Erin is 17!

Erin turned 17 yesterday! She had a fun 3-part celebration, beginning with seeing The Sound of Music at the DPAC on the 11th. It was great! Then, Grandma and Grandpa A., Aunt Leslie, and Ansley came up for a birthday lunch on the 18th, combined with Ansley's swim meets in Chapel Hill that weekend. We had a fun Bojangles lunch, cake, and presents! Finally, she had a day of her favorite foods on the 23rd (including Mexican for dinner complete with singing, and cupcakes at home after) and took cookies to school to share with her friends. 

She has had a BIG year, and we could not be more proud of her. The biggest change this year is driving. She has successfully learned how to drive and how to navigate these crazy roads around here, and she is 100% independent in getting herself to/from work, to/from piano (with passenger Laney, who is in the same piano club), and to/from school (with Anna). This is a huge accomplishment, and we are extremely proud of her. She is good at driving at night, in the rain, in the never-ending road construction, and (possibly the worst) in the sun! She likes driving the white Accord; it's comfortable, gets good gas mileage, and has good visibility. She also likes the safety sensors/cameras. She often makes detours from her route to get gas or make a treat stop at some of her favorite places. Independence is wonderful!

Also this year, Erin has taken the SAT twice after completing a 10-week summer prep course, and she did great! She's taking a difficult course load at school, including 2 AP classes, this year. So far, everything is going well. She continues to enjoy piano lessons; this year, she is taking lessons with Ms. Cheryl because of scheduling. She continues to be involved with the Service Beakers club at school where they plan and carry out science lessons for local elementary schools. She's one of the leaders of the club since she's been involved with it for 3 years now; she gets to present the lessons to the kids, which she likes a lot!

She loves working at Harris Teeter as a cashier; she's been there for over 7 months now! She's been recognized several times for having outstanding customer service (she gets free food each time!), and she's got several regular customers who seek her out when they shop. Learning to deal with the boss/scheduling, the interview and training process, and job tasks was a lot, but she has done amazing (and has saved a lot of money)! 

If it isn't evident already, Erin works VERY hard. She is truly an inspiration to us, to her friends, and to everyone around her. She never gives up, and she always gives her very best effort, even in doing something that is difficult for her or something that she doesn't want to do. She isn't afraid of challenges like driving, taking honors English, or applying for/interviewing for/learning a brand new job requiring dealing with the public. She's currently working on a lengthy application for Governors School, which includes at least 3 essays, one of which is in Spanish, and a video of herself speaking Spanish! These things are not easy, and she does an amazing job of budgeting her time, keeping at it, asking for help when she needs it, and seeing things through. It is not uncommon to see her studying on weekends for tests the following week between work shifts. She's been doing an independent bible study on her own all year, reading the bible every day without fail, just because she wanted to. On top of her diligence, she is incredibly organized.

Erin is also a wonderful friend. She has kept her closest friends from grade school and has made many new ones. Her friends often go to her for help with homework, scheduling, and other problems. She is caring, trustworthy, and loyal, and they can see it. 

It's going to be a great year ahead: continuing the college search (in addition to everything else that she does, she's already toured 5 colleges officially in the past year, visited many others, attended college fairs and lunch seminars at school, and done countless hours of research on her own) and keeping up with her growth in so many areas. We are proud of her, are inspired by her, and love her so very much.