Pepere & Nana Mary,
Hello, my sweet grandparents! How I miss you. I had hoped to
visit you earlier in August with Auntie Fran, but unfortunately my budget, as
well as my schedule didn’t allow for it. As it’s been so long since I’ve seen
you, I thought I’d email you with an update of what I’ve been up to recently.
It’s my desire for you to know my heart, as well to get to know both of you
better.
Today
was the first day of my senior year of high school (I can hardly believe it)
and the summer leading up to this school year was absolutely swamped. I
frequently babysat for a number of families that go to our church and in June
my godparents, who own a management company for Christian musicians, invited me
for the third year in a row to accompany them on a retreat they hold for their
clients. My role was to be a nanny for the musicians’ children, and my best
friend, Chloe, and I joined them for a four day weekend in the Smokies and
cared for the kids during the day while their parents attended various workshops.
It was a wonderful experience, and I love being around such musically gifted
people who love Jesus as much as I do. Here’s a picture of me and some of the
artists:
Besides working, I got to spend a
lot of time with various friends groups. Some of my favorite things to do with
my friends include going to live shows (Nashville, being Music City, holds
quite a few free concert series), hiking, watching movies, picnicking on nature
trails, visiting coffee sops and bookstores. The weather has been gorgeous this
summer so I’ve spent absolutely every spare second outside, which I love!
Here’s a picture of me and a few friends at an outdoor concert in downtown
Nashville:
And here’s one I took of my favorite
local hiking trail:
Other than nannying and hanging
out with friends, I’ve begun to look at potential colleges and majors for next
year. I have a passion for speaking truth and a gift for writing, and I feel as
though I could be instrumental in reforming mainstream news media for a more
biblical worldview. I’m praying about specifically where God would have me, but
I have big dreams for using the gifts He has given me for His glory. I’m
looking into majoring in journalism, potentially with a double major in
political science. I was recently invited for a special tour of the University
of Missouri, and I had the privilege of sitting in on a live news broadcast.
Here’s a picture of Carly and I at the news desk after the broadcast:
Other than that, I’m looking
forward to the fun of my senior year. I’m part of a four-person leadership team
that heads up the Freshman Mentor Program at my school. The program is made up
of about 60 upperclassman who dedicate one class period a day to building
relationships with freshman students and helping them acclimate to the high school
experience. My favorite part is getting to meet new people and hear the stories
of freshman students who may otherwise be too shy to branch out. I recently met
a young girl named Priya who’s family moved from India and then France and has
a passion for travel. She’s very quiet but I hope to get to know her better and
be someone she can look up to and ask questions. I’ve been blessed to have been
poured into by Godly women from my church, and it’s such a blessing to be able
to extend that love to someone younger than me. I’m also involved in what’s
called The Movement. It’s a school club who’s mission is to bring awareness to
orphan care in the student community, as well as reaching out to local foster
homes and orphanages. The Ravenwood chapter is still small, but my friends Max,
Jesse, and I hope to see that change this year. As well as FMP and The
Movement, I’m still very much active in the theatre department. Here’s a photo
from April’s performance of Hello, Dolly
:
Other than that, I’m looking
forward to the fun of my senior year. I’m part of a four-person leadership team
that heads up the Freshman Mentor Program at my school. The program is made up
of about 60 upperclassman who dedicate one class period a day to building
relationships with freshman students and helping them acclimate to the high school
experience. My favorite part is getting to meet new people and hear the stories
of freshman students who may otherwise be too shy to branch out. I recently met
a young girl named Priya who’s family moved from India and then France and has
a passion for travel. She’s very quiet but I hope to get to know her better and
be someone she can look up to and ask questions. I’ve been blessed to have been
poured into by Godly women from my church, and it’s such a blessing to be able
to extend that love to someone younger than me. I’m also involved in what’s
called The Movement. It’s a school club who’s mission is to bring awareness to
orphan care in the student community, as well as reaching out to local foster
homes and orphanages. The Ravenwood chapter is still small, but my friends Max,
Jesse, and I hope to see that change this year. As well as FMP and The
Movement, I’m still very much active in the theatre department. Here’s a photo
from April’s performance of Hello, Dolly
:
And another from junior Prom:
I miss the two of you dearly and
hope to visit at some point. In the mean time, I thought I would give you a
glimpse of my life via email. So how are the two of you? How are the dogs?
Nana, are you still painting? I love you both very much and you hold a special
place in my heart despite the distance of years and miles. I will be praying
for you and I’m so glad to call you my grandparents.
Love,
Caetlyn
Ashley
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