Carissa Rose Pentimone - Our Cozy Rosie

Carissa Rose Pentimone was born in Phoenix, AR. Her nickname was "Cozy Rosie" because we all enjoyed cuddling with her when she was a little baby. The first picture below tells the whole story. Even as a little girl, Carissa enjoyed cuddling. Once when I was going out of town for business, I told Carissa that I wished I could shrink her down so that she could go with me in my pocket. We decided that if we did that, she would be called the "Cozy Rosie Pocket Pal." We were certain that if the "Cozy Rosie Pocket Pals" even were sold in stores, they would be a big hit. Carissa was a delightful child. She was probably one of our most outgoing children. She made friends very quickly.

Carissa was our fourth child, and third girl. Daniel was disappointed and even cried when Carissa was born. He was hoping for a little brother. Instead, he now had three sisters. Daniel's attitude changed quickly, and soon Daniel was thrilled to have Carissa. Daniel finally had his wish when David was born about three years later. Once Ellia and Faith were born, Carissa became the middle child. She was the youngest of the older children, and the oldest of the younger children.  That is a hard position to be in in a family, but Carissa always handled it like a champ.

Carissa professed faith in Christ during her teenage years. I had the privilege of baptizing her near that time. She was also very diligent to get up in the mornings to read her Bible and pray. When she was 13 years old, our family got involved in the National Bible Bee. Carissa started out very unenthusiastic about it --- for one day! Then she got excited and was "all in" from that day forward. She competed for 6 years and qualified for Nationals every year. Her first four years she did not make semifinals. However, she was determined to make the semifinals those last two years...and she did! It is no small feat to make the semifinals in the Senior Division (ages 15-18). She worked hard and accomplished her goal. She was our first child to make semifinals in the Senior Division. Not only did she make the semifinals, but in 2016 she was also chosen to participate in the National Bible Bee Game Show in San Antonio, TX. She, along with David and Ellia, were chosen. I got to spend 3 weeks in San Antonio that winter, one week with each of the three children! Bethany came along for part of the time and we had a great time visiting the Alamo and seeing other sites in SA. Although Carissa didn't advance in the Game Show, she had a wonderful time.

Carissa was always our most adventurous as she is a complete go-getter. When she sets her mind to something, she is great at accomplishing it! Carissa ran various 5K races as the opportunities arose. She sang the national anthem at least twice for the Kansas City T-Bones, now the Monarchs, a professional baseball team in Kansas City. She hoped to do that for the Kansas City Royals as well, but she hasn't had that opportunity as of yet. Carissa generally wasn't afraid to try new things. Carissa enjoyed volleyball, and she enjoyed Contra dancing. She set up a number of those events. She also liked to travel and went to Ecuador helping missionary friends with their children for a number of weeks. Carissa followed in my footsteps and got her REALTORS license. She wanted initially to do some house flipping like her parents, but other jobs took her interest away from that. In addition to all these things, Carissa enjoyed spending time with her younger siblings. She would often take Ellia and Faith places and spend time with them. She was an avid book reader. She also really liked going barefoot!

Carissa really excelled at playing the piano and singing. She did a wonderful job at both! Carissa practiced her singing and playing every single day. Heather enjoyed those practice times so much that she would often stop what she was doing and just sit down in the living room to listen. Carissa was also very willing to stop what she was doing to play or sing anything her mom or dad requested.

Carissa worked at Amazon, worked for a top real estate firm in Kansas City, helped her sister in her cleaning business, and now is the office manager at a dentist's office. Carissa is extremely efficient in her work! That was always very evident through her homeschool years. It is no surprise that Carissa has excelled in many areas.

Carissa is getting married in March. Sadly we have not met the young man or been invited to the wedding, neither have her two younger sisters. This breaks our hearts! We love this dear girl and pray daily for her.