Growing up I never knew what it was like to be one of those kids who couldn't stand their parents/stepparents. Of course we got into small tiffs here and there and we wouldn't talk for an hour or the house was super tense, but it never got out of hand. I know I said thank you for everything over the years, but I never did truly express how great it has been to have you so close to me over the years. So, this is for you.
To my dad,
I don't care how grown I am, I'm probably always going to call you daddy, because that's exactly who you'll always be. I would like to say that nobody did the single dad thing better than you. You did an outstanding job taking on life for me. And no, I'm not just saying that to get brownie points. You set the bar for all my standards. Nobody will ever love me the way you do. Growing up you taught me to be independent and to work hard for what I want. You never wanted anything but the best for me, and I'm so thankful for that. You stuck by my side through every decision and never second guessed helping me or backing me up. Thank you for that. You taught me that it was okay to be alone from time to time, but also to surround myself with good people even if I wanted shut down. Over the years we became so close and it was an absolute blessing. From father-daughter dates, to sitting on the couch venting about dumb things going on at the time. I've never felt more blessed to call such a wonderful man my father. And I hope you never forget that.
To my stepmom,
I know when we met things were a hit or miss. It had always been me and my dad and I wasn't ready to share. But in time I came around and now you're like one of my best friends. You taught me so many things in the short time you've come to be apart of my life. From teaching me how to do basic make up to being confident with out it. I know there's been a long line of struggles on our path but we've only become stronger from it. You've never failed to make me laugh on my worst days. And you always understood what I was going through even if I didn't talk about it. Your empathy saved my life. You helped me overcome my struggle of shutting down. You guided me through some things that I would be so lost on to do this day if it weren't for you. Thank you for always helping me get ready for events and doing my hair. Thank you for always giving me a pep talk to help me through the night. Thank you for always reminding me to breathe when I was freaking out. "You're my rock."
To both of you,
Your wedding day was the best day of all of our lives. As a unit, we have faced nearly every obstacle we could have faced in the duration of creating our family. I'm so blessed to have both of you. You guys never failed to make me laugh when I'm having a meltdown. Thanks for always being my outside source to gossip to and always making fun of people. Thanks for all the road trips and memories. Thanks for suffering through college tours with me even though all we did was make fun of everyone around us and complain about how dumb it was. Thank you for always supporting me and my decisions no matter how irrational they were, and thank you for always pretending to like the dumb boys that I convinced myself I'd be with forever. Thank you for being my best friends growing up.
With Love,
Yours Truly.
