Taya Goes to the Temple

Two days after graduation, Taya went to the Draper Temple to make some special promises to her Heavenly Father & strive to be more like our Savior, Jesus Christ.

She's been preparing & waiting for this day for a long time.  It was a very special experience to be with her in the temple.  I was happy to be there with all 3 of my girls, my sweet husband, & my 2 wonderful son-in-laws.  I love my eternal family so much.

Lorien & Elijah surprised Taya with a very special gift.  They purchased a copy of the Book of Mormon that was in both English & Tagalog (the language she is learning for her mission to the Philippines).  On each page of the book, the left column of the page is in English & right next to it on the right side is the same passages, but translated into Tagalog.  That way she can study the words & the messages in both languages at the same time.  It's really going to be a blessing to her on her mission.

Elijah is learning how to bind books right now & he re-bound this book in leather, then designed an art design in gold vinyl for the cover & spine.  He picked a super cool font for the book title & then added Taya's name ("Sister Potter") to the bottom.  He created a beautiful golden frame that consists of several things Taya will experience on her mission like the Philippines National bird & flower, a volcano from the region she is serving in, & plant life & flowers from that area as well.  It is as personalized as you can get. 

 It's so beautiful & so much thought went into it.

After then temple we took everyone to Costa Vida (one of Taya's favorites) & spent time together as a family.  It was a beautiful day.

 

Taya's Graduation

 

Happy High School Graduation to Taya!  12 hardworking years of studying, homework, extracurriculars, music, dance, church leadership, school leadership, & here we are seeing all that hard work pay off.

We are so proud of Taya & all she has accomplished over the last 4 years.

Look at her Hawk Medallion & all her honor cords that she earned in academics, leadership, dance, music, & more.  She graduated with a 3.98 GPA & has earned a half tuition scholarship to UVU after her mission to the Philippines finishes.  She is going to do amazing things.

It was fun taking the whole family (including Opa & Oma) to UVU for the graduation ceremony.  We were very loud & cheered her on whenever her name was called.

Then after the ceremony, we celebrated with all her friends, & then alone with family.

We celebrated by having lunch at her favorite place in the whole world: Chick-Fil-A.

Then we came back home & had Taya open up her time capsule from Kindergarten.

She made this time capsule when she was 6 & it was full of letters from family, pictures she had drawn in kindergarten, stories she wrote (by hand), some favorite toys, & more.

But the most special part was reading the letters from family members.  There was a letter from my Grandma Cherry who passed in 2018, as well as a letter from my mom & my dad who both passed last year.  It was special hearing their praises, hopes, & dreams for Taya from 12 years ago.

We are so proud of you Taya.  You are going to do some great things in the world.  We can't wait to watch your future unfold.

Taya's Final Orchestra Concert 2026

 

Taya's final orchestra was bitter-sweet for me.  Taya plays viola, just like me, & watching her grow & develop as a violist has been such a beautiful adventure for me.  She's incredible & makes me so proud.  She has played beautifully all 4 years of high school & part of me is really sad that this chapter is ending for her as she graduates & goes off on a mission.

But she is so proud of her accomplishments in orchestra (as am I) & her last concert was very special.  I loved that she got to stand & be recognized as a senior & got to perform in the senior song.  She did beautifully.

I love that Shabs (the director) dressed up as a dinosaur for Jurassic Park.  That cracked me up.

Congrats on 4 amazing years Taya.  You make us so proud.