I kind of cheated with the rules for this prompt ... so bear with me.
1. Mom and Dad, where do I even begin to tell you how much I love being your daughter. I mean, it's freaking awesome being your kid!
You two are the radest parents I have ever met.
Not only have you done a hell of a job raising me, but you also raised the craziest guy I know, Damian. Because of you two, we are who we are and I'd like to think that Damian and I are pretty good people.
Mom, I love that we can do anything and everything together, from our Chili's margarita nights to our all night Netflix binges to our AJ Castillo groupie summer concert adventures. But the thing I love the most is your unconditional love and your unending confidence in me that I will do amazing things in this life.
And Dad, I love that when I go home to visit I can find you in your "mancave" and we drink a beer, watch whatever game you're watching and talk about everything and anything. You are so understanding and so supportive. And I absolutely love when you're truly in your element; cracking jokes, acting like a goof and making us laugh.
All I have ever wanted to do is make you two proud, and I hope I have thus far.
I'm beyond blessed to have you two as parents, and I can only hope that I will one day mirror your goodness and be as great of a parent to my future children.
2. Damian, my little and big brother, you are by far my favorite person in this world. I can't imagine my life without you. And how lucky am I that you've let me be your roommate for the past couple of years.
I have enjoyed being a part of your life here in Lubbock and I am so thankful not only for the love you show me as my brother but also the friendship that we share. You're my best friend and the one person I can truly rely on and trust wholeheartedly. You have my back just as much as I have yours.
You are growing up to become such an amazing man and I am excited to see where life leads you.
As my time with you in Lubbock is coming to an end, I have to admit that not being able to live with you is probably what made my decision to move back to New Mex so damn difficult.
I will miss our Qdoba Thursday's, our random movie watching fests and old school Nintendo game nights. I'll miss making dinner with you and talking about our days and catching up with what's going on in our lives.
Thank you for always being there for me no matter what and for being one of the first people to catch me when I fall. I just know that you and I will always stay close, and I'll be calling you to pick up your bratty-future nieces and nephews, because they'll probably be just like you.
3. I don't think every family is lucky to have an Aunt Susie, but I am sure glad my family does.
Susie has had to put up with all four of her nieces and nephews refusing to call her "aunt" or "tia." But the reason I've never called her either of those is because Susie has always been the sister that I never had.
Susie, I'm double-blessed because not only have I had an amazing woman to look up to, but I have been able to confide in you as a friend as well.
You always make everything 100 times more fun, and the amazing-tender love that you offer is something I don't know how I could live without.
I love that we can still throw on our PJ's and stay up watching movies until 3 a.m. or that I can pick up the phone at any time of the day or night and just cry and you won't judge me for another mistake I've made.
I love that when we're together it's just pure happiness and unending laughter ... I swear my cheeks hurt so much when I am with you.
You are always my partner in crime, whether it's throwing glitter in the front yard to make sure Santa stops at our house or learning how to dance LMFAO's Party Rock and Thriller or helping me in my mission to steal the quinceanera girl's gorgeous crown to take a selfie.
You are also my biggest fan when it comes to my Madonna karaoke!
Life would be so blue and dull without you Susie Q, and I am so incredibly happy that you are in my life.
4. My friends, what in the hell would I do without any and each one of you. You are the people that I choose to be my family.
You are the ones that love me for me — warts and all — when you have no obligations to do so. My life would be so dull without the laughs, the adventures, the movie and dinner dates, the late night drinking binges and conversations.
Thank you for letting me a part of ya'lls lives. For offering your friendship and accepting mine. Though some of you live far away and others I'm lucky to have nearby, I love every single one of you and cherish the friendship that we share.
I hope that I am a decent friend to all of you and that I bring happiness into your lives. I hope that you feel I am person you enjoy having around. Because I know you. all of my friends, have brightened my life so much. I can't even begin to describe how blessed I am to have the friends that I do.
May my friendships with each of you continue to grow.
5. To the guys I've recently dated and it didn't work out. Thank you, for challenging me as a person, testing my patience and pushing me to my limits at times.
As much as I sometimes wish we never crossed paths, I’m happy that you were a part of my life as long as you were or for as short of a time you were.
Because of you, I was pushed over the edge again and again, and each time I learned how strong I am. I learned that I am not a weak woman, but I’m filled with courage and the will to keep going even when I feel like I can’t possibly take another step.
Thank you for the heartbreaks, because as my heart healed, and the scars that remain will be a constant reminder of what I’ve endured and how I am a survivor.
You’ve helped train me to become an even better person, and you have helped formed me into an even more confident woman. So when the day comes and I stumble onto true love they will be astonished and not frightened by my love battle wounds.
He will kiss them and say, ‘You, my dear are beautiful with all your mistakes, failures and imperfections.’
I hope that when you think of me and recall the times we spent together, whether good or bad, that I may bring a smile to your face. That you know in your heart I am a good person and you were lucky to at one point hold my precious heart in your hands.
But don’t think for once you broke me, because though I struggled in being patient with my healing heart, I moved on. And you will just become someone that I knew — that will be all.
