We have been greatly blessed this year with good health, friends and opportunities. I think it has been a unique year in that all the kids are back home. It’s been a year of a lot of adjustments. I think mainly from a parent’s perspective - having young adult children at home mixed with youth.
I think we finally struck a balance just in time for Ainsley to leave to return to BYU-I. This will topple things for a bit and bids are already out for the vacant spaces she’ll leave. I’ll miss my exercise buddy, lunch companion and generally bubbly, huggy daughter!! We’ll see her again sometime in the summer before she heads off on a mission. At least that’s the plan right now.
Jeffrey’s time is spent mostly with his friend Meg. Somehow she ranks higher than Mom, Dad, brother, sisters, school, work and pretty much anything else. :) He’s been working the early morning shift at NCSU pool as a lifeguard and continues his schooling at NC State in International Studies. He hopes to complete an internship this summer at Georgetown and stay extra busy while Meg goes on a mission in the Spring. He’s currently serving in the Elder’s Quorum presidency in the student ward here.
Elena continues with her violin studies and seems to have turned the corner on enjoying playing. She’s part of our stake’s rendition of Handel’s Messiah and is the assistant principle second violin in the Triangle Youth Symphony. She’s planning her life out and looks forward to the freedom of college life. Every once in a while we have to remind her that there are those pesky 2 ½ years of high school she’s got to wade through, but that doesn’t seem to slow her down too much. She just turned 16 and had "the best party ever!"
Dallin recently achieved the rank of Life Scout and was released as Deacon’s quorum president, which he’d been doing for a while. I often heard little grumblings about all the meetings, etc. But on the day he was released he was so sad and admitted that he really liked being in charge and having a responsibility. I think he won’t be sad for long. He’s enjoying school and is part of a club called Future Cities. They’re working on a solution for housing homeless individuals. He’s always talking about inventing stuff, so this seems like pretty good fit. He’s growing and asserting his views a bit more which seem to ruffle feathers at times, but we’re proud of him for standing his ground.
Scott and Jen continue with the same business at hand, nurturing our marriage, children and students. We were able to have a little fun this past year painting the outside of the house as a family (did I say fun?), heading to the beach, biking on the Virginia Creeper and American Tobacco Trail, visiting Biltmore, touring D.C. and spending lots of time with our family here. What an adventure life is, never a dull moment. We have been extremely blessed and recognize that our gifts come from our Heavenly Father and we pray that your lives are as richly blessed. We look forward so much to the rare opportunity of sharing our Christmas break with family in the West.
Love to you all,
Scott and Jen and family
