Dad,

First off thank you for being who I feel is the best dang dad in the whole world. Thanks for always holding my hand when I was little and for making me feel better when I was sad. Thanks for carrying me on your shoulders so I could see the world. Every night, you always checked in the closet and even took the time to check under the bed for monsters even though you knew nothing was there. Thank you for having me say my goodnight prayers before I went to sleep.

Thanks for having me say my please and thank yous to everyone I talked to. Thanks for making sure I was awake every morning before school, and for taking me to school until I could take myself. Thanks for playing endless games of HORSE out in the driveway with me. Thanks for stopping for breakfast on the way to school to make a bad day a little better. Thanks for always driving those hundreds of miles to vacation while the rest of us watched movies or slept. Thanks for cooking all the best meals in the house, sorry mom dad wins the trophy on this one. Thanks for being THE GRILL MASTER, without your ribs or grilled salmon I don’t know where I'd be today.

Thank you for coming to every single sporting event I ever competed in; I will be forever grateful. Thank you for cheering the loudest out of any other parents in the stands. Thanks for going to all those father-daughter dances in elementary school, and for always having the best costume. Thanks for always sending me random texts throughout the day to let me know that you love and miss me; I secretly love them. Thanks for staying home all those Saturdays so mom and I could have girls' days. Thanks for teaching me how to drive, even though I knew you were so afraid to get in that car. Thanks for fixing my car all those times it stopped working.

Thanks for always staying up late and watching all those food network shows, especially "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Thanks for cracking endless jokes with me and for making me laugh even when I didn’t want to.

Thanks for being the last person I hugged when I left for college and the first person I hug when I come home. Thanks for always being excited when I tell you uneventful news about my life. Thanks for showing me what a marriage between two people who love each other looks like. Thanks for always being down to get wings and french fries for dinner. Thanks for picking me up when I fall. Thanks for always reminding me how important family is. Thanks for working hard every single day so that I am able to do all the things that I do.

Thanks for loving me unconditionally and never letting me forget it. I'll always be your little girl, so thanks for all that you do daddy, and for being the best dad you can be! You rock and I love you so very much!

Love,

Your daughter