We made it!

Mom and Dad -

We made it 30 years! It's really interesting for me to compare where I am to where you two were at my age - seems like we couldn't be more different sometimes, huh? I had always thought to myself that I wanted to have all of my kids by the time I was 30 - I wonder now if I've achieved that, but not in the way I thought. Of course, being childless sure has its advantages - I can come and go as I please, travel where I want when I want, etc.

I have to say that I am happy with where I'm at now, and that I'm sure looking forward to the next 30 years. Sometimes, looking back, it seems like if there was a difficult way to learn something, that's how I was going to learn it, but that's probably made me a bit stronger. I'm a bit wiser than I once was, too, and things tend to slide off my back a bit easier too.

I see more of you two in me as I go, too. I think you guys did a pretty good job raising all of us. I've got to thank you for insisting on "P's and Q's" always because being polite has gotten me pretty far in life. You guys also taught me to work hard - not so much direct teaching but I learned it by your example - very rarely do I ever remember Dad calling in sick to work and Mom, you have never been afraid to get your hands dirty. I've also inherited stubborness from both of you, which isn't always a bad thing - I tend to not give up on difficult problems at work until they're solved.

Of course, I've inherited some less positive things as well - I'm a bit anti-social, I can be compulsive at times, and the stubborness again - but I'm happy with how I've turned out.

Thanks for 30 years, Mom and Dad!