What a Woman!

My oldest child is not only my daughter, but my best friend! (along with my other children) She is amazing! She has high expectations of herself and never disappoints. 

It's given me great satisfaction and enjoyment watching her grow through the years into the confident and beautiful woman she is today. She is a mother, a daughter, a wife, a nurse. She may be my child, but she has the characteristics and qualities that even I, her mother, look up to with love, respect, and adoration.

What have I learned from her?

1. Think big and follow your dreams!

2. When making a plan, doing a project, deciding the future – stick with it and follow through until it’s done.

3. Think before you speak.

4. Pay attention to detail.

5. Be patient and kind.

6. Think it, create it, make it!

When she was just a little girl, about 8 years old, she knew what she wanted to do in life. She made a plan and followed that dream her entire life. She’s been a nurse for 16 years and decided to further her education a couple of years ago. Her acceptance into the U of U will allow her to practice in the way she has always dreamed... or pretty close to it! She really wanted to be a bush pilot doctor in Alaska. That is until marriage and children came knocking on her door. She adjusted life accordingly. She has served diligently as a nurse in the Emergency Room and in Home Health. When she is done with school, she will be a FNP DNP (Family Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice). I’m so proud of her! The sky is the limit for this girl. She knows how to chase her dreams, yet be realistic about it. Nothing gets in her way!

Oldest daughter, Kelsey (on right) with younger sister, Shaniel (who we lost last year) - two nurses!

Oldest daughter can sew like no other. More often than not, she envisions a specific look, a design that can’t be found anywhere. So… she designs her own pattern and makes it look like a professional did it! She sewed her youngest sister’s wedding dress, countless blessing and baptism dresses, and beautiful Easter and Christmas dresses for her daughter, nieces and friends. Not to mention the quilts she has designed and made. She is so talented and attentive to detail. She’s a pro!

When she starts a project, she finishes it. Something her mother has a hard time with. She saw a painted dining room set she really wanted. Rather than spend the $800 for it, she found a table and chair set on the local classifieds for $50 and did it herself. It turned out amazing! Another talent that she has not wasted.

She’s been painting her house the last couple of months. She muds, sands, tapes, primes, and paints to perfection! Her work looks better than most pros! Another attention to detail.

She knows how to grow the most beautiful garden. She plants like it’s an art project. She not only grows her own food, but she preserves it. She is thrifty.

My heart swells with pride watching her mother her children. When the kids were younger, she amazed me every time I saw her bend down on her knees, to their level, so she could look them straight in the eye when they needed disciplining. She did it in such a way that the kids both listened and learned a lesson. How did she always get the results she wanted? With both love and firmness, always using a calm, soft tone of voice. The kids are teenagers now. She doesn't have to bend down to look them in the eye anymore. She can do it straight on! And still gets the same results! She has an extreme amount of patience. Nothing ruffles her feathers! I adore this quality in her. It makes my heart so happy. 

My oldest daughter is knowledgeable, dependable, persistent, creative, fun, thrifty, professional, and talented! And, can be very influential... especially on her mother!

You might think I painted a picture of near perfection. Well… she is what she is! I am a lucky mama.

picture, top - patterns she designed to make the skirt, blouse, and dress she and granddaughter are wearing in the photo just below it. Her beautiful garden. bottom - painted dining room set. So country!

My oldest child.. my beautiful daughter, my friend... Kelsey.

Writing prompt #4: List 6 things you've learned from your oldest child.

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