I Dare You To Eat It

Each of our five daughters will be graduating from something this year. People have told me that I should have put pictures of the girls in my book. Their point is that these faces somehow illustrate that you can raise ”normal” kids on food storage. (?) So, in that spirit, I’m going to indulge in a bit of Card family show and tell. (Twelve years since the last Christmas letter? Brace yourself.)

Samantha is our oldest and she’s really this happy because there are only 5 more weeks remaining before she graduates from Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon with a double Master’s degree in Art Therapy and Counseling. This past year, Sam worked as in intern therapist with incarcerated boys and then senior adults suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Her thesis is about using narrative and art therapies in addressing the underlying effects of complex trauma in the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Dependence within the prison setting. Samantha has been through a very difficult and yet wonderful year. We couldn’t be happier for all her accomplishments.

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Hailey and Sarah, with 8 minutes between them, are next in line. They’ve both just graduated from Brigham Young University. Out of almost 7,000 graduates, these two “scrimps” were the only one’s that didn’t get the memo about wearing dresses. Not that I care, but seriously how does that happen?

Sarah graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in family and community studies and a minor in international development. Since interning with with a local NGO for the last few months, Sarah has planned a trip to El Salvador this summer. While there, she will work on several sustainable development projects which include, micro-credit loans, square foot gardening, family preservation programs, and teaching English. This is just one more adventure Sarah will add to her list of international development work. Her terrific husband, Michael, is going to miss her, and so will we.

Then we have Rosemary, and the dog. Rosie has been attending Dixie State College and will be “graduating” (transitioning) to Brigham Young University in the Fall. Beyond the education gained while modeling in New York, Milan, Singapore, and Japan, we’re so happy that Rosie  began her college career with three semesters of straight A’s. She also received an Ambassador’s Scholarship and worked part-time giving campus tours and helping with P.R. and student events. Not just another pretty face. Right now, her flavor of the month is Broadcast Journalism but Rosie will work hard in whatever goal she chooses.

And finally there’s Elizabeth. She’s the last of the little guys.

And Lizzie is graduating from 6th grade! Next, the adventure called Jr. High. Always a trip. We know she’s up for both the challenge and fun. Lizzie is finishing this school year strong even after attending two different Elementary schools, in two different states. What began as a sacrifice proved to be an adventure. Living in Oregon for four months blessed her life with some great new friends and a broader perspective.

I’m probably not the one to say whether or not they’re normal. I think they’re terrific and yes they’ve eaten food storage, all along the way.  Just sayin.

Congratulations girls. We love you very much! Mom and Dad

Tags: provident living, smart cookies, you are what you eat

This entry was posted on Monday, May 4th, 2009 at 2:18 pm and is filed under Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.