So - It appears as if I have not blogged for about a year, almost to the day. So much has happened. Hope completed the AMTC program and performed at the SHINE conference in Orlando this past January. What an amazing experience! She is still in pursuit of acting, modeling, and singing opportunities. An agency in Minneapolis is representing her. (Her profile is here: Hope's page ) She was in two plays by CB Productions, which was by far her most favorite thing ever! (CB Productions) What a great group of kids and such a talented and dedicated director, Carla Barwineck. Hope also graduated high school. The transcript is all filled in, signed, and sealed. We did it. We home schooled her from Kindergarten age through high school and we all survived. Now what?
The original plan was to finish a second year of generals, having completed one year during high school as a PSEO student at University of Northwestern, St. Paul. She was planning on doing this at Dakota County Technical College and was even going to play softball for them. Then a wrench was thrown into the whole thing a little less than a month ago when we learned about Praxis. It is a highly selective training and apprenticeship program in marketing and sales. Hope has been so excited about it and grew more and more sure that she didn't belong in a college classroom. Imagine her disappointment when she heard back today that she was not accepted. Big bummer. However, after thinking it through and looking over the recommended information from Praxis, she has toughened her resolve to start pursuing a self-directed education in her areas of interest and to start building her own business. The world will think this is crazy, but she is dropping her classes at DCTC which she was supposed to start next week and she is excited to start creating a path of her own. She can reapply to Praxis in three months. Somehow, I think she will either find it unnecessary or they will accept her in a heartbeat. You go, girl! We are so proud of you!
So, I wrote the draft above before the emotional roller coaster had slowed down a little. From disbelief to sadness to anger to despondent to searching to the first draft of the plan....to the second....to the third, it has been a beautiful process to watch her turn to us and trusted friends in honest and open emotion... then turn to prayer in the prayer closet.....then turn to us again... then to resolve and optimism and excitement and, of course, hope. How appropriate.
The roller coaster ride is not over by any means. I don't think she wants to go through life riding the antique cars that break down, can't pass, and have to stay on the tracks at a slow speed. I hope she stays on the roller coaster. And I see now, as I look back to beginning with the end in mind, that it really is about who we become, not if we know how to properly diagram a sentence or find an integral.
Above all, the development of her as a person has been the biggest goal. We have our many years of involvement in personal development and out of the box entrepreneurial possibility thinking to thank for so much of who she is. Life has an amazing community of people and leaders that we have almost come to take for granted, but seeing the results in our older children has re-ignited the amazement and appreciation for its impact.
What were the goals when we started?
1) Learn to love to learn.
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2) Be a person of character.
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3). Work hard, never give up.
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4) Know Christ.
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We are so excited to see how she impacts the world around her for the better! The salt and the light.
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