Posted by Carrie Wintle on May 13, 2019 under

The next two weeks were good for my soul. On Monday, I was in Rapid City to have lunch with Grace at Calvary Christian School. Grace told me all about her piano recital that was coming up that evening. We sat with all her friends, which made the time together memorable.

Later that week, my mom and I flew to San Antonio to spend Easter with my Grandma. For those that don’t know, I was actually born at Fort Hood in Texas. My mom is originally from Texas, and my parents met when my dad was stationed in Texas. Although our trip over Easter was short, it was incredibly relaxing. My cousin Debbie travelled from Houston with her children. One evening we had a big family dinner at Olive Garden including my uncles. 

Easter Monday I was off to Alcester to talk with the third through sixth grade students. Lexy Foss is a teacher in Alcester and is from my hometown; we competed on the Huron Cheer and Dance. The students were a blast to spend the morning with. I got one of the most thought engaging, technical questions so far, this year. A young man asked me, “What causes prices to go up over time?” The technical answer goes further into financial principles that would have taken longer to explain than the time we had. But, kids are curious. They are smarter than we give them credit for. Another student asked, “Why do you smile so much?” To which I replied, “Smiling’s my favorite. I love smiling (all my ELF fans will get this reference)!” I think I’ll take that as a compliment.

Later that week I left for Minneapolis to play in the 2gether Production Recital. Every chance I can get to spend time with Kathryn and Andy, I take. They have left a huge mark on my life and my heart. The love they have for what they do and for each other is something I truly admire. I hope and pray to live a life as engaged and loved as they do.

How is it possible that next week is already May? My last month as Miss South Dakota is just around the corner. If I stop writing these blogs will that make time stand still? It was a nice try at least. Onto another week in this dream.