To Nana and Poppy:

Thank the both of you for being yourselves.

I can never thank you all enough for deciding to love me, and choosing to raise me as your own. I know it wasn't an easy route to choose, but you both chose it, and for that I am forever grateful. Often times we don't realize how blessed we truly are, until we look back. The old saying is true: hindsight is 20/20.

I look back and I see those sleepless nights both of you spent waiting for me to come home, the countless miles which were put on the car just so you all could be at a tennis match, and wrinkles I definitely contributed to. You two are everything I hope to be for my children someday, and then some.

Thank you Nana and Poppy.

Thank you guys for teaching me the worth of a dollar. I realize now that making me get a job at 16 was one of the best things you could have done for me. You both at times challenged me to work for the money I wanted to spend so badly on that new Lilly dress, or for that tank of gas I needed to drive around town with friends. At the time, I may have resented your efforts in making me a "rising star." However, now, I am so thankful you did.

Today, we are presented with role models such as Kim Kardashian, instead of godly women. Thank you both for filling my life with godly role models. Although you may not have always been at church on Sundays, both of you made sure I was. It was as if y'all knew that church was the place for me to grow into the woman God wanted me to become.

Thanks for always being there. It didn't matter how far away my tennis match was, you all were there-- with snacks! You all were my biggest fan, win or lose. And I was always reminded by you two that there was always room for improvement. I could usually count on a speech the whole way home about things I could have done better. I was also grounded whenever I thought I was all that and a bag of chips.

Thanks for never giving up on me. It wasn't easy. I challenged the patience of each of you, and at times made it extremely hard to live with. Despite that, you all never gave up. Sometimes it did take a few days for us to talk after an argument, but I knew you both would be there when I decided to stop being stubborn.

Thank you Nana and Poppy, I would have never made it this far without you all!

It is often that we forget to thank the ones we love the most. We take them for granted because we know they will always be there to catch us when we fall. Thank you to all the grandparents out there who took it upon themselves to raise their grandchildren, we couldn't have made it without you guys!