Dear Dad,

Thank you.

Thank you for your extraordinary support you showed me through the years. Thank you for every "one more time dad!" when I was learning Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in the sixth grade. Thank you for being the nicest yet most honest judge the day before (and sometimes the morning of) a chair test.

Thank you for taking me to all of my concerts. Thank you for wanting to sit in the front row of the audience, though it didn't matter beacuse I was way in the back behind my tuba. Oh yeah... thanks for carrying that by the way.

Thank you for helping with the band boosters. Thank you for giving more to the band than I could ever take away from it. Thank you for your sacrifices, even though they did land me a few free hot dogs on Friday nights.

Thank you for being the loudest in the stands when I marched out, and the most attentive when I played, even though you "had no clue what was happening or how we did that!"

Thank you for going to every game I was in. Thank you for the wet and rainy games. Thank you for the hot and sticky ones. Thank you for the hot cocoa on the cold Friday nights and the cold water on hot Saturday afternoons the next day. This southern weather doesn't play.

Thank you for sending me food money in college because I was too busy practicing to get a job. Thanks for convincing mom that was the case at least. Don't worry... she still doesn't know.

Dad, thank you for always being the biggest fan any band kid could ask for. Your support and excitement really got me through all of the ups and downs. With out your love, or your patience, or your desire for me to be the best I could be, I wouldn't have been able to make it through it. (Even though you did kick me out to play on the back porch so mom could watch her shows, but I understand)

"Music" will always be a special thing to me. And that is partly because of you.

Thank you for letting me fail. Thank you for picking me up again. Thank you for sharing the thrill of success and triumph. Thank you for teaching me how to win with class, and lose with grace

I love you dad. Thank you. For everything

- your forever 1st Chair.