dear mom + dad
HAPPY 41st BIRTHDAY!!!
(btw, in case you're wondering, YES, my parents have the same birthday)
41 things I need to thank my parents for on their birthday:
For teaching me to love the Royals both even when they don't do so hot + when we win the World Series
For all the VeggieTales we watched growing up.
For all the times you turned 'Peaches' up in the car just so Ave + I could scream every. single. word.
For making sure I knew all the cool 90s rap songs
Dad, for getting the bats out of the house even though you're scared of them
Mom, for traveling abroad with me
+ Dad, for holding down the fort every time we were gone.
For putting me on rec sports teams when I was little just so I could learn that I have zero coordination :-)
but still giving me an appreciation + love for watching sports
Mom, for introducing me to Frau + her sweet German self.
For teaching me how to separate my laundry
For giving Ave + I a puppy to love.
Dad, for finally deciding to let Kitty in the house despite Cody's disapproval
For teaching me how to be clean
For finally agreeing and making space for an exchange student to stay with us
because with out Nalîn, well, there would be a lot of things I would have missed out on.
For challenging me
Dad, for reading all of the 'Little House' books to us every night
For all the times we listened to 'Crash Into Me' on the way home.
For dealing me all the thousands of times I was incredibly frustrating (yikes)
For teaching me to show love to everyone no. matter. what.
For raising me in a Presbyterian church,
and for making sure I knew about God's grace + love.
For taking me to church almost every time my 8-year-old bible thumper self would get upset about not going
Mom, for being on the APNC that brought the Ashenbrenners to Salina
For agreeing to let me go to Triennium
because without it, I would have never found my dream school.
For helping me determine that Purdue was actually the place for me
and helping me make that dream a reality.
For giving me a sassy sister
For being a hard ass when you needed to
For taking us on road trips all over the US.
For teaching me that it's okay to be different
and that I don't have to be afraid of sticking up for the things I believe in
For teaching me how to be independent
but being there for me when I don't know how to adult.
For raising us in Lindsborg
and showing us what good community looks like.
For being parents instead of trying to be my best friends,
but still being my biggest supporters.
For giving me nothing but unconditional love.
In previous years, I have been less than appreciative for everything you two do for Ave + I, but now that I have been away at school for 4.5 months, I recognize it's perfectly okay to have strict parents. THANK YOU for equipping me with tools + gifts that have helped me flourish into a (mostly) independent woman.
Love you both a lot. Happy 41st.
xoxo,
teressa elaine
