About Elise

I realized that some people who read this blog may not know Elise. So here's a little bit about her.

Elise turned 13 years old in December. And being 13 she is on that border between pre-teen and teen. She's still a little girl in many ways (that I adore), but she's working to be independent in many others (that often frustrate me). She's smart and works hard to do well in school, but like Becky and I, she spends more energy on the things she enjoys. She recently qualified for the California Junior Scholastic Federation.

Elise attends Murray Middle School in China Lake, CA. She enjoys playing flute in the middle school band. In fact she likes it so much that she spends many of her school lunch hours sitting in with the brass section to practice (the brass section has a different lunch hour). Elise also likes to draw and has her mom's artistic ability. She signed up for "zero period" PE, which meets at 0630 every weekday morning, so that she could take two electives: band and art.

Elise dances 3 days a week with the Sierra Academy of Dance. She's been dancing since she was about 3. Her skill level has steadily progressed and she's dying to transition to pointe shoes when she's physically mature enough. She also takes gymnastics classes, but hasn't joined the local team because the practices would interfere with dance (and she really wants those pointe shoes).

As you can see from the photo above, Elise is also in Girl Scouts. Most of the girls in her troop have been together since they were Daisy Scouts. The girls are almost like sisters more than friends (with both the good and bad that implies). Her troop is working towards the Silver Award.

Elise loves to read. Once she got started on the Harry Potter books there was no turning back. She reads in the car, at dinner, and almost any chance she gets...unless there is a TV turned on. She really enjoys book series like Harry Potter, Kane Chronicles, Percy Jackson, etc. Like many kids, the worlds these books create seem almost real to her. She's currently reading the Kingdom Keepers series.

Elise has an empathetic personality - she really cares about how others feel and tries to look out for her friends. She's reserved around those she doesn't know, but can be a real goof with those she feels comfortable around. The past few years have shown me how mentally and physically tough she can be - so much so that I sometimes forget just how difficult it can be for her. It would be really wonderful to see the person she'd become without these burdens.

The Kane Chronicles left a lasting impression on Elise, and as a result she says she'd like to be an Egyptologist when she grows up. But she hates mummys...