I've been dreading the day I would have to profile my daughters. Certainly NOT because they are any less in my mind, but because in a way, they are me. Okay, so maybe I'm getting a little philosophical here, but my daughters are my same sex. We have a bond that is impossible with the boys (the whole Mars/Venus thing I guess.) When they hurt, I hurt...when they are happy, I am happy, etc.,etc., etc.
Kerry was born in Ames, Iowa on July 24th, 1980. Her brother Kevin was only 18 months older, so I had two little babies. Amy was delighted to have the ultimate 'doll' to play with and if you ask her, SHE raised the two little ones. Steve was 10 and really couldn't understand what all the fuss was about...sure, another kid...so what...and a girl to boot! Big deal...and he was off becoming a pre-teen and running around the neighborhood with his best buddy. Me, I was just tired.
Kerry was different from Kevin at the git-go. While he was shy and easy going, she was inquisitive and a showman from the very beginning. When I asked Steve and Beth who are staying with me right now their impressions of Kerry, Steve said 'infectious laugh and ready to be with you in your idle time and have fun'. Beth's first impression of Kerry was at thirteen and her thought was 'loud'. I think the reason she said that was because when Kerry comes into a room, EVERYONE is aware of it. She is a force of nature. She is one of those lucky people that other people flock too. You can't walk through a mall with Kerry without strangers making comments to her, or randomly asking her advice. It just happens. I'm not sure why. It may be her head of golden-red hair that sets her apart, and that would explain why people notice her, but it goes deeper...it goes to her heart. She has a good and loving heart. Maybe that's it.
We moved to Beaverton, Oregon when Kerry was four. She loved to play with the neighborhood kids and spent most days at the park across the street. When she was 10 we moved to Salem, Oregon. By the time she got to middle-school (which was conveniently around the corner) she had met Emily Friess and they became best friends. The duo was joined by Jeanne Burke and became a trio. By high school they were inseparable.
The girls went everywhere together and had some great adventures. There was one time when I took the three of them to Canada for a road trip. I'm still not sure how they talked me into it, but we had a great time. At one point Kerry thought she saw a movie star on the streets of Vancouver that they were all in love with at the time so they piled out at a stoplight. I had to keep on driving. (this was before everyone had cell phones) so I circled several blocks for a long while hoping to find them again. I did, and all was well with the exception of the fact that it wasn't the movie star they thought it was. We went to the site of the Olympics and wandered around and saw some interesting sites. We also found some outlet malls with bargains we still talk about today. It was a good time.
After high-school they parted ways with Jeanne because they all had different goals by then. Kerry wasn't sure what she wanted to do, so she lived with her cousin Tammy for a year and acted as nanny for her two daughters, Kourtney and Kaela. Kerry went to college for a while after that and at the age of 21 decided to serve a mission. She spent 18 months in Chile and enjoyed that time very much. She came home and went back to school (changing her major many times) and then had the opportunity to go to Mexico with school on a work/study program. She did well at that and enjoyed the time and the opportunity to use her language skills. She went back to college, but came home after awhile because she couldn't seem to find exactly what she wanted to do with her life. I'm still trying to figure that out for myself and my life, so I don't worry about her a whole lot. Some of us are late bloomers and some of us will never bloom (talking about myself here) but it is what it is.
She and her sister started a business where they do personal shopping and style education for people. They found they were a great team, but they couldn't make enough money to live on, so the business has taken a back burner. She is now working a 'real' job where she has benefits and everything. She currently lives with her sister and her family, but is looking forward to the time she can purchase her own home.
As with all my profiles, this one barely scratches the surface of the incredible woman Kerry is. She is fun, spontaneous, soft-hearted, boisterous, loving, caring, awesome...and I could go on and on. I'm lucky to be her mom.
I'll have to edit this and post some pictures when I have access to them.
1 comment:
I'd like it noted that I'm still best buddies with Kerry and she is an absolute joy to be around. She's the best
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