Tribute to Brooke

So, we reached another milestone in our lives at the beginning of June when our second child graduated from high school. Time is FLYING by and I just don't know how to slow it down! I vividly remember two years ago at the same time of year trying to wrap my head around the fact that Seth was graduating, and now we've done it again. It seems to be a little bit harder this time because Seth was so ready to fly the coop, see the world, start a new adventure, and we were excited for him. Brooke is not nearly as excited to leave home and she's not one who likes change very much. So, naturally, that makes it harder as a parent to let her go. But, I know this is something she needs and will love even though she is going so far away from home.

So, if you are at all put off by parents bragging about their kids then I suggest you stop reading right now. Brooke is one of the greatest kids we could ask for and one of the hardest working people I know so I'm going to toot her horn, just for a minute. She deserves it.

Brooke had a great senior year. First of all, all of her hard work, on and off the field and court, really paid off and she was a soccer and basketball standout. She was the heart of her soccer team and she scored almost 1,300 points on the basketball court. She loved her coaches and her teammates and appreciated the "family" bonds she developed with them. She's just so fun to watch because she is so intense and competetive and tough. Sometimes we worried that she was so intense that she didn't have enough fun at what she was doing. That's a balance she tried to work on. She got mangled and beaten up so many times out there but she never let it get her down. We heard a comment from someone that Brooke is the toughest athlete, male or female, in our high school for the past couple years. She's always had that competetiveness about her. We couldn't even play Candyland with Brooke because she would get so mad if she didn't win. We tried to work on it then, too. But, I admire her drive and her work ethic.

Brooke held several leadership positions, received many awards, excelled in school and graduated as Valedictorian. She loves chorus and loved playing "Frenchy" in the school musical "Grease" this past spring. She graduated from early morning Seminary (a scripture study class before school every day) and earned her Young Womanhood Recognition Award.

There's a lot more I could say about Brooke and those are wonderful things that Brooke has accomplished, but we would be just as proud of her without any of those accolades because Brooke is just a good person. She has always had a very strong sense of right and wrong and she just shies away from things that aren't good for her. So much so that she cannot sleep if she has done something wrong. We've never had to worry about where Brooke was or when she'd be home. She's never really even had a curfew. Don't get me wrong, she's not perfect. She hardly ever makes her bed, she leaves the bathroom kinda messy, and she's wrecked two of our vehicles (okay, one of them she says a deer ran into her). But, Brooke is a beautiful young woman who brings a wonderful spirit into our home and we will surely miss her this fall when she goes away to college.

#10 - Midfield:

Battle scars:


Brooke received the game ball after making her 1,000th point. Here she is with her coach:

It was so awesome to watch our Freshman and Senior play on the same team for a year:

The big day:

Brooke and Caitlyn have been best friends since 7th grade. They are like two peas in a pod and have literally never had a fight. We are so grateful for Caitlyn and that she has been a true friend to Brooke. Good luck, Cait!!




What a wonderful life you have ahead of you, our little Brookie! Congratulations! And always remember, we love you!!