Emily's 21st

On May 5th, Emily turned 21!

She was our 2nd granddaughter and 5th grandchild.

Emily is a very important part of this large family

and a very important part of this beautiful family.

I wrote about Emily last year on her birthday in this post and going there will lead to more links showing lots of pictures and stories about her.

So I'll just put a few pictures in here showing how she's changed through the years.

and talk about what's going on in Emily's very busy life right now.  She still shares a townhouse near her college campus with her friend Brooke and enjoys taking care of herself and her home.

She continues to go to school and in about a year she will be sporting another cap and gown because she graduates next spring from college with a Bachelor of Business Degree with a Major in Marketing.

Her hard work has paid off because she has a GPA of 3.7 and just made the Dean's List for the 3rd time.

She's working part-time at the Buckle (which she enjoys), going to school full-time, and saving her money the best she can (because it's extra hard with a 40% employee discount at The Buckle).  

One thing that Emily depends on, believes in, and recommends to everybody is having a planner and writing everything down.  Not only does it keep her on track but there's that feeling of accomplishment every time she crosses something off her list.

Emily's schedule is going to be heavy for awhile too.  She's on track to pick up 13 credit hours over the summer - 6 in the first term and 7 in the second and has been asked to do public relations for a school club next year based on a presentation she did on social media marketing.

Another important fact about Emily is that she enjoys coffee - hot

or cold.

But all kidding aside, the most important things about Emily are not her grades, her work ethic, or her love for coffee.  The most important things about Emily are her sincerity, her sweet and loving personality, and her loyalty to family and friends.  She's also motivated, smart, and practical.  I heard her conversation with her mother when she described her celebration on her 21st birthday.  She said she was not crazy, had a few drinks, and spent the evening with a lifelong friend who came to town to help her celebrate.

Emily has always been so sweet and quirky and fun.  We miss little Emily 

but we're excited about and looking forward to re-connecting with adult Emily.  

And we're proud of her and love her so much!  We can't wait to see what the future holds for her!  And of course we're happy that she had a wonderful birthday and we're hoping the coming year is her best one yet but only half as amazing as the many more to come

Happy Birthday, wonderful Emily!  It's a little late but it couldn't be more heartfelt!

Photo credits go to Emily's friend Zoe.