My oldest daughter, ElemenoB, is 17 years old today. She was born on 11/11, eleven days earlier than her due date. She is in the 11th grade and her favorite number is... (wait for it) ... 11. So in honor of her birthday I am excited to tell you 11 things I love about my ElemenoB. But since she is 17 years old (and so dang cute!) I get to use 17 pictures.
1. ElemenoB is super creative. She takes pictures, tries new recipes, loves interior design and enjoys finding empty containers that she can mod-podge with photos torn from magazines.
2. She is athletic. Elle runs cross country and plays on the basketball team at school. She has run in the Ragnar Relay twice and she loves playing ultimate Frisbee. She is such a great sport that she used to apologize to her opponents when she played aggressively against them in basketball.
3. She is musically talented. Elle can play the piano and she's trying to teach herself to play the guitar. My favorite instrument, though, is her voice. She thinks she sings off-key, but I love hearing when she and Thumbelina are singing together to the radio or a Relient K song on her iPod.
4. She can be a tomboy and a girly-girl. We knew from the time she was little that she was tomboy-ish. ElemenoB used to scream when we put jeans on her because they were "tooooo tight!" We thought she would never stop wearing pants with an elastic waistband. She would always rather have been climbing a tree than having a tea party. Anytime I would curl her hair as a kid she would get 'that look' on her face and as soon as I was done she would lock the bathroom door, get her hair wet and 'smooth out' what I had done. The girly-girl side started to come out when our neighbor, Amy, would dress our girls up for fun and it still shows up on occasion when she goes to formal dances and shops for dresses or shoes.
5. ElemenoB knows how to find beauty all around her. She appreciates things like mountains and flowers and trees and clouds and sunsets. When she takes pictures they capture the beauty of seemingly insignificant things. She is fascinated by the inner workings of the human body and wants to be an athletic trainer or physical therapist.
6. She has a twisted sense of humor. I'm not sure how to explain this one except to say that sometimes the things she thinks are funny really are not. But then she starts laughing and before you know it we're all laughing and thinking maybe it was funny after all.
7. She would rather shop at thrift stores than the mall. That's my girl!
8. ElemenoB is a good big sister. She loves her younger siblings (most of the time) and is a great help to them. She gets a kick out of the funny things they say and do.
9. She is a young woman of hidden talents. Her English accent is amazing when she wants to use it. She also has a talent for acting (you should have seen her in the role of Golem in the 5th grade production of The Hobbit!) and actually enjoys doing the neighbor's yard work.
10. She is a loyal friend. Some of her best friends she has known since elementary school. She is always making new friends, too. ElemenoB also has a knack for making others feel included.
Happy 17th Birthday, ElemenoB! I hope all your wishes come true.
