Love your baby girl

As graduation nears (12 days but who's counting), all I can think about is how to thank my parents for everything they have done for the last 22 years, but it's impossible to put it into words. They must have done something right because their firstborn child is graduating college with honors and she turned out ok. For anyone who knows Mama Finn, she is ALL about thank you notes and letters for every occasion so in an attempt to put into words how much Mama and Papa Finn mean to me through this thing they call "growing up" here's an open thank you letter:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Thank you for pushing me so hard, but thank you for being soft when the time called for it.
Thank you for all of the love, but also the tough love when I needed it.
Thank you for playing taxi for 22 years, 10 hour car rides in 1 day, running from one soccer field to the basketball court, and never missing a sporting or school event EVER.

Thank you for almost never saying no, and only saying no when you believed it was necessary.
Thank you for never calling my ideas crazy and for supporting all of my endeavors, including ICEE stands for the neighborhood, running a soccer clinic on my own as a 10 year old, or writing letters to famous athletes in hope for a return letter.

Thank you for not shunning me when I got a tattoo, and thank you for actually liking it and supporting that decision.
Thank you for supporting my fashion choices and for making subtle hints when I looked silly (i.e. cute flower sundress with Timberland boots and high socks).
Thank you for teaching me to be adventurous and try new things.

Thank you for letting me choose what I wanted to do, whether it was violin, gymnastics, soccer, basketball, Girl Scouts, whatever. And thank you for running me around to each and everyone 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Thank you for never pushing Church on me and for allowing me to find my own way.

Thank you for letting me make mistakes so that I could learn from them.
Thank you for letting us grow up with a cat and dog, a gift many children do not get to experience.
Thank you for perfecting the art of selfies with me.

Thank you for driving me up and down the entire East Coast to look at colleges.
Thank you for teaching me to always keep doors open and that it's better to be in a position to say "no" than wonder "What if?"
Thank you for taking my side when the boys teased me, but also thank you for telling me to suck it up and stop whining and tattling because that solves nothing. It made me stronger.
Thank you for making me feel beautiful, inside and out.

Thank you for making fun of me and teaching me to live a life full of humour and not to take everything so seriously and to heart.

Thank you for always being my Valentine's/New Year's Eve dates.
Thank you for not buying me everything I asked for and teaching me the value of hardwork. I've learned to be more responsible with my finances and appreciate the things I do buy.
Thank you for making me work from an early age.

 

Thank you for putting a solid roof over my head and a full pantry and refrigerator for 22 years.
Thank you for working to provide for me even if it meant you would have to work 2 jobs.
Thank you for putting me through private school education even when things got tight.
Thank you for supporting my college decisions, and not influencing my decision to attend CUA in any way.

 

Thank you for setting a great example of what true love is supposed to look like and setting high expectations for relationships.
Thank you for supporting my picky eating habits and although it drove you crazy at times, thank you for never hating me for it.
Thank you for supporting my major decision in college and allowing me to pursue whatever career I want.
Thank you for providing advice when I need it, but also recognizing that sometimes I just need silence while I ramble on.

Thank you for listening for 22 years as I yelled, cried, laughed, and dropped a few F-bombs. And thank you for not interjecting when I did so.
Thank you for letting me be independent and grow as an adult, but thank you for still being there when I need grocery money or Mama or Papa Bear to step in and bear claws when necessary.

 

Thank you for letting me deal with problems on my own without stepping in immediately.
Thank you for being super strict with me growing up (all my friends remember the texting when I leave and texting when I get there right??)  and holding me accountable for my actions when I strayed.
Thank you for being a best friend and a drinking buddy, providing more than just parental guidance but true friendship as I've matured.

Thank you for taking my cell phone away when I texted too much to force me to put more focus on my studies.
Thank you for taking a genuine interest in getting to know my friends and having an open door to the Finn house.

Thank you for supporting my decisions even when you know it is probably the wrong one.
Thank you for being there for every important event in my life even if it means driving 5 hours for a 2 hour event.
Thank you for surprise cards to remind me you are thinking of me and love me.
Thank you for your undivided attention and love even when you welcomed twin boys into the world.

Thank you for teaching me responsibility.
Thank you for teaching me "want" versus "need".
Thank you for teaching me to drive in the back of Broadmoor.
Thank you for all of the lazy movie nights.
Thank you for trusting me to study abroad in another hemisphere for 6 months.
Thank you for learning how to text and send me funny messages.
Thank you for being awesome and the best parents around.

Thank you for being a proofreader when I need it.
Thank you for the countless hours spent on college applications and personal essays.
Thank you for teaching me the importance of making connections and first impressions.
Thank you for making us such a close-knit family.
Thank you for pulling me back down to reality when my head is in the clouds or elsewhere.
Thank you for the unconditional love you continue to give me even on my bad days when I'm sure you want to smack some sense into me.
Thank you for being you and for making me who I am and do more than prepare me as I step into the scary reality of the adult world.

I am sure there is so much more to say, but this is only a start. I love you Mama Finn and Daddyo and can't wait to celebreate graduation in 12 days because it is just as much as celebration for the two of you as it is for me!



LOVE YOU MUCHO!
-Haley Brooke aka Brookster aka Sunshine aka HKixx

Besos,
Haley