Family Ties

The fundraising is done and the money has been sent in. I am all vaccinated. And all that is left for me to do is pack and spend time with my loved ones…

I cannot believe that I will be leaving in 11 days; it seems like yesterday when I was filling out my application on that rainy day in October. I have been so overwhelmed by the support of all of y’all, and extremely humbled by the whole fundraising experience. Your love and support makes me even more excited to go because I feel like I’m taking each and every one of you with me this summer!

For this blog posting I decided I wanted to talk a little bit about my mom, dad and brother, because without them I don’t think I would be much of anything…

I got home from school and my mom and I left for padre 2 days later. I got to spend a few days with her at the beach…and there is no one else I would rather be on the beach with. I think my mom has the biggest heart of anyone I know (and I know many people would say the same). She is so full of love and always there for you to lean on. I owe so much of my faith to her because she taught me about what it means to be a godly woman and just how to lead a selfless life.

My mom’s favorite thing to tell people about me is, “She may look like me, but she acts like her father”…and let me tell you, I think I got the best of both worlds. My dad and I are 2 peas in a pod and its kind of scary how much fun we have together. We can joke and laugh all day, but we can also sit down and simply talk life. He has taught me to never give up and to never be scared to pursue my own dreams. We are truly kindred spirits and the greatest compliment I can receive is being told that I act like my dad.

John is my best friend. We are 2 years apart but so close at heart. John has always been so supportive and he constantly reminds me to stay true to myself. He embraces my “goofiness” and all my dreams just as I have embraced his beard and all of his little adventures. He is typically the first person I call if ever I need to talk, because for some reason he is always willing to listen and always knows how to put a smile on my face. We talk almost everyday and whenever we hang up the phone or hug each other to say bye, one of us first says “love you” and the other always says “love you too”, and I would never change that for the world. I look up to him so much and I would have never thought that my best friend would be my older brother.

So…mom, dad and john…I love you very much and thank you so much for absolutely everything…

xoxo