Jessie Girl

So I have this A-MAZ-ING daughter named Jessie. I named her after my mother, the most incredible person I've ever known, and she has upheld the name well. Jessie is an ideal young woman who daily blows me away with her cheerful, upbeat, helpful, hard-working, smart-as-all-get-out, always thinking of others, strong, amazing self. When David was in Japan, he told us that one of the Japanese ladies in his ward had tagged Jessie as "David's Genki Little Sister". Genki means happy and that's a perfect word for Jess. She is the happiest!

Jessica Lauren Drake is truly one in a million and I feel so fortunate to even know her let alone be her mother. I don't know what I did to deserve such awesome kids; but if I knew, I'd do it again. When Jessie left for BYU in January, the positive energy, spirit, and love that she brings into our home went with her. But, being the amazing daughter that she is, she calls me every day...not because she needs to talk to me, but because she knows I need to hear from her.

Jessie is a mature (do not look at above photo), nurturing friend to all. She is 17 years old and still in braces, yet attending a major university several states away. She always says and does things that build others up. One of her mottos for life is, "Don't worry about what people think of you; instead, focus on what they think of themselves when they're around you."

Jessie has an infectious smile, gorgeous shiny dark hair, and perfect olive skin. She has always been and still is soooo cute! When she was a little girl, she got so much attention for her darling curls and brown skin.

Jessie has more personality than just about anyone I know. She can definitely laugh at herself which is a great quality to have. She can make almost any situation fun and can see the positive in everyone and everything. She is also a very determined, hard-working individual. "I can't" is not in her vocabulary. If you tell her she can't, she'll show you she can... and she WILL! She never accepted her role as "baby" of the family very graciously. She's been a leader from day one.

On April 30th, my Jessie Girl and I are going on a week-long trip to celebrate her graduation from high school. She has no idea what we are doing or where we are going other than it will hopefully be sunny. I can't wait to spend this one-on-one time having a blast with my amazing daughter.