Being the youngest has its perks, especially as the only girl out of the three. Growing up with two older brothers has taught me so many lessons and has ultimately helped to shape the person I am today. So, I want to thank my two older brothers for a few things.

To my youngest older brother, thanks for having my back.

Being only a year apart, it was great knowing that whether I was in an argument with Mom and Dad or someone at school, I always had someone in my corner. When given the opportunity to prove someone wrong (usually Dad), thanks for backing me up (even if we both realize halfway through the argument that we are wrong). Thanks for being the person I could go to if I needed to get away from everyone, or if I just wanted to order a pizza and watch sports all day. And finally, thank you for being my first best friend. I always had a person to play pretend Iron Chef with and introduce my imaginary friends to as a kid. Now, I have someone to talk to about everything to help me tackle the challenges that college presents.

To my oldest brother, thanks for giving me someone to look up to.

When we were growing up, I thought you were the coolest person on earth. Literally. Like the Backstreet Boys had nothing on you and your friends. If I was ever given the opportunity to hang out with you, I was ecstatic because as you got older you got busier. We have quite an age difference; when I was seven, you went away to college. I didn't completely understand it at the time, but I remember mom telling me that it was all for a good reason. Now I understand. I still become pretty excited when I get to hang out with you, but not for the same reasons as when I was a kid. Now it's all of those reasons plus the three (soon to be four) little girls that I get to play with when we are together. I love hearing about all of your travels for work and everything that you have accomplished, despite all the people who doubted you growing up. Seeing you become so successful makes me worry less about the future, because after all, I had a pretty good role model to look up to in preparation.

To both of my brothers, thanks for pushing me around.

I can recall a few specific occasions where each of you decided to beat up on me.I specifically remember when my oldest brother told me he wanted to practice his aim for baseball and that I should stand up against the house with my arms and legs spread apart. He then proceeded to throw a tennis ball between my legs and arms, then he said "okay last one," and nailed me in the stomach with the ball. Why am I thanking you for these things? (Honestly, while writing them I was asking myself the same thing.) Because eventually when I got older, I learned to stand up for myself. And I learned that just because your cool older brother tells you to stand up against a wall, you shouldn't do it just to impress him. Through all the tough love, I became a stronger person.

Thanks for making me more competitive.

I seem to recall always either getting ganged up on or dismissed because I wasn't seen as a threat if we were playing games. Either way, I owe my competitive nature to you two. Not only when playing games, but I can also apply my competitiveness to real life situations like schoolwork or finding a job. You taught me to always be on top of my game.

Thank you both for keeping me in line.

Though I knew you would both back me up even if I was being irrational, I was also positive that you would tell me to get my life together if ever needed. If I made a stupid decision, you would tell me it was a stupid decision. No sugar-coating, no letting me down easy, just the straight up truth. Sometimes I would get angry or cry or overreact, but in the end, I appreciate that you were so up front about things. Because that's life. Realizing my mistakes has made me more able to accept failures and move on, and I cannot thank you enough for that.

And finally, thanks for letting me be myself and accepting me for who I am.

As siblings, you get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of each other. But the best part is that your siblings will accept you for who you are and love you no matter what. It's in the sibling rule book or something. They say you can't pick your family, but if given the opportunity, I don't think I could have picked a better pair of older brothers to grow up with.

Thanks for everything. I love you both.