Jumping with joy

On Thanksgiving my family gathered at my cousin's house. My cousin Asley, 9, (with the pony tail) is a gymnast. Jumping around with her are my nephew, Ian, and my niece, Michaela. I don't mean Ashley takes a gymnastics class. I mean she is a gymnast. She trains 6 days a week and is home schooled by her mom, Michelle. Ashley declared to her pediatrician at age 5 that she was going to be a gymnast. Really. I couldn't make that up. What's even more astonishing is that she is completely self motivated--this is NOT coming from her parents. Her drive at such a young age is remarkable. She called up her dad (cousin Arnie) at work one day (unusual by itself) and asked if he would get her a trampoline for their backyard so she could train more. Wow. With the high cost of education, we're all hoping she lands a college scholarship, too :-)