Ava

Ava came into our lives when she was in 4th grade and Emma was in 5th. She lived on a farm with horses, so Emma was immediately drawn to her. The girls became best friends; they took turns for a while staying at eachothers houses. We always loved having Ava over here, she was sweet and kind like Emma...but I could tell she had a little fire in her too. One of my earliest memories of Ava was being invited to her house to watch a "horse show". She had worked for weeks (or longer) on training her miniature ponies to do some tricks. Honestly I was amazed, the tricks were cool, but the fact that she had worked so hard and was so determined really gave me a glimpse of what this girl is capable of. When Ava was in 7th grade life happened...and I won't tell that story, because it is her story to tell... but she came to live with us. Ava had been an only child for 13 years...and then she became a Parker. There was an adjustment period for sure...best friends always dream of becoming sisters...but when it actually happens, it's really not that easy. Emma and Ava shared a room for a while, but we soon realized everyone deserves their own little space, so Papaw, Josh, and Aunt Robin got to work adding on a connecting room. (We have the most wonderful family) When Ava moved in she came with toys...I'm sorry, I mean collectors items! She had more Breyers and schleic horses and accessories than anyone I knew...then combined with what Emma had...well let's just say it was a collection! My favorite thing was going in to their room (that they no longer shared) and finding these two 13 year olds on the floor with a whole horse village spread out between them. The day we packed those Breyers up and put them in the attic was a sad day...actually she's almost 20 now and would love to have a "Breyer room" where she could display them all. Ava grew up going, and competing, at horse shows...this was something she wanted to continue. Remember how I told you I knew nothing about horses...well I for sure knew nothing about the horse show life! We did the best we could, I even learned to pull the horse trailer! We spent many weekends going to different shows, she still shows now, but some of my favorite memories are of those early horseshows at Haras...just us trying to figure things out, and getting to watch her grit and determination to be able to continue doing something she loved, in the middle of having lost so much. She is one strong girl! Today Ava is taking college classes and working full time...doing...you guessed it...horse training. She is an assistant trainer at a barn where she rode at as a teen. She worked hard, proved herself, and moved up from working student to where she is now. Ava makes me so so proud. She is sweet and kind, if you get to call her friend you are one lucky person, she is smart, determined...and that only child...well, she grew up to be the best big sister to Seely. I will always miss those babies that I lost, but Ava helps complete our family. She is a daily reminder that God can bring beauty from ashes.