So where do I begin with this sweet girl? Because this is our blog that we created, I feel like I can take a moment to brag about this darling 17 year old!
For some reason when I first became pregnant I thought I was having a boy. I thought this for pretty much the entire 9 months. Then all of sudden I remember calling my mom and said “Oh my gosh, I might have a girl! Mom, how am I going to do this? Aren’t girls hard?” In which my sweet mama said, “Oh honey, you were so easy!” (pretty sure that’s what she said :)).
This first born of mine slept through the night at about 2 weeks – I swear! She was such an easy, carefree baby up until her toddler years when her undeniable confidence broke through. But as I look back, this was exactly part of the plan. At 17, she is so confident in who she is and who she wants to become. Sure, she has her moments as many teenagers do. She will doubt herself at times, but she does not wallow in those moments. She looks them square in the eye and then moves on.
At a recent wedding, many relatives were asking her what she wanted to be when she grows up and I could see the panic in her face. She is good at science, so someone suggested nursing. She is good at math, so someone suggested accounting or engineering. And then one day, a friend of hers at school looked at her outfit and told her that she needs to go into the fashion industry. My sweet girl came home that day with a twinkle in her eye. See, this friend of hers saw something that day. She saw Elsa strong and joyful rocking that outfit.
When Elsa was a toddler and we were trying to direct that confidence in a positive direction, I remember thinking, can someone be confident and kind at the same time? After watching this young lady grow up, that answer is a definitive YES! This girl always says “I love you”. Walking into school, kissing me goodnight, even yelling it to her dad on a school bus in middle school when they were leaving to go on a field trip. She rolled down that window and screamed it across the parking lot to him. He cherishes that moment to this day. Because he saw his daughter not care if someone made fun of her or laughed, she loved her dad and she was going to tell him. She even kisses her sisters good night and tells them she loves them. Every single night.
So, to my first born girl, I wish you the happiest of birthdays today. May the sun shine brightly on you today and every day. I am so proud of you and cannot wait to see you conquer this mighty world with your kindness and determination. Go get ‘em! I love you! By the way, I cannot wait to share in all of the desserts we are going to have together today :)
PS – take a look at our THINGS WE LOVE page on our website. We are putting together various things we love and linking them to their websites.
~Jen
FINALS WEEK
(Also known as a living *bleep*)
The older you get in high school, the less you care about your finals… I mean that’s how it goes for me! My freshmen year, the most important aspect of school for me was my finals. I looked up good study methods, food that would benefit my test taking skills, and how much sleep I should get the night before. I put my phone away and I grinded through my school work. I did good on my freshmen finals, but as sophomore year came around I realized I cared less about how well I did on my finals than my overall grade. I didn’t study as hard or focus as much and yet I received the same grades I did my freshmen year. I realized that my finals barely count for my semester grade, so why was I worrying? Now, it’s 9:47pm the night before my first final day for my second semester finals and I could care less about what I get on my finals. I know senioritis is a thing, but trust me, so is junioritis. I have been in summer mode since my AP Physics test ended two weeks ago. While I try finishing my math packet and reading documents for history, I ask you to pray that somehow, someway, I find the motivation to get me through the next three days of my junior year.
Happy almost summer!!!
~Elsa (birthday girl)
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