happy graduation, mom and dad

happy graduation, mom and dad! this event is not only a milestone for me, but for you two as well. lord knows that i would not be here, dressed in a cap and gown, if it weren't for the both of you. you have been my backbone, my rock, my shoulder to lean on these past four years. i certainly didn't make being away college easy and the majority of my college years were rough. it wasn't until my summer in nashville and senior year that we really knew everything was going to be alright.

still, you were by my side no matter what. through being homesick, eating and weight issues, sorority drama and everything in between, you were there. in my defense and also telling me what i didn't want to hear. you were with me through every group project woe, every exam and every move from dorm to sorority house and from one apartment to another. you cheered the vols on to wins and losses with me.

this is as much your celebration as it is mine. without you, i wouldn't have this degree or be the person i am today. you have given me strength when i was weak, laughter with i was sad and unconditional love every step of the way. i can only hope that i am an inspiration to my children (if that ever even happens) as you are to me. you make me want to make you proud. you have never doubted my dreams and always encouraged me to chase them.

thank you mom and dad (and even phillip too), for everything. there aren't enough words to say how much i appreciate everything you have ever done for me and one day i hope i am able to repay you in some form. until then, i am forever your freckled faced little girl, just now with a college degree. congratulations mom and dad, you did it!

"The only real failure is the failure to try. & the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment... We came here, and we tried. All of us, in our different ways... We get up every morning, we do our best... But it's also true that the person who risks nothing, does nothing; has nothing. All we know about the future is that it will be different. But, perhaps what we fear is that it will be the same. So, we must celebrate the changes. Because, as someone once said 'Everything will be all right in the end. And if it's not all right, then trust me, it's not yet the end.'"

-The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

xoxo,
clp