There are plenty of reasons why I have come to love my future daughter in law, Jessi. She is free-spirited and creative, loves God and yet is open minded enough to accept Michael's atheism. Adventurous and yet domestic. She sews, crafts and cooks. (She makes the best pies!)

One thing Jessi and Michael share is a love of nature. The other night, when Michael told her how I had found the nocturnal critters in my yard with a headlamp, she decided she wanted to try it out for herself, especially in the hope of seeing a salamander, which she had never seen before. (How she has been around for 6 years and I haven't managed to show her one in person, I have no idea, but anyway...)

So last night Jessi donned the headlamp and Michael took his flashlight, and they patrolled the yard, front and back. She spent a few minutes allowing a big snail to crawl on her hand, and later, after about 20 minutes or so of searching, she actually found a salamander in the grass. She was thrilled. Seeing how much enjoyment she got out of this decidedly nerdy pastime just warmed my heart and gave me yet another reason to love her.



And did I mention how cute she looks in a headlamp?