This is Lynette, my second daughter. She is my horse crazy one. Horses were her passion from the time she knew what they were. She finally got to start riding lessons when she was around eight. Ever since, she’s been at “the barn” whenever she could get a ride.

She also plays the piano and decorates cakes. She participated in our city’s  peer court program for about five years, gradually going from observer to attorney. This program created in her a desire to study law. She’s a voracious reader and has written a book review blog since she was 16. Check it out at escapingrealitybookreview.wordpress.com

Last year, she graduated with an associate’s degree from our local community college, and left to serve a mission for our church. She is currently in Provo, Utah, and will come home next June.

Between school and horses, she also completed a couple of quilts for the KeepsakeQuilting Kids Challenge, and for our local show. Just to warn you, the following photos are taken at the show with horrible lighting and with a simple camera, so they are not the best!

She won third place with this one in 2012:

And this one, though she had help from Elaine and her best friend Karlotte. This was also a third place winner:

Later, when she went to a convention where Dean Caine was appearing, she took the quilt to show him. He was suitably impressed and took extra time with her

That was pretty much the last quilt she made. She’s been much too busy with school, court, horses, and social life to sit behind a sewing machine.

Last January, she left home for the first time to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It’s kind of funny that she ended up in the Provo, Utah mission, but she is loving it. For her birthday,  I made her this little art quilt. It’s from a pattern by Carrie over at believemagic.com. It’s supposed to be her standing in front of the mission home in Provo.

And here is the photo she sent me:

I miss her, but I am so proud of her for what she is doing! And she is halfway through already. She will be coming home in June, and then by this time next year, she will most likely be back in Provo as a student at BYU.

Wasn’t it just last week that I held her in my arms as a newborn, surprised that I gave birth to a redhead? And what a beautiful red-head she is!