Merideth Noelle Craven Zobell

Meri is the middle child but without any of the usual middle kid syndromes.  She's a gentle, loving, wise and wonderful person, and she's always been so.  I've thought she was older than me in many ways, even as a small child.  Meri's known she wanted to be a teacher since the day she started going to school.  Her favorite game was to line the kids up with paper and crayons and play school.  Of course, she was always the teacher.   She made firm rules for the governance of her classroom, and she'd get so upset when the other children didn't always abide by them.  I'd tell her, "You know, this is the test of a good teacher. "

Her favorite color is orange.  I know... that's unusual, but Meri's a very unusual young woman.  She also loves anything connected to Winnie the Pooh.  One Christmas, nearly everything she received had Pooh Bear on it.  She despises tomatoes and onions.  And she has the patience of a saint.  It takes a lot to get Meri riled, but when she does it's for good cause. 

Meri in her favorite color.... orange!

The Suma Cum Laude graduate!

Meri graduated Summa Cum Laude in Education from Southern Utah University in May, so Bill and I met my mother and brother in Cedar City for the ceremony.  We are all so proud of Meri, we could almost burst!  She kept her scholarship all four years, which required maintaining a 3.9 GPA.  She's the first child and grandchild on all sides of the family to graduate from college.  Now she's spending the summer doing her student teaching in northern Utah.

 

Here she is all decked out in her cap and gown and ribbons and medals and cords.  Gorgeous, as always.

 

Meri and Derrick, Christmas 2007Meri married Derrick Zobell and the two of them set up housekeeping in West Jordan, Utah where they enjoy hiking and photographing the beauty of the desert. Meri has been teaching elementary school for several years, and Derrick is interviewing for positions in the computer industry. They are beginning to look for a house now...with lots of room. (No pressure, no pressure.)