7 years ago -- June 2002

I can't let June pass on without acknowledging something amazing that happened to me in this month, 7 years ago. (Wow...did I really just say SEVEN YEARS?!) Growing up, for reasons that are not even important anymore, I did not know my father. I knew who he was, I knew where he lived, I knew about my three sisters, I knew where my older sister worked, and I even called his house a few times (though I could never figure out what to say, so I would hang up!). Well, one happening lead to another, and I ended up meeting my two younger sisters. Kayla was 11 and Allie was 9 at the time. I was 17. Not long after that, I met my father. About two days after that, we got together with my oldest sister at a local restaurant. The funny thing about this part is, I knew who Elizabeth was. I knew where she worked during high school (at Wal-Mart), and I would always go in there and check out at her. We had the exact same glasses, exact same style and color, and one time I said, "Hey, look! Our glasses are exactly the same!" but what I really wanted to do was tell her who I was. She knew about me, but I was worried. We would have conversations and giggle with each other for the two minutes it took me to check out at her register.

When I met my family, I was 17, getting ready to graduate high school. Elizabeth was 21, had been married to Kyle for 2 years, and their little girl, Raven, was just 3 months old. Kayla was 11 and Allie was 9. Now here we are...I'm 24, have been married to Michael for almost 4 years now, and we have an almost-two-year-old little girl, Sara Faith. Elizabeth and Kyle have been married for almost 9 years. My smart, fun-loving, quiet niece Raven is 7 and there has been a beautiful, headstrong, ball of fire addition since then -- William is 5 now. Kayla is 18, has graduated high school, moved off to Mississippi and will be starting college in the fall. She is aspiring to be a Pediatric Oncologist. She has grown into a beautiful young Southern woman, with intelligence that takes my breath at times. She is likely the most responsible of us girls, and has her head on straight as an arrow. Allie is 16, going into her Sophomore year of high school. She is smart as well, with a particular insight to things that makes me proud. She is a star softball player, and the Varsity team is lucky to have her. She also is proud of her Southern roots, and for that I am thankful. My Daddy continues to be the strong beam of support that we always look to when life gets tough. He is Papaw to his three beautiful grandchildren, and likes to say that before it's all over with, he will have the best football team out there. I'm okay with that....so long as they bleed Crimson! We have been through a lot of heartache, but the smiles, laughter, and fun have far outweighed the bad times, and they are forever imprinted in my memory.

I love ya'll!