Biographical Non-Fiction posted November 30, 2018 |
My Amazing Niece
What I'm proud of
by Roxanna Andrews
I saw a contest entitled, 'What I'm Proud of and Why'. I missed the deadline but wanted to brag anyway. The rules didn't say it had to be something I had done myself, so I am going to write about my niece, Emily.
Emily is amazing, but she did not start out that way. We called her the baby from hell. Never before or since have I heard a child cry as loudly as Emily did, and she did it for three solid months. When my brother and his wife were looking for a babysitter, we all pretended we had left the country.
They took her to the doctor many times, knowing something had to be wrong for a child to cry like she did. The doctor finally told them, "There is nothing physically wrong with her. She is just very strong willed." Oh goody, just the words every parent wants to hear.
We realized after a time that her brain was much more advanced than her motor skills and she was frustrated all the time. Once her motor skills began to develop, we saw an astonishing transformation into a happy baby who rarely cried.
We again saw her frustration with her lagging motor skills when she was learning to walk. She seemed to think she should be able to walk perfectly the first time and never fall. Every time she did, she would let loose with a tirade of baby gibberish that we knew had to be cursing. She always had to have something in each hand when attempting to walk. I guess she thought it would help. Usually it was a pair of socks.
She was around adults most of the time so as a result never really talked baby talk. Her conversations were always very grown up and she would say the funniest thing.
My dad, her grandfather, had to be hospitalized and the doctors were not sure he would make it, so we called my brother to come. The family arrived rather late at night and Emily wanted to be in the bedroom my sister and I were using. We put her on blankets between the twin beds. It was pitch dark and quiet, all of a sudden Emily says, "I hope there is a place to get a decent donut in this town." She was four years old. (My dad survived, but it was a very long recovery.)
On one visit to see Emily, she was maybe five, we went to the mall and Emily wanted to go to the Disney store. Her mom said she could pick out one thing but it had to be under ten dollars. Good luck finding something that cheap in a Disney store. Anyway, she found a set of the seven dwarfs but it was fifteen dollars. My sis and I told her she couldn't have it because it was over the spending limit. "You're not going to be able to get them, Emily." We told her. "Watch me," she says. She goes up to her mom and starts crying. "Mom, I found something I really want but it's over the limit." She looked and sounded very pathetic, and guess what? Mom said, okay. As we were walking out of the store, she turned to my sis and me, puts her thumb up and says, "Told ya." We couldn't believe she did that! Little brat! Actually she was never a brat, not at all spoiled though an only child to parents who had plenty of money.
She went through some of the normal teenage phases but they were mild and short-lived. She was a very loving and caring person. When our youngest sister, Sherry, her aunt, was dying of cancer, Emily spent the night on the floor of her bedroom. Sherry died the next morning.
Emily began to develop into the woman we would be amazed by as an adult.
She is the first in my family to graduate from college, not only did she graduate but she got straight A's, (getting straight A's was something she had done her entire school life), and graduated with honors. She majored in microbiology and was asked to teach a class her senior year.
She got a job when she graduated, working for the county's police department doing forensics in their lab. The pay was great, but she wasn't enjoying the work. It was mainly dealing with drunk drivers and she had to testify in court, which she hated.
During this time, she submitted a paper on microbiology and was asked to present it at a conference of about a thousand forensic scientists. It was a great honor and because of this, she was given a huge raise in pay.
Around this time, she decided she wanted to go into cancer research. She changed jobs for much less pay, but more fulfilling work. She also got married to a wonderful man, and decided to go for her master's degree.
Last year she graduated at the top of her class while working full time. She is from California but took her classes online at the University of Florida. She, her husband, and parents flew out last September for the graduation. I live in Florida so got to enjoy them all for a week and see my niece graduate with her masters.
Because she graduated top of her class and was doing amazing work, her place of employment offered to pay for her to get her doctorate in Cancer Research. She applied and interviewed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and was accepted. She and her husband moved in July from California to Atlanta. A huge change for two California kids. Her employer is also paying her during this time and helping with her living expenses.
Emily's husband, Roger, has his own business maintaining websites so the move didn't affect his job. He is very good at what he does and his business is thriving. He is also an amazing carpenter and an all around great guy. He is the perfect husband for Emily.
Emily is excelling and has already distinguished herself in her lab classes that had to do with testing on rats, which she hated. You rotate every semester so she is leaving the rats behind for which she is most grateful.
We are of course extremely proud of her and at the same time wonder where she came from. We all have a theory that aliens dropped her off and the real Emily, the one like the rest of the family, is living in outer space somewhere.
We just spent Thanksgiving with her and her husband and had a wonderful time. They are so generous and sweet to my sis and I. For some odd reason they love having us two old ladies around. They think we are very funny.
I am so proud of this girl and love her so much. I am thankful for her every day. She truly is amazing. My Amazing Emily.
I saw a contest entitled, 'What I'm Proud of and Why'. I missed the deadline but wanted to brag anyway. The rules didn't say it had to be something I had done myself, so I am going to write about my niece, Emily.
Emily is amazing, but she did not start out that way. We called her the baby from hell. Never before or since have I heard a child cry as loudly as Emily did, and she did it for three solid months. When my brother and his wife were looking for a babysitter, we all pretended we had left the country.
They took her to the doctor many times, knowing something had to be wrong for a child to cry like she did. The doctor finally told them, "There is nothing physically wrong with her. She is just very strong willed." Oh goody, just the words every parent wants to hear.
We realized after a time that her brain was much more advanced than her motor skills and she was frustrated all the time. Once her motor skills began to develop, we saw an astonishing transformation into a happy baby who rarely cried.
We again saw her frustration with her lagging motor skills when she was learning to walk. She seemed to think she should be able to walk perfectly the first time and never fall. Every time she did, she would let loose with a tirade of baby gibberish that we knew had to be cursing. She always had to have something in each hand when attempting to walk. I guess she thought it would help. Usually it was a pair of socks.
She was around adults most of the time so as a result never really talked baby talk. Her conversations were always very grown up and she would say the funniest thing.
My dad, her grandfather, had to be hospitalized and the doctors were not sure he would make it, so we called my brother to come. The family arrived rather late at night and Emily wanted to be in the bedroom my sister and I were using. We put her on blankets between the twin beds. It was pitch dark and quiet, all of a sudden Emily says, "I hope there is a place to get a decent donut in this town." She was four years old. (My dad survived, but it was a very long recovery.)
On one visit to see Emily, she was maybe five, we went to the mall and Emily wanted to go to the Disney store. Her mom said she could pick out one thing but it had to be under ten dollars. Good luck finding something that cheap in a Disney store. Anyway, she found a set of the seven dwarfs but it was fifteen dollars. My sis and I told her she couldn't have it because it was over the spending limit. "You're not going to be able to get them, Emily." We told her. "Watch me," she says. She goes up to her mom and starts crying. "Mom, I found something I really want but it's over the limit." She looked and sounded very pathetic, and guess what? Mom said, okay. As we were walking out of the store, she turned to my sis and me, puts her thumb up and says, "Told ya." We couldn't believe she did that! Little brat! Actually she was never a brat, not at all spoiled though an only child to parents who had plenty of money.
She went through some of the normal teenage phases but they were mild and short-lived. She was a very loving and caring person. When our youngest sister, Sherry, her aunt, was dying of cancer, Emily spent the night on the floor of her bedroom. Sherry died the next morning.
Emily began to develop into the woman we would be amazed by as an adult.
She is the first in my family to graduate from college, not only did she graduate but she got straight A's, (getting straight A's was something she had done her entire school life), and graduated with honors. She majored in microbiology and was asked to teach a class her senior year.
She got a job when she graduated, working for the county's police department doing forensics in their lab. The pay was great, but she wasn't enjoying the work. It was mainly dealing with drunk drivers and she had to testify in court, which she hated.
During this time, she submitted a paper on microbiology and was asked to present it at a conference of about a thousand forensic scientists. It was a great honor and because of this, she was given a huge raise in pay.
Around this time, she decided she wanted to go into cancer research. She changed jobs for much less pay, but more fulfilling work. She also got married to a wonderful man, and decided to go for her master's degree.
Last year she graduated at the top of her class while working full time. She is from California but took her classes online at the University of Florida. She, her husband, and parents flew out last September for the graduation. I live in Florida so got to enjoy them all for a week and see my niece graduate with her masters.
Because she graduated top of her class and was doing amazing work, her place of employment offered to pay for her to get her doctorate in Cancer Research. She applied and interviewed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and was accepted. She and her husband moved in July from California to Atlanta. A huge change for two California kids. Her employer is also paying her during this time and helping with her living expenses.
Emily's husband, Roger, has his own business maintaining websites so the move didn't affect his job. He is very good at what he does and his business is thriving. He is also an amazing carpenter and an all around great guy. He is the perfect husband for Emily.
Emily is excelling and has already distinguished herself in her lab classes that had to do with testing on rats, which she hated. You rotate every semester so she is leaving the rats behind for which she is most grateful.
We are of course extremely proud of her and at the same time wonder where she came from. We all have a theory that aliens dropped her off and the real Emily, the one like the rest of the family, is living in outer space somewhere.
We just spent Thanksgiving with her and her husband and had a wonderful time. They are so generous and sweet to my sis and I. For some odd reason they love having us two old ladies around. They think we are very funny.
I am so proud of this girl and love her so much. I am thankful for her every day. She truly is amazing. My Amazing Emily.
Emily is amazing, but she did not start out that way. We called her the baby from hell. Never before or since have I heard a child cry as loudly as Emily did, and she did it for three solid months. When my brother and his wife were looking for a babysitter, we all pretended we had left the country.
They took her to the doctor many times, knowing something had to be wrong for a child to cry like she did. The doctor finally told them, "There is nothing physically wrong with her. She is just very strong willed." Oh goody, just the words every parent wants to hear.
We realized after a time that her brain was much more advanced than her motor skills and she was frustrated all the time. Once her motor skills began to develop, we saw an astonishing transformation into a happy baby who rarely cried.
We again saw her frustration with her lagging motor skills when she was learning to walk. She seemed to think she should be able to walk perfectly the first time and never fall. Every time she did, she would let loose with a tirade of baby gibberish that we knew had to be cursing. She always had to have something in each hand when attempting to walk. I guess she thought it would help. Usually it was a pair of socks.
She was around adults most of the time so as a result never really talked baby talk. Her conversations were always very grown up and she would say the funniest thing.
My dad, her grandfather, had to be hospitalized and the doctors were not sure he would make it, so we called my brother to come. The family arrived rather late at night and Emily wanted to be in the bedroom my sister and I were using. We put her on blankets between the twin beds. It was pitch dark and quiet, all of a sudden Emily says, "I hope there is a place to get a decent donut in this town." She was four years old. (My dad survived, but it was a very long recovery.)
On one visit to see Emily, she was maybe five, we went to the mall and Emily wanted to go to the Disney store. Her mom said she could pick out one thing but it had to be under ten dollars. Good luck finding something that cheap in a Disney store. Anyway, she found a set of the seven dwarfs but it was fifteen dollars. My sis and I told her she couldn't have it because it was over the spending limit. "You're not going to be able to get them, Emily." We told her. "Watch me," she says. She goes up to her mom and starts crying. "Mom, I found something I really want but it's over the limit." She looked and sounded very pathetic, and guess what? Mom said, okay. As we were walking out of the store, she turned to my sis and me, puts her thumb up and says, "Told ya." We couldn't believe she did that! Little brat! Actually she was never a brat, not at all spoiled though an only child to parents who had plenty of money.
She went through some of the normal teenage phases but they were mild and short-lived. She was a very loving and caring person. When our youngest sister, Sherry, her aunt, was dying of cancer, Emily spent the night on the floor of her bedroom. Sherry died the next morning.
Emily began to develop into the woman we would be amazed by as an adult.
She is the first in my family to graduate from college, not only did she graduate but she got straight A's, (getting straight A's was something she had done her entire school life), and graduated with honors. She majored in microbiology and was asked to teach a class her senior year.
She got a job when she graduated, working for the county's police department doing forensics in their lab. The pay was great, but she wasn't enjoying the work. It was mainly dealing with drunk drivers and she had to testify in court, which she hated.
During this time, she submitted a paper on microbiology and was asked to present it at a conference of about a thousand forensic scientists. It was a great honor and because of this, she was given a huge raise in pay.
Around this time, she decided she wanted to go into cancer research. She changed jobs for much less pay, but more fulfilling work. She also got married to a wonderful man, and decided to go for her master's degree.
Last year she graduated at the top of her class while working full time. She is from California but took her classes online at the University of Florida. She, her husband, and parents flew out last September for the graduation. I live in Florida so got to enjoy them all for a week and see my niece graduate with her masters.
Because she graduated top of her class and was doing amazing work, her place of employment offered to pay for her to get her doctorate in Cancer Research. She applied and interviewed at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and was accepted. She and her husband moved in July from California to Atlanta. A huge change for two California kids. Her employer is also paying her during this time and helping with her living expenses.
Emily's husband, Roger, has his own business maintaining websites so the move didn't affect his job. He is very good at what he does and his business is thriving. He is also an amazing carpenter and an all around great guy. He is the perfect husband for Emily.
Emily is excelling and has already distinguished herself in her lab classes that had to do with testing on rats, which she hated. You rotate every semester so she is leaving the rats behind for which she is most grateful.
We are of course extremely proud of her and at the same time wonder where she came from. We all have a theory that aliens dropped her off and the real Emily, the one like the rest of the family, is living in outer space somewhere.
We just spent Thanksgiving with her and her husband and had a wonderful time. They are so generous and sweet to my sis and I. For some odd reason they love having us two old ladies around. They think we are very funny.
I am so proud of this girl and love her so much. I am thankful for her every day. She truly is amazing. My Amazing Emily.
Recognized |
Picture of my beautiful niece and her handsome husband. This was an engagement picture. They've been married three years.
We all really do marvel at Emily and wonder where she came from. Much was expected of her from a young age. My brother, who ditched most of his high school days, was very stern with his daughter. She had better do well. But I know not even he expected her to do this well.
He had a very hard time letting her go. Her husband thought she was a run away bride at their wedding as she didn't come down the isle right away. My brother couldn't move. He was overcome by emotion at the thought of giving her away and he froze. She is saying, "Dad! We have to go!" He says, "Just give me a minute." He took many deep breaths and was finally able to move.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. We all really do marvel at Emily and wonder where she came from. Much was expected of her from a young age. My brother, who ditched most of his high school days, was very stern with his daughter. She had better do well. But I know not even he expected her to do this well.
He had a very hard time letting her go. Her husband thought she was a run away bride at their wedding as she didn't come down the isle right away. My brother couldn't move. He was overcome by emotion at the thought of giving her away and he froze. She is saying, "Dad! We have to go!" He says, "Just give me a minute." He took many deep breaths and was finally able to move.
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