Graduation

It has been oh so long since I have blogged! I have thought about it often but never put fingers to keys to accomplish the job. 

The girls and I have been out of school for a little over a month now. Yeah, I have not kept up with writing since my new-found summer freedom. Even though we got out of school on May 27th my summer was a bit delayed in getting started while I dealt with some oral surgery gone wrong. But things are better and I am better and rather enjoying my time off at home! 

I am going to do a few blog posts to catch up on the things that have been going on beginning with Abigail's graduation...

Abigail graduated from high school on May 29th. Oh, what a bitter sweet day!

She did it!

That graduation smile!

 Abigail's hat decorated with sea glass...That was one heavy hat but she managed to keep it on her head! :)

Abigail & Annah

Mom & Abigail

Dad & Abigail

Group picture

Andrew, Jacob, Elizabeth Lindmark, Abigail, Annah, Mom & Dad

A celebration dinner at Chik-Fil-A :)

I did a little bit of an ugly cry when I saw what Abigail wrote on the inside of her graduation hat. I am pretty certain they were watching. 

The day after graduation there was a joint party for the group of kids from church that were graduating. Lots of people came to wish the graduates well on their next adventure.

Friends: Daniel, Ashley, Melanie, Abigail and Timmy

This picture just cracked me up of Abigail and Timmy! They have known each other since they were babies!

When Abigail was a little girl she loved dogs and horses. She wanted a horse so badly! She asked why she couldn't have a horse and I told her that it wouldn't fit in our backyard. Thinking about that she told me that we could just use the field behind our house. :)  I told her we couldn't because that wasn't our property. She was discouraged by my answers to her plans for getting a horse. In her frustration she pleaded, "Well, how am I going to have a horse??"

I had to think for a second and then replied, "When you grow up you will just have to marry a farmer so you can have a horse!"

She was very quiet. I could see her thinking about what I said. Suddenly her face lit up and she said, "Brother Thomas is a farmer... I could marry him!" 

Brother Thomas was a man in our ward who did indeed have a few horses and had a small farm where he grew tobacco and later soy beans. He was also a lawyer but Abigail only knew him to be a farmer. :)

This is David Thomas giving Abigail a ride on his 

horse, Missy, when she was 6 years old. 

(a few years after she decided she could marry him because he was a farmer.)

David was at the graduation party and we just *had* to 

have a picture nearly 12 years later. :)

Abigail now has a job at Cracker Barrel and will leave mid-August to attend Brigham Young University-Idaho. Jordan and McKenna are also at BYU-I so we feel better knowing that they are there to take care of her. :)

It's uncharted territory for all of us as Abigail leaves and Annah becomes the only child at home. Annah has never been an only child before and it's been a lot of years since we have had only one at home! But we will embrace the changes that are ahead for each of us and remember the adage, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" :)