Jared

Today is Jared's 22nd birthday!

Jared was our 4th grandchild and 3rd grandson.

He is an important part of this very large family

and of course an important part of this very wonderful family!

I wrote about Jared in this post last year and visiting there will lead you to all the links from his previous posts.  These posts are full of pictures through the years and little facts about what was going on in his life at various times

so I'll just post a few 'through the years' photos here:

and talk about what's been going on in his life during the past year.  First of all, he started the year in Gulf Shores for the holidays with his big extended family.

and he's looking forward to going back again this year because he's always excited to reconnect with his family (and that's a quote).

When he returned home from Gulf Shores, he continued his studies

until summer break when he was able to spend some time with mom and (step)dad in Pella, Iowa

and reconnect with his sister, Emily, and brother, Ryan.

Then it was back to school where he's majoring in Econ and minoring in Management.  He likes Econ but isn't so much a fan of Science.   Graduation should be in August of 2018 and he's hoping that he'll be able to stay in Nebraska afterwards - depending on the job market.

Jared is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the National Leadership Society and when time allows, helps out with their events.

When he does relax, two of his favorite bands are Metallica and Iron Maiden and he's recently attended both their concerts - in fact just one month apart.

He's had a busy year and he's stayed focused on his studies and his future which is SO Jared.  But there's lots more I have to add about Jared.  He's hard working, loyal, dedicated, sweet, loving, and smart.  He loves animals, relatives, and hanging out with his brother.

And he's one of the best all-around people you'd ever want to meet.  We love Jared and we're incredibly proud of him.  For these reasons and so many others, we're wishing him the best birthday EVER but one only half as great as the many more to come!

Happy Birthday, Jared!