Fifteen

Our sweet, funny, stubborn, athletic, beautiful Emily is fifteen today and what a year she's had.  She started her year as an 8th grader and ended it on the eve of final exams as a freshman.  She has embraced absolutely everything about high school - from her hard won position as a starter on the varsity soccer team (a dream come true), to her ever-increasing circle of friends, to the rigor of her academic courses - Emily has absolutely thrived.  She has also dealt with the constant changes and disappointments of COVID better than almost anyone we know.  When sports were "paused" over the winter, she hit the gym with a vengeance and came back in the spring stronger and faster, and with a killer throw in.  When her lacrosse team was quarantined and she had to take classes online, she made the best of it, cooking breakfasts and lunches for herself, such that her teachers always wanted details about what she was making.  We have watched her blossom as a person as her friend group grows - she is well-liked by school friends and her soccer friends and they are all always looking for ways to spend as much time together as possible.  She is fun and easy to be around 95% of the time, although she's an absolute terror the other 5%. We have enjoyed watching her grow this year and cannot wait to see what the future holds for her.