I tried to be as appreciative as I could as a kid. By no means were my parents the wealthiest or most open-scheduled people around, but they tried their absolute hardest to always provide the best life they knew how to give my brother and I.

I consider myself pretty fortunate for having what I did while growing up. I think I had a good childhood, and it turned me into the man I am today.

When I was younger, the one thing I couldn't help but be jealous of was the endless stream of vacations my friends seemed to always be going on. Every other week, every year, it felt like one of my buddies was going to the beach, or the Rockies, or on a cruise, or to the city. My friends had the luxury of seeing some of the most impressive places on the planet while I sat at home and ready my latest book in the confines of my bedroom. My greatest adventures were in the pages of my favorite books.

But looking back on it, that was wonderful.

I love to read. I love to lose myself in another world. I love to be able to imagine myself in another person's shoes, whether fictional or not, and try and expand my understanding of those around me.

Today, I still love to go on those page-bound adventures. But today, I have the chance to bring myself on trips across the country. This year alone, I've traveled farther from home and traveled more times than I ever have before.

So, thank you, Mom. Thank you, Dad. You focused on raising Stevie and I to be good, hard working people. You focused on raising us to excel in life, rather than teaching us how to find the best routes to the ocean. You taught us how to ride four wheelers and cook and clean and drive nails and fish and hunt. You showed us what it's like to be good, generous people rather than people who think only of ourselves.

Some day, I'll travel the globe. I don't have a doubt in my mind of that. Some day, I'll meet people of various tongues and nations and histories. But today, I know how to live.