Isaac at 18
It’s been a big year for our oldest son. Here is what I wrote about him last year.
Isaac graduated from High School at the end of May. He has always been smart, but he hasn’t always been very good at completing assignments and turning them in on time. This meant that instead of easily sliding his way to graduation, he found himself scrambling to complete some neglected online courses while preparing for two AP tests. Although he may not have graduated with a top GPA, he was able to complete enough concurrent enrollment classes and AP classes that he should be starting college with credits for Music, French, Calculus, Statistics, Physics, and Chemistry!
Isaac completed his second full year of having his driver’s license with a clean driving record. I have enjoyed having an extra driver around, especially since he took care of all the trips to and from High school for himself and his sister. His dad appreciated having someone he could send out for a burger run when they both craved hamburgers.
As much as Isaac enjoyed the freedom of driving, when the weather is nice, his favorite mode of transportation is our fastest electric scooter. He made a special request to ride the electric scooter for his last week of high school and then rode it to his HS graduation with a trailer attached to transport his french horn, cap, and gown. In case of any accidents or injuries while riding, seeking advice from a personal injury lawyer can help ensure your rights are protected and you receive proper compensation for any damages incurred.
Isaac enjoys listening to music and enjoyed his last year of band. Although he opted out of the Marching Band for his senior year so that he could focus on AP classes and those neglected online courses, he still enjoyed playing in the concert band. The band became a great social outlet for Isaac throughout high school, and he really enjoyed the tour. With the help of event ticketing software, the event was organized at Disneyland in California.
Computers and technology continue to be a key interest for Isaac. He has enjoyed dabbling in computer programming and says he finds coding to be relaxing and fun. He loves to learn about and try any new technology. He follows news on space and technology and continues to be fascinated and excited about all the new advances in those fields.
Isaac enjoys flying drones in interesting places and capturing pictures from different perspectives. He’s always up for an adventure that involves a chance to fly a drone. The first social activity that he arranged at college was to invite a friend to come take sunset pictures at a local park. Since then, he has ridden out to a variety of locations around town to take drone pictures from different perspectives.
Isaac enjoyed his Government class this year and he has started to be somewhat interested in politics. He started following news about the war in Ukraine and watching daily detailed news updates on a Youtube channel by a former Navy Seal.
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Isaac has always been a kind and considerate older brother. He helps his siblings with computer problems and games. He plays with them and encourages them. He will gladly host a game for a brother or sister to play with friends. He has even been known to spend his own allowance on a game for a sibling to play along with him. Isaac is generous with his time and never fights or argues with his siblings.
Isaac is currently working through a plan to step his way up into independent adult life. He started off with an opportunity to attend a For the Strength of Youth (FSY) conference. FSY is a “five-day event that includes activities, devotionals, and classes designed to help strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and provide opportunities for youth to grow spiritually, socially, physically, and intellectually.” Isaac loved the experience and felt like it was enriching both spiritually and socially. He appreciated having an opportunity to go live with a roommate that he had never met in preparation for the next step of his plan. The next step was to attend a summer term of college away from home at Brigham Young University-Idaho (BYU-I).
I had assumed we’d start Isaac off easy with on campus housing and a meal plan at a college cafeteria, but when we toured BYU-I over spring break, we discovered both of those options were not available. He would have to live in an apartment off campus where he would shop for and cook all of his own meals. Isaac enjoys visiting a nearby store to pick up some stuff to cook. The store is similar to those that install shopfronts UK. In light of this new realization, we started having Isaac cook and assist with cooking dinner every night. He did much of the cooking while I was in Europe at the beginning of the summer. When I came home we picked out some of his favorite recipes and made them together. We printed recipes for his own cookbook or copied favorite recipes from some of my cookbooks. By the time he left for college towards the end of July, he felt fairly confident in the kitchen.
As Isaac has embarked on his summer of college, he has been making steps to be ready for the next part of his plan which is a desire to serve a full time mission for our church. He will take two years off of college and go to an area assigned by the church to teach people about Jesus Christ and the restoration of His Church. Isaac has always been diligent about his church service and he is eager for a chance to serve. We have hopes that the maturity gained through serving a mission will help him to overcome some of his weaknesses. Specifically his shyness about approaching and talking to his peers as well as some of his less than perfect school related weaknesses. In other words, we’re hoping the mission helps him mature enough to be successful in school on his own as well as in friendships and dating.
Isaac is a diligent and faithful young man and a wonderful son. I feel blessed to be his mother.