Welcome to 2026! Josie turned 18 this year and is newly navigating "adulting" as we jokingly call it. She committed to USC for soccer and decided to start college early and go mid-year in January 2026. The idea was to have "spring training" with the soccer team to acclimate to all things college before the true fall soccer season begins (Aug 1, 2026).  She had a great first semester at USC, received a 3.3 GPA, played in all spring games and started the last spring season game in goal.

This young lady is obsessed with soccer. She went straight from USC to TST (The Soccer Tournament) in Cary, North Carolina for a 7v7 tournament in May.  We were able to go support her and it turned out to be a super fun and face-paced event! Her team made quarterfinals and she's been invited to go back again next year!

Unfortunately Josie wasn't able to join us for our annual Lake House visit due to soccer. Her report date back to USC ws July 1, 2026! She has now already played four college games and started in the past two! What an amazing gift it is to see her dreams being realized. She is doing well in her courses, she has made some new true friends and she's having an incredible time playing soccer.

All of this is to say that the hard journeys we all face in life are worth working through. Josie's younger years were purely a reflection of survival instincts that helped her survive her first year of life. It's nearly impossible to understand all the implications of missing formative milestones in a baby's first year of life. So now to say that she has overcome, overachieved and is living her best life is such a gift. We are beyond proud of the young lady she has become.