Family Newsletter 2013 Part Two

Princess Four is 16 and FINALLY got her drivers license. Yahoo for me! She was forced to take the test a few weeks ago so I could visit with my new grand-daughter and now that she has it, she is NEVER home. She actually was never home before either but now; there are days I don’t leave the house as I don’t have to drive the girls around. 

I am enjoying that. It will be short lived as she is graduating soon and headed to college. She was elected Student Body President of the high school this year and has done an AMAZING job leading the students. She raised money for a student whose father passed away from a heart attack just before Christmas, as well as setting up dates for special needs kids all year keeping everyone involved. She went to Thailand on a service mission this summer and enjoyed that as well as four other camps dealing with leadership and finished up her fourth year on the drill team with her younger sister. She maintained her straight A’s and was offered a scholarship to several universities but has chosen to attend the college that her sisters all attended prior to a four year university. She has applied to be an ambassador and did well on the interview and we will find out soon if she gets accepted. She is doing musical theater and she and her sister sang the national anthem at a competition recently. She loves to sing and dance and is heading off on another choir tour in April. Her dream is to be a Disney Princess. I think she really could do anything she sets her heart on as she is amazing. I am excited to see where she goes from here. 

 

Princess Five is 14 and is taking the world on. She has enjoyed dancing this year with her sister but is itching to do  more so she started acting and had a dancing lead in the play “grease” this summer and she and her sisters danced at “Stadium of Fire” which is the show that the US sends to all their deployed troops around the world. She has straight A’s and has gotten several parts in the plays that are coming up at school and is also doing a duet with her sister called “If momma was married” for musical theater to compete in at region and state. I wonder if they are trying to tell me something by choosing that song but life is keeping me so busy, I don’t have time to date. 

 

She is thinking of trying something new next year and is contemplating doing cheerleading or swim team. She has lots of friends and is very social and is growing taller day by day. She had her wisdom teeth out and got braces on a few months ago and I wonder if anyone will recognize her in a year. She continues to play her guitar and sing and I LOVE hearing her sing when she is showering, vacuuming or doing the dishes when she doesn’t think anyone can hear her. It makes me smile each time. I am sure you will see her on the stage at some point acting, dancing and singing. She loves it all. 

I am still dealing with my mother’s health and drove the six hours a few months ago to take her to the ER as I just didn’t think she sounded well. She got 2 units of blood she was so anemic. She stayed in the hospital for a week and was diagnosed with a slow form of leukemia. She is struggling with short term memory loss and I worry about her. I spend lots of time organizing her things and gathering family history pictures, journals, movies, audio etc and scan it and then share it with the entire family. 

I did this through the year and found some wonderful video of my mother winning a beauty pageant and her grandparents and her siblings as children all in color from 1957. It was a golden find at my uncle’s home as he got it when my grandmother died and didn’t know he even had it. Working on these projects, as well as dealing with my mother’s health, along with having some of my own health issues have kept me busy this year. Driving the girls around has also taken me all over the state as well. I worked on my camp trailer for 9 months pulling out all windows, vents, & doors and put in new seals etc. I have learned so much and am just finishing up polishing it. We will enjoy using it this Easter as we camp with my family several times a year. 

I hope this letter finds everyone well. There have been some sad losses as my mother’s sister died of pancreatic cancer a few months ago and some other friends have passed on. It reminds me how fragile life is and how we should enjoy every moment. I truly KNOW I am blessed and give GRATITUDE daily in my life for all the blessings which I have. I hope you are as blessed in your life.