Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you.

Thank you for the carpool rides and countless fast food runs after school. Thank you for sitting through endless soccer, softball, and volleyball games, and attending every cross country and track meet, even when I was the slowest runner. You were always my two biggest fans, sitting with a smile in the stands even when we both knew that it would lead to nowhere.

Thank you for putting up with my constant singing, from kindergarten all the way until I left high school. Both of you were always willing to sit through me practice my auditions four, five, or even ten times each night. You sat through the tears of me not getting the part I wanted, but also took me out to dinner to celebrate the little things.

Thank you for surprising me by visiting me at work. My best work breaks were spent sitting with you. Whenever I had a long day at work, you always had my favorite food waiting and let me talk through it all. You taught me the value of hard work from day one, but also made sure I knew I didn’t have to work. You always gave me everything I needed and much, much more.

Thank you for always pushing the importance of education and allowing me to go to a school I loved. Thank you for taking me on countless college visits to far-off places, even when you knew the outcome would be me leaving home and moving away from you. You always put my needs (and wants) first.

Thank you for always encouraging me to be close with Michael, and teaching both of us the importance of family. Family dinners were always a priority and family movies were always frequent. Thank you for treating us like adults from day one and letting us know that our opinions really do matter.

Thank you for always listening to me ramble on about my opinions, even when they completely went against yours or were just flat out wrong. You always encouraged me to think for myself and always played Devil’s Advocate in our arguments, making sure I knew all my information before I said anything else. You also taught me when it just wasn’t worth it to argue, and that’s something I still (try to) remember.

Thank you for making vacations a priority every year, and letting Michael and I choose where we go. There’s nothing that makes a family closer than spending two weeks together in a small cruise cabin. Every single year without fail you managed to get us down to Disney World, even when you knew it would take a 16-hour drive to get us there.

Mom, thank you for all the manis and pedis and long talks about all of my “important” problems. Thank you for the Panera and First Watch dates. Thank you for always taking me shopping and sitting watching Gossip Girl, Grey’s, and Lost with me (even though we both know you hate Lost). Thank you for putting up with me always matching outfits with you (on accident I swear).

Dad, thank you for going out of your way to drive me to carpool every morning and letting me always pick the music, even when you’d rather listen to talk radio. Thank you for getting up earlier than you had to make me breakfast every morning, even though you could’ve been catching up on much-needed sleep. Thank you for always sharing your stories with me, even when they “give you chills.”

Thank you for molding me into the person I am today. You’ve taught me that it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them, and it’s always important to be the best person possible. Every decision I make is rooted in your advice, and there’s not a day that goes by without me thinking “what would mom and dad do?”

Thank you for showing me what true love looks like. Having both of you as my parents has taught me the importance of having a good relationship. Growing up, watching both of you together has been a privilege. You always go out of your way to help the other, and you’re so supportive of each other. I hope to one day have a relationship as successful as yours.

You’ve always pushed me further and encouraged me to do my best. You pulled out all the stops to make sure I had all the tools necessary to succeed. You deserve so many more thank yous than I could ever offer. Thank you for everything, and for giving me the best family I could ever ask for.

Love you both so much,

Taylor