My weekend was filled with daughter Emily and her son, Jonny (Jensen). Husband Nate spent two solid days laying concrete block to support the house they had moved when it's dropped.
Emily helped and I babysat. Therefore, I didn't get much done. But that's not what I'm writing about here.

I want to say how proud I am of my daughter--a parent's right!

Emily was my third daughter (now 33). She had tough acts to follow with two "valedictorian" sisters in high school, and college graduates (optometry and education). She barely made the top 50% of her class. She didn't participate in any extra-curricular activities like her sisters. Further, she was somewhat rebellious and got into a little trouble.

Emily lasted one year in college, had a series of bad boy friends, went to work as a dental assistant. Her boss offered her an opportunity to go to dental hygeinist school for two years. Her life turned around as she graduated and went back to work as a hygeinist.

In the meantime, she found Nate (actually, just before going back to college 120 miles away). Long distance relationships usually don't make it, but she perservered. I knew he was the "real deal".

Fast forward 10 years, and here we are: they're very happily married with one super son and one in the hopper.

But more than anything, although Emily was always basically a good girl just trying to find herself, she became a great young woman. She's a wonderful mother and wife.
Her work ethic is incredible. She has a full time job plus many hours of farm work and child raising. Her attitude is always upbeat, a smile on her face. She brought suppers to my house Sat. and Sun., then worked with Nate side by side laying block both days. Wow. I was so impressed.

She's going to quit her job mid April to "be pregnant" and be fulltime farm hand. (I'm happy one of my kids has the love of the land like I do.) The bottom line is, I couldn't be prouder of my daughter. She's struggled and has overcome many heartbreaks (including a miscarriage) in her young life. I have tears in my eyes thinking about my little girl all grown up, changing the world as only she can. You go girl!
xxxxxx