Although the contest ended without our awarding the farm to a winner, Randy and I thought it only fitting to let you know which essays we had stacked in the "finalists" pile. We know you spent hours drafting, revising, and editing your writing. We know it was not an easy task! Just because an essay is not listed below does not mean we didn't like it or that the writing wasn't stellar.
Randy and I had many conversations about the merits of each essay. We agreed; we disagreed. Whittling the entries to the numbers listed below was an incredibly difficult task. The task was challenging because you wrote sincerely and from your hearts.The default pile always was the one with the label "finalist." We were a bit overwhelmed with the thought of eliminating any of the essays, and we certainly were glad we were not the ones who would be picking the winner!
The total number of essays listed here is a bit more than we announced. The reason is that several people submitted more than one essay, and several people were fortunate enough to have both or each of their essays counted as finalists!
A special thank you goes to Dorine Mahan of Farham, VA. She submitted the first essay, which the trustee received April 17. Thank you, Dorine!
A special thank you goes to Dorine Mahan of Farham, VA. She submitted the first essay, which the trustee received April 17. Thank you, Dorine!
The essays in the finalist pile as of November 25 were:
20150617-01, Shannon Keyes, Zurney
20150627-01, Catherine Herbert
20150627-05, Cathleen Vernon
20150627-06, Anna Ahlbin
20150627-07, Lauren McDonald
20150627-09, Cara Donata-Parker
20150629-01, Amie Vollmer
20150701-03, Leslie Marshall
20150701-04, Janet Croon
20150701-05, Tracey and Richard Terwilliger
20150701-08, John Burkholder
20150701-09, Collin Burkott
20150701-13, Morgan Colonna
20150701-14, Nancy Garner
20150703-08, Angela Bassani
20150703-10, Melissa Rishel
20150703-12, Angela Bassani
20150703-17, Brit Carlson
20150703-24, Brittany Lea Neal
20150706-01, Kenneth Carr
20150706-03, Meghan Brown
20150708-02, Kathryn Mark
20150708-03, Kenneth Wagner
20150708-06, Jennifer Mason
20150803-02, Jessica Wilbourne
20150817-02, Shelby Honeycutt
20150821-05, Carol Minter
20150905-01, Marshella Merritt
20150908-05, Priscilla Britton
20150910-05, Margaret Trotman
20150910-08, Catherine Ford
20150916-01, Julie Davidson Shulman
20150916-11, Amity Stoddard
20150919-04, Stuart Jefferson
20150919-07, Stacie Miller
20150919-10, Steven Frye
20150919-20, Aubrey and Loretta DiVincenzo
20150924-01, Marshella Merritt
20150924-14, Nancy Garner
20151001-34, Anna Danielson
20151001-52, Lesa Mitchell
20151002-05, Sarah Liu
20151002-07, Jared Slater20151002-15, Elora Forgie
20151002-18, Donald Carter
20151002-28, Carolyn Campbell
20151002-32, Keith Horswill
20151002-41, Stephanie Auer
20151002-42, Nancy and John Ness
20151002-83, John "Brock" Freyer
20151002-89, Adrienne St. Cyr
20151002-95, Jennifer Morris
20151002-117, Richard Jackson II
20151003-47, Denise Leerkes
20151003-55, Michael Anderson
20151003-72, Barbara Parsons
20151005-16, Dawn Hicks
20151104-05, Mary Ann Overfelt
20151106-01, Rachel Stanley
20151109-132, Patrick Smith
20151112-03, Katherine Loveland
I know this honor is bittersweet, but thank you for allowing us to peek into your families' lives!
Keep dreaming and planning!
