The Phoenix People

As I mentioned, Ashley and Mike have four children. Tom, their oldest, is a Summa Cum Laude electrical engineering graduate of Arizona State University as is his wife Kirsten. She works for a local engineering firm while Tom is attending graduate school at ASU.

Obviously, Tom is very bright, but the neatest thing about him is his easy-going, compassionate nature. He has always had a sunny disposition and is a pleasure to be around. And we love Kirsten, who is also friendly and likeable. Both of them are mature beyond their years.

Jordan is next in line. She is currently a nursing student at Grand Canyon University (isn’t that a great name for a college?) and is very seriously attached to Mike, Tom’s best friend. Jordan is very outgoing and also very honest. It’s best not to ask for her opinion if you don’t want to hear the truth. She is planning to finish a 4 year program in 3 years, and with her determination, I have no doubt that she will.

All of the family watched as the relationship of Mike and Jordan went from casual to friendship to romance. Mike was “one of the family” anyway, so when he officially joins it through marriage, we will all be pleased.

Number three is Bailey, a high school senior. It’s difficult to be the third child, (believe me, I know!) but she has handled it well. She is a sweet, cooperative young lady who works very hard both at school and at her job in a department store. And she plays basketball for the school team (as did Jordan). So she has a full plate and manages it well.

As mentioned in a earlier post, Bailey’s best friend since kindergarten has been Jordin Sparks, the American Idol winner. Of course, lately they haven’t been able to see each other often with Jordin’s schedule, but they manage to text message back and forth frequently.

The youngest of the bunch is Danny, a 7th grader. He is into all kinds of sports and is often the star: baseball, football, basketball, tennis, and of course, golf (with Ping clubs!) -- all are on his list. Danny reminds me a lot of his brother, Tom, with his laid back personality, but he’s his own man, too. He is GREAT at video games (as is Tom) and since I’m such a klutz at them, I’m content to watch them battle it out.

As a matter of fact, this part of the family is into all kinds of games. We have some great times around the dining room table when we visit and at some point, we always end up laughing so hard, we are practically on the floor.

Just thinking about them makes me want to start planning my next trip out!