Tulip Festival

Rachel, Ivy and I had fun at the tulip festival! It is so beautiful. 

Family Update

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This is our family update I wrote for the Kindred Konnection newsletter. Though I would include it here....

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Hey family! So fun to read about everyone’s activities and interests! Here is a little update about me and my family.

Let's begin with Stefanie! She absolutely loves the college lifestyle. Living on her own with lots of fun roommates and friends suits her perfectly. But she also loves living close to home so she can pop in whenever she gets hungry or when her laundry basket is overflowing. She enjoys the college dating scene—especially when someone takes her out to something cool like a Jazz playoff game.  She works part-time at the Provo mall at Dillards. If you stop by to see her at the cosmetics and fragrance counter she will give you some samples of the nicest perfumes or colognes. Needless to say, she always smells so very lovely. As for actual college, she has decided to pursue a career in the medical field.  Her major is radiation technology, which means she is studying how to perform x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, and MRIs. She transferred from UVU to SLCC because they have a good program for her there. This summer she will become a CNA so she can work in a hospital while she pursues her degree.

Braden is as free-spirited as ever. He has a thirst for travel which has taken him all over the world. He finds the best deals on flights and is always planning his next adventure. Last month he and Stefanie went to London to see the sights. They saw Buckingham Palace, the London Bridge, went to an English Premier soccer game, St. Peter’s Cathedral, and even walked the famous crosswalk on Abbey Road. What a fun experience for these two adventurous siblings! On their way home they had a long lay-over in Iceland so they rented a car and toured for 24 hours. Who needs sleep when there are adventures to be had?!  In January Braden moved to Sacramento to work for a solar company called EnLight Energy. He is doing great and will soon be transferred to San Francisco as a manager. We wish he lived closer to home, but he comes back to Utah every couple of months and we are planning make a trip out to see him sometime this summer. He works hard and plays hard and always has entertaining stories to share.

Kent switched schools this last year. He had been teaching at Copper Hills High School for 18 years and loved it there. But when a basketball coaching opportunity opened up for him he jumped at it. He now teaches at Herriman High School and is the head girls’ basketball coach.  In his first season his team went 14-7 and went on to win the first ever state playoff game in school history for girls' basketball.  His team should be just as good if not better next season. He loves being in charge again. He will be busy all summer with practices, tournaments and camps. This year he will also help out with the Herriman High School cross country team. He looks forward to running with his team all summer and fall.

Rachel and George are busy being parents to a very active 1-year-old. Sweet little Ivy is walking and climbing on everything. She loves hanging out with her Grandma and Grandpa because she gets our undivided attention and we give her everything she wants, haha. George has been studying hard and will soon graduate with a degree in IT Security. It has been a long three years of holding a full time job at 4Life while being a full time college student. The job hunt in his new career will soon begin! We hope and pray they will stay close to us here in Utah. Rachel loves staying home with Ivy and is so excited for the warmer weather! For Christmas we got her a season pass to Thanksgiving Point and she can’t wait to spend time with Ivy this summer at the gardens, the farm and the museums. She also started a new little business called Ivy Sign Design. She creates these cute chalkboard signs and George makes the frames. You can see some of her adorable creations HERE on Instagram.

As for me, I love being a first grade teacher at Lehi Elementary. It makes me so happy to see the spark that my little students get when they make a new discovery or master a skill they have been working on.  Teaching little ones to read and write fills my bucket! I love spending my days with these curious and funny six-and seven-year-olds. This is my fifth year of teaching first grade, and I have an awesome, adorable class this year. They are super smart and love to learn. So for next year I decided to move up with them! There was an opening at my school in 2^nd grade and I was asked if I would like to make that change.  Some of my students may have me as their teacher for two years in a row! In November I had the opportunity with a few of my colleagues to go to Atlanta for four days of professional development and training. In the evenings we got to tour the city and see the sites, what a fascinating and historical city! It was a fun experience.

So that is a little summary of the Smiths! We look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion this summer. Love you all!