Friends and Family,

My Mom asked me to send all the emails from the past year to my first grade teacher. First, I admit this is a fairly remarkable thing. The very fact that my parents are still in contact with my brother's and my first grade teacher is an incredible insight to their character. I'm so humbled and honored by their presence in my life on a regular basis. They are truly remarkable people.

In thinking about that task, I decided that instead of forwarding each and every email, it might make more sense to just create an online archive of them. We had considered this originally, but it just clicked today how much sense this makes. By creating a blog, people can easily see what the family is up to and my Dad's continued progress. It's more interactive and creates a nice sense of our family's community.

So I've posted all of the emails as an archive of sorts. This is, in essence, a tribute to my father, Robert Smithhart. Or, as his sweatshirt says, "Bob: The Man, The Myth, The Legend."

Lots of Love,

Noelle