#wcw

 As I sit here looking at the pictures of my sweet little sister sending her little girl off to Mexico on an airplane, I can't help but be so proud of the amazing women in my family. Tami basically raised all of us after our Mom died, even though I was the oldest. It's always emotional to send a missionary out, but even more so for Tami right now, and she's been amazing, strong and so supportive of Kylie's decision. My Grandma has had to endure the death of both of her parents on the same day, Valentine's Day, no less. She is one of the last two remaining siblings in a huge, loving family of 10 kids, she held my Grandpa in her arms as he died in their home, and she has had to bury 3 of her own 5 children. It's hard to understand why the Lord has asked so much of her. Tara. Oh, Tara. I'm not sure why, of all my Mom's 7 kids, she was the one I adopted as my own the minute she came home from the hospital, but, man, did I love that little girl. Tara has the most open, welcoming home of anyone I've ever known, and she doesn't define family by bloodlines. I tell her all the time that I want to be more like her, and some of the proudest moments I've had in the past two years are times when I've been able to face situations in the way that she taught me to do by her example. Tawni... for five years, I watched her heartache and anguish as she wanted so badly to be a Mom, and it just wasn't happening for her. When her amazing three boys finally joined her family one after another, she did and still does cherish each and every moment with them, knowing better than anyone what a precious blessing it is to be a Mom. Every decision Tawni makes is one that will best benefit her cute little family and the older she gets, the more she reminds me of our Mom. Sweet little Tawni gets so fired up about baseball games, it's just like watching Becky at the ball park. And Suzie is just finally starting to come out of the shell that life had given her, working on her Master's degree and learning that she CAN do hard things, living on her own and being exactly who our Heavenly Father wanted her to be. I remember so well how great it was to spend the night at Aunt Suzie's when I was a little girl. Then when life was so hard for me after Mom died, she welcomed me into her home in Spokane where I was able to regroup and get it together. Thank you Suzie. There are some who aren't in the picture, too, like my precious, beautiful daughter Ashli, my new daughter- in -law McKenna, sisters-in-law Joey and Michelle, Carreen, who is really too young to be my aunt, and of course my Aunt Joey and sweet Mom who have both passed away. I love this family and I'm SO proud to come from a long line of strong, courageous and determined women, and so glad that the line continues with the new women who come along. We're pretty awesome.