Musings from Graceland

DAY 5 OF THANKFULNESS: MY DAUGHTER ANNA

No longer "almost seventeen", but really and truly seventeen! Wow! That's how old my daughter Anna is today.

Hard to believe.

I'd always heard older parents say that the childhood years fly by but it just didn't seem that could be true when I was in the midst of diaper changing and fussy nights, but now that I'm facing my first daughter leaving home in a little over a year, I get it.

The childhood years really do fly by.

One day she is snuggling up with her Puffa-Puppy under her daddy's passed-down army blankie and the next day she is driving, working a job, and making college campus visits. Crazy. I'm thankful for the short time that I've had her with me. She'll always be my daughter, but she won't always be at home with me.

Okay, I'm tearing up just writing that so I'd better stop that vein of thought and get on with Anna's part of this blog.

On this seventeenth birthday, I am thankful for my Punkie and want her to know how very, very much I love her. And as a part of celebrating her and who she is becoming, I'll be conducting one of my not-so-world-famous interviews. Here we go!

Anna, happy birthday! What has happened so far to celebrate this auspicious day?

Yesterday, my friend Megan gave me the "TEAM HOTCH" shirt I had been hoping for. Then, we went out to eat and we had a special breakfast this morning.

You and Megan had a special breakfast?

No, the family.

What did you have?

Orange rolls.

The same as last year.

Yep.

What else are you doing on your birthday?

We have our first Peter Pan play practice today. Tonight, we're having muffalettas and an Oreo icecream cake and then I think I'm going to see MEGA MIND.

What are the top things you'd love to get for your birthday?

Things that I could really get or things that are not possible to get but I'd love it if I could get them?

Hmmm...let's do the fantasy list first.

*Anna laughs in a strange, muffled way* Super powers. Ian Somerhalder. Ipod Classic 160 GB. An apartment in New Orleans. Batman and Gambit. A motorcycle.

Any other fantasy presents?

Not ones that I'm willing to share....OH! A song written just for me by Enrique Iglesias.

Okay then...so what about realistic gifts? Including cheap ones that your siblings can afford?

I have an Amazon wishlist that I can send you.

That doesn't do well for the interview. Do you mind telling me? And I'm sure that your littlest siblings can't find anything on the wishlist for a buck.

They want stuff for a buck?

Yeah.

Ummm...they can go thru the $5 dvd bin at Wal-Mart. Maybe a magazine like Nylon or something like that.

A buck. ONE DOLLAR. You know....favorite candies? Stuff from the Dollar Tree?


Well, I love gummy bears.

And?

Sour gummy worms.

And?

Nerds.

And?

Oh, and cherry Tootsie Pops.

Any chocolate?

I have enough chocolate.

And what about gifts from me and your dad?

WishList.

Gee, that is so helpful to our readers.

*Sigh* Do you want me to pull up the wishlist and read some of the stuff? Besides, what do your readers care? They're not buying it for me.

How do you know? They might. Plus, it just reveals a lot about your likes, etc.

Right...I'm sure. Okay..... I'll read to you the stuff that is highest listed on my list. An EISLEY poster of their song MARVELOUS THINGS. The Batman FUTURE CITYSCAPE poster. The TEAM HOTCH tank top. The TEAM HOTCH HOODIE. I see a trend here. A poster of HOTCH. A definite trend. A poster of WHITE COLLAR. A poster of a bat. Some dresses from FOREVER 21. The mixtape necklace from MOD CLOTH. THIRTY NINE STEPS on dvd. The "Someday, my Austen hero will come" pin. Gummy earbuds in kiwi green. The LORD OF THE RINGS extended version, so we have them again.

That's quite a list.

I know.

So...on to other birthday matters. How do you think you have changed since you celebrated turning sixteen?

You're going to have to give me something specific than that. That's too general.

How are you different this year than you were last?

I don't know. Ummm......Oh! I'm very anti-high school relationships. That's different from last year.

Anything else?

I've found a country artist that I love every single one of their songs. Keith Urban. *whispers* I love Keith Urban.

How would you summarize the past year of your life?

...............sorry, I'm having a hard time sorting out 15 and 16. They kind of run together. Hmm...monotonous broken up by periods of turbulence and the extremes. Lots of traveling.

What are some of the highlight events of the past year?

Going out to California. Getting my truck. Driving home from Nevada in it. You also had your first job, went on a missions trip to Swaziland, and got a part in the upcoming play.

Oh! And you've visited several college campuses and, fun-fun, have begun preparing for the ACT/SAT.

So, in closing, do you have any expectations or plans for the next year? Your last year at home before you graduate from high school next December?

Finish up school. Go to Thailand next summer on a missions trip. I don't know. I kinda let it play out.

Well, I pray this year is a very, very good year and that God does incredible things as you play thru it. You have been an incredible blessing in my life and I love you very, very much.


To read the interview from last year's birthday, follow this link:

http://elysasmusingsfromgraceland.blogspot.com/2009/11/sixteen-years.html