Kakalina

I'm so proud of my sister, Kakalina!

Not only is she a lovely dancer, a beautiful lady, and lovable as all get out, but now she is also a high school graduate and college bound.

I wish so much that I could be in Clovis with my family right now. It makes my heart hurt. So I'm just passing the time, waiting for the ceremony to finish so I can get on the phone and talk to all of them.

K will never see this so I'm going to list 10 ways that she has impressed me in this last year.

1. K is a lovely dancer. Last summer she decided to go to a ballet intensive instead of going to Europe. She is so dedicated.

2. K has become a good student. She used to use dance as a scapegoat for not doing well in school. She used the excuse that she didn't have time for homework or school-related things because dance was a higher, more worthy priority for her valuable time. She found a way to do both--finally! Except she actually did loosen up on the dancing a bit.

3. K has really good friends. There were times when she struggled to mesh with friends who hold the same values. Even now she isn't very close with girls her age in the Church. She found good Christian friends who have been a good influence on her.

4. K went to EFY--and liked it! Thanks to Kenneth Cope, she has gone two years in a row to our Stake EFY. This year, as a senior, she took more of a leadership role. She participated and enjoyed the experience. She may even like the Church, but this is still to be determined.

5. K is interested in church and is trying to make sense of it. She is taking baby steps, or so it would seem, to understand faith. Not much else I can say about that at present.

6. K is a peacemaker. For most of the last five years, K has been the topic of contention at home. She has a lot of fire in her and is perfectly content stirring the pot. My mom said that in her baby blessing she was blessed to be a peacemaker. This quality seemed out of place until the last year. She tries to find common ground with whomever she's in contact.

7. K is so fashionable! It's been fun to see her develop her own style. She's way past the phase where she has to dress the same as other girls to fit in. She can pretty much where anything, which makes it easy for her to adapt to new styles and trends.

8. K talks to me like a friend. I know she loves me, because I'm family, but I've enjoyed becoming her friend. She talks to me about her plans for the future and gets advice on how to prepare for college. She also listens to me talk about work, boys and even the weather in DC.

9. K is a baker. The concoctions keep coming and yet she is thinner than ever. At Christmastime she is in high demand to provide goodies for our friends and family.

10. K is going to college. She has made a wise decision to stay in Clovis for the next two years and complete general studies at a junior college. Her plans are to transfer to a university after that. Despite her desires to study in SoCal, she has decided to first save money and then spend the money at a school that she really wants to attend.

So, basically I love this girl.

beck