A Week Ago Today - Ashley Left

I thought I'd post Ashley's letter she wrote to her Dad & I for our Anniversary back in August. We miss her so much already, I can't imagine what it will feel like in a month, six months or a year.

Mom & Dad:

In a few months I'm going to be moving out and away, and before I go I just to say "Thank You". I have a great deal to be grateful for, and I owe so much of it to you. Thank you for having me, for taking care of me, and above all else for loving me the way you do. Thank you for teaching me the importance of good decision making, education, hard work and faith in God. Thank you for always supporting my decisions, and for helping me when I was unable to help myself. Thank you for taking me to the hospital all the times I drank perfume and house hold cleaners, and when I fell out the backdoor, because I wanted to throw Dusty a treat. Thank you for not strangling me when I was supposed to be taking a nap, but instead painted Meghan's room green...twice on the same day. Thank you for putting up with three years of interrupted sleep. Thank you for all the times you took me trick-or-treating, and for every adorable handmade costume. Thank you for all the Sundays you took me to CCD and mass, and all the summers you took me to Vacation Bible School. Thank you for saving all the pictures and drawings and other priceless items that make up my baby book. I wouldn't trade them for the world. Thank you for all the trips to Disney World and more amusement parks, water parks and campgrounds than I can remember. Thank you for help with all my school fundraisers, and selling hundreds of boxes of Girls Scout cookies. Thank you for all the times you said yes, and also for all the times you said no. I know all your decisions took into consideration what was best for me. Thank you for paying for four years of Tae Kwon Do lessons, and swimming, roller skating, and gymnastics as well. Thank you for coming to my middle school basketball games, even though I only scored two points during the entire two years that I played. Thank you for paying for all the yearbooks, school pictures, and class trips. Thank you for all the years you tucked me into bed at night and for all the hugs and kisses. Thank you for every time you helped me with school projects - clocks that ran on onions, dioramas, catapults and kites. Thank you for showing up to countless choir concerts and award ceremonies. Thank you for making ever Christmas magical and for every present from Mom, Dad and Santa Claus. Thank you for so many years of back to school shopping, and 22 years of birthday gifts. Thank you for birthday parties at the bowling alley, the Nature Center, and at home. Thank you for every trip to the movie theater, and for all the Swedish Fish. Thank you for all the trips to our house up north, and for all the stops at Taco Bell on the way. Thank your for every car and cell phone you have ever given me, and for not being angry when I got in a car accident and totaled the Taurus. Thank you for putting up with all three of the hamsters I have brought home and you at some point got stuck taking care of. Thank you for every gallon of birthday ice cream, and for every other gallon of ice cream from the Schwan man that I ate half of. Thank you for changing my bloody gauze when I got my wisdom teeth out, and for the braces that I wore, painfully, for two years. I love my smile. Thank you for all the sparklers on the 4th of July, and for all the baskets full of candy and surprises on Easter. Thank you for all the Stride Rite shoes for my extra wide baby feet. Thank you for every braid and ponytail, and every time you brushed my hair. Thank you for every holiday I spent with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I have so many good memories. Thank you for convincing me to take Spanish in high school instead of German, because it has changed my life. Thank you for taking me to American Girl meetings, and for throwing me American Girl parties. Thank you for all the trips to Frankenmuth, for all the chicken dinners, and every piece of candy from the candy shop. Thank you for taking me to the hospital when I had meningitis, and for not waiting to do so until the next day. Thank you for giving me a little sister, even though the doctors said no more kids, and even if you think your timing was less than perfect. Thank you for all the advice, even if I sometimes didn't follow it. Thank you for coming to my high school graduation, even though Taryn's wedding was the same day and for throwing me an open house. Thank you for letting me study abroad in Mexico, because it was one of the most amazing experiences I've ever had. Thank you for supporting my decision to go to college and also for your financial support. Thank you for my name. It may be popular, but I adore it, and I'd prefer it any day over Debra or Virginia. Thank you for never emphasizing that my older sisters are my half-sisters. They have always been sisters to me in exactly the same special and wonderful ways as my little sister. Thank you for having a sense of humor. Than you for every "I love you", and for always believing in me and being proud of me. I'm proud of you too.

Happy Anniversary!

Love, Your Ashley