My whole life it had been just me and mom, until you came along and opened up a whole new world for both of us. At first, I hated the idea that someone could come along and make the life we had together change, but now I could not imagine it any other way. You opened up my eyes to something I never had the chance to experience, which was finally having a dad.

Thank you for trying even when I did not want to. It is no secret that we have not always been as close as we are now. To me, in my awkward teenage years, you were "taking" my mom from me. She had been the only parent in my life since I was two years old and that frightened me, but you never let the way I acted at that time get between us. You always tried to be close. You always did little things for me. You gave me no choice but to appreciate you for all that you are.

Thank you for the endless favors. I fully recognize that I may be a "little" high maintenance and require a lot to keep me happy, but you never fail at doing so. Whether it's fixing my computer, finding me a new phone because I broke it again or getting me the specific food I want when you are coming home from work at 10 p.m. Anything I ask for you always do, and it's always better than expected. I may not always act like it means the world to me, but every time it does.

Thank you for dealing with my moods. We always say I can only have one friend at a time, and this is certainly true when it comes to which parent I was to be nice to that day. My moods are most definitely not easy, or fun to deal with but you do it, and you do not hold it against me.

Thank you for loving my mom. She is solely the most important person in my life, and if I have to share her with anyone I would not want it to be anyone but you. You give her (and me) the world, and no one has ever made her as happy as you do. You are protective, thoughtful, loving and everything in between. You make me sure of what I want out of a relationship some day, and that I will never accept anything less than what you have exemplified for me through how you treat her.

Thank you for being my best friend. My whole life I wondered what it was like to be the girl with the parents that were her best friends. The only part that was missing was the dad, but you came along and now I have that. I can tell you anything, we joke about everything and sometimes I swear we could actually be biologically related. It is a feeling better than I could have ever imagined.

Thank you for being my dad, I love you.