Dedication: Snowfall

I've been blessed in my life, not only with my own amazing family, but with amazing in-laws as well. Rachel had already married one of the four Lyman boys when I joined the family. She's such a warm, friendly person that she really helped a shy, young girl feel welcomed and loved. She was the first member of the family that I really felt I could sit down and talk with.

Since then, she has become a dear friend as well as my sister-in-law. She and I had a lot of similarities in growing up years and we've talked about the culture shock when you marry into a family that is so unlike your own. We've both been involved in our children's schools, both worked with kids, and both direct our churches Vacation Bible Schools. We both chase after our children and try to keep up with their busy schedules. She's been a mentor to me in a lot of ways although I'm not sure that she realizes that. I very much respect her opinion, and I always enjoy the time I spend with her.

Although we're very similar, we have our differences, too. Rachel is much more outdoorsy than I am. I'm a city girl through and through while Rachel will go hunting and camping with her family. Her family lives in a rural area of Arizona. Her children have a much different lifestyle than my own children. My kids call them the "cowboy cousins". They participate in rodeos, raise livestock for 4H, and live in the country with chickens, cows, and horses.

One year Rachel invited all the cousins to have a cousins camp at her house. All but the youngest cousins went, and they had a blast. The city cousins were so happy to do farm chores, and the cowboy cousins were happy to show their city cousins what life in the country is like. It's an experience they still talk about and I'm sure they'll never forget it.

When I decided to write "Snowfall" I knew I was going to need a little help. I can do research on some things about ranching, but I wanted the opinion of someone who lived in that community Rachel was my obvious choice. She not only has been a part of that lifestyle for years, but she is an avid reader. She was by far my fastest editor to date. I couldn't believe how quickly she got it back to me. On top of that, she's been one of my biggest supporters. I know that she reads all of my books and that means so much to me! I was so thankful for her help, and I had to dedicate "Snowfall" to her not only for her contribution to the book, but for her encouragement and support to me from the moment I published my very first book.

Thank you, Rachel, for being my friend, my mentor, my editor, and my sister! I love you.