Growing up is never easy. Being 20-years-old and a soon-to-be junior in college, becoming society’s definition of an “adult” is still a forthcoming I’m sure to struggle with. However, having parents like mine have made it that much easier.

With that being said, I’ve realized that growing up these past twenty years, there are many times I probably didn’t say thank you (and probably should have).

So thank you, dad. Thank you for working long, hard hours, even if it meant you had to miss out on a couple things--I know you only did it because you had to. You consistently made sure that we had everything we needed: clothes, food, shelter, love and even more. Thank you for being my number one idol in proving that hard work pays off. Thanks for showing me that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to--because even when I don’t believe in myself, I know that you do.

Thanks to you too, mom. Thanks for teaching me how to be kind and forgive others, and always showering me with continuous laughter and love. Thanks for sewing us matching pajamas, along with matching purple Easter dresses (because that was our favorite color, remember?). Thanks for being my best friend, my rock and my shoulder to cry on throughout the years.

Thank you both for teaching me the most important life lessons of all. You taught me to be myself and to love myself endlessly--even if that did mean standing out a little. You taught me what it means to be a parent, what it means to stick together, and what a healthy marriage is supposed to look like. You were my biggest supporters at every twist and turn in life--even when I didn't support myself. You were there at every major decision--from me transferring high schools, transferring colleges mid-year, and completely changing my major-- you supported every piece of it (even when I made a mistake here and there).

Nothing hit me harder after moving away for college than the irony that, aside from “growing up,” I became closer with my parents now more than ever. I hope that if you ever question any of your endeavors in life, you’ll never question whether you raised me right, and you’ll never question if I appreciated you (because I do).

Not that these words can begin to express my indebtedness, but again, thank you both for everything.