hated you. You're so forgiving. I've seen you forgive people for doing wrong to you, even if you didn't want to. Your motivation is inspiring to me; I see you put 110% into whatever you set your mind to. Lastly, your trustworthiness. I can tell you anything and I know you won't judge me. You're such a role model to me.

I could probably think of reasons for the rest of my life for things that I could thank you for, but most importantly, thank you for being you.

I'm proud to call you my mom--I love you.