To the wonderful person I call mom,

I just want to say a giant: Thank you!

I don't say that near enough.

First of all, I would like to thank you for pushing me out of your uterus. No one else in the world has done that.

Thank you for supporting me throughout every walk of life, every stupid decision and every crazy dream I've ever had. You came to every cross country race I ran in high school that occurred after nine AM. (Any race prior to nine AM is WAY too early for you). You'd always motivate me to run faster by offering to buy me food afterwards; which is always greatly appreciated. Thank you for encouraging me. You are a huge part of why I have the strive to aim higher everyday.

Thank you for tolerating that weird emo-punk-skater-goth phase I went through in middle school. Black clothes and raccoon eye liner was a confused twelve year old's form of self expression. Through the ridiculousness, you encouraged me to be myself and not to worry about the opinions of others.

Thank you for providing for me in all the ways that you do. Growing up having you as a mom was such a blessing, because you were there as a friend and as a mother. You fed me, cleaned up after me and dealt with me everyday, as a two year old little shit and now as a nineteen year old little shit when I come home.

Thank you for listening and giving me honest advice. As much as I don't want to admit it, you always know what to say in terms of boys.

Thank you for your immense patience. Whenever you would step on a Lego, or want to scream from seeing "The Little Mermaid" for the forth time in a day, you just continued to be patient.

Thank you for loving every part of me, even with the attitude, the clumsiness, my antsy behavior, the spontaneous shopping habits and the overprotective nature. Although, I'm starting to think I inherited a majority of these aspects from you.

Thank you for forgiving me after I tackled you on the stairs, causing us to fall. I may have been seven, but patience is a strong virtue of yours.

Thank you for being every aspect of you. You are loving, patient, kind, ambitious, direct, honest, protective, thoughtful, caring, authoritative and so much more. You discipline me and correct me when I need direction. You give me a peace of mind when I'm anxious or overwhelmed. Through every mistake I make, you help me get back on my feet and lead me into the right direction.

I'm grateful for these and so much more. You are such a strong woman, mother and friend to everyone around you.

So to end this letter, I would like to thank you for inspiring me to become stronger. I hope one day to be a mom like you.

Sincerely,

Your favorite child.

P.S. Collin and Dad, I love you too.