A Season of Change

Thought I would take some time today and mix it up a bit and share with you what's been happening to the Smith family aside from my Bible Studies as well as Book and Product Reviews, which truly keeps me busy but it laying a firm foundation for our family's faith.

With my youngest, Kailee graduating this year as a Junior/graduating as a Senior, simply means she doubled up on her course work and completed two years in one so she could graduate early and hopefully begin her career in nursing a bit earlier than anticipated. Did I mention she graduated Valedictorian as well with a solid 4.0?  I am so proud of her, straight A's all through high school? Not an easy task to manage. She fell in love with the idea after my husband Steve's heart attack last year and felt God calling her to help. She has such a wonderful caregiver's heart and really had the chance to try out her angel wings a bit, when her boyfriend has leg corrective surgery and was hospitalized for a week with a long recovery time. It has challenged them both in their relationship aspects as they work through the limitations of free summer time, but without some mobility involved. Just causes them both to be a bit more creative. She is also preparing to get her driver's permit so that will mean another driver in the mix.

Since Kailee has graduated, it means that I graduated in a sense as well. It is hard to imagine that my life is changing as well. No longer do I have any more children to home school and when I think back on that, it makes me warm and fuzzy to know that I was there for 11 years of home schooling. I got to see where her strengths and weaknesses were but also see her overcome many of them. Now when September rolls around I get to prepare to spend a life with my husband more, something we never got to do when we married.

My oldest Caitlyn is well on her way in her career as a Cardiac Echo Tech, means she does ultrasounds of the heart and EKG's as well. She is based in Redlands hospital which is the same hospital she was born in. God's got quite the sense of humor to make that dream come true. She and her fiancè Steven are getting married in October this year in Wrightwood, so we are busy making wedding and bridal shower plans. The dress and venue as well as food has all been completed, so really it is just last minute preparations as family will make the trip in from the East coast soon. It also means a new addition to our family having Steven as my son. I don't use the terms inlaws because it sounds so outdated. He joins our family as a member, not an inlaw and we have loved having him for the last 4+ years during family events.

So where does that leave me? Besides continuing to streamline a lot of my book publishers, weeding out those who really aren't family friend and Christian, I have a host of product lines that have contacted me to try out their products and I can't wait to share them with you as well as Christian and family-friendly movies. Got travel plans with hubby after the October wedding and hope to bring you some of California's treasures as we venture forth on completing our California bucket list. Not sure what God has in store for our family, but we are always prepared to go wherever He calls. For now, just staying ever learning more about my faith in Jesus as I will be spending an eternity with Him, I want to know all about Him.

California is still suffering from horrible droughts again this year and so far not one summer thunderstorm. It gets downright depressing when you look at your Facebook feed and see how many days last year we had rain, but so far, nothing in the foreseeable future. That just makes me sad, because I am a rain lover at heart.

Well bloggers, that is all for now, got some chores to get done before picking up my youngest from her Beach Field Trip today. Hope she is having fun with her high school youth group! What are your summer plans?