Tonight is the last night in my apartment. Tomorrow, with my brother doing most of the work as I couldn't get time off of my job, we will be moving out to our property.

None of this, being a land owner, or a future homeowner, would be possible without my Dad. He was letting me borrow money from his retirement account to buy the land, and also to build what will become our house. Even when he was in prison, nobody did more for me than my dad. And everyday I wake up in that house, I'll be grateful for the gift he gave me.

I also took time to look back at the best gift my mom ever gave me. My dog Coal. I was so shocked when she got home from visiting my sister in Louisiana, and this tiny lump of pocket sized puppy came in the door with her. We had always wanted a dog when we were kids, but were never allowed to have one. (As an aside, our sister was allowed to have her damn cats, which always pissed me off) This dog coming into my life was such an
unexpected surprise.

I'm fortunate to have been given these wonderful, life changing gifts from my parents. But I'd rather still have them