Entry #5: The Finale

Hi everyone, this final blog of the season includes portions of what I prepared for our senior weekend banquet and some of the videos we created. Thank you for reading my blog this season and it has been a lot of fun to share this year with you all.Wow. What a journey these past five years have been. When I stepped on this campus five years ago, I had no idea what was in store for me. This program has allowed me to find myself in the best way possible. It has taught me to be strong, not make excuses, and always try to inspire others. It has given me laughs, tears, and memories that will last a lifetime. Florida State has given me a family away from home and words cannot explain how grateful I am to be a part of this program.First, I want to thank God for giving me the talent and opportunity to play a sport I truly love with some pretty incredible people. Second, I want to thank my mom and dad, without you two I wouldn’t be where I am today. Thank you for dedicating your time, money, and energy to let me follow my dreams. I love looking into the stands from the field and seeing your smiling faces cheering me on no matter where we are in the country. Dad, thank you for always pushing me to be the athlete you know I could be even when I didn’t believe in myself. Thank you for holding me to such a high standard, because without you I wouldn’t have my competitive edge. You have no idea how much I am going to miss texts about the biggest college softball upsets; however, I am excited about the new and exciting milestones ahead of us. Mom, thank you for being the opposite of dad and for telling me it’s going to be okay even though it definitely wasn’t at the time, but I needed to hear it anyways. Thank you for being a good role model and for setting the standards of what a good mom and good wife should be. Thank you for always picking up every time I FaceTime you… whether it is me bawling crying or me telling you that I had finished breakfast and was going to walk Ollie. Even though the whole family picks on you, thank you for always putting up with us and I am proud to call you my mom. I love you both with all of my heart.  To my sister, Kaitlin, thank you for always being my biggest fan. Your constant support over my softball career means more than you’ll ever know. I am so proud of everything that you have accomplished, and I cannot wait to be your biggest cheerleader at Elon. To my brother, Ryan, thank you for supporting Kaitlin and I throughout our softball careers and I promise once Kaitlin graduates we never have to talk about softball again. I am proud of the man you have become, and I am thankful that you always have my back. To my grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends, thank you for your constant love and support. Whether it is in person or over Facebook I am beyond lucky to have all of you in my life. Gwen, thank you for being a true friend. Although you hit a lot of homeruns off of me during our college careers, I am so grateful to have grown alongside you the past few years. Dylan, thank you for staying by my side throughout my college career in the BEST and the WORST of times, and for always pushing me to be the best version of myself. I am so thankful that Florida State gave me my best friend. To my NARPs (Non-Athletic Regular People – you know who you are) thank you for giving me an outlet and allowing me to be a person outside of softball.