Sixteen! What a milestone. I can't believe our tiny, smiley, sweet baby is grown into such a lovely, wonderful young woman. Eliza is such a joy. She makes every day better. She is so kind, nurturing, smart, curious, and just delightful. She truly is one of my favorite people and best friends. I adore her.
I probably wrote about this before, but when she was old enough to hear and understand that her baby sister was taken to France and she was left home at 3 years old, Eliza started talking about going to France. When she was about 6 she just threw out there, "When I turn 16 I want to go to France for my birthday." We kind of laughed about it, but the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to do it. At 16 years old, each child would be old enough to appreciate, remember, and feel invested in an international trip with their parents. It would be an amazing one on one (I guess two on one) experience for us as her parents. And it would give us a good excuse to visit some interesting places without the price tag of taking a family of 6. But when a 6 year old talks about a 16th birthday that feels pretty far away. But Eliza didn't forget through the years. She was set on this plan. Although there would have been a few destinations she would have been happy with also (Italy, England, Greece, etc.), but France was her first choice.
When you have a variety of destinations in mind and not a specific date you have to accommodate, you are able to jump on a flight sale. That is how we ended up getting round trip tickets to Paris for $388 each. A remarkable deal. It happened to work out we would be leaving on 2 days after she turned 16. Kismet.
There was a lot of planning that went into this trip, and Eliza was forefront in planning it. She had a whole spreadsheet of sites to see and places to go, which included hours of operation, price, location, and how to get there. She also rated each one for how much she wanted to include it. It was amazing.
All of this anticipation of course spilled over into prepping fun clothes to wear. She was able to get quite a few things second hand and at a clothing swap, which is awesome. I bought a lot of these for her as bonus birthday presents when her only real present was an 8 day trip to France and England.
We can talk more about the trip to Paris in upcoming posts, but I want to focus on Eliza and her birthday.
Eliza at 16 years old is a delight. She proves all of the negative talk about teenagers wrong. Eliza is the sweetest, happiest, hardest working 16 year old around. She is so dang smart and funny. She is empathetic and always seems to know when I need a hug. She gives the best head and back scratches. She is adorable and loves her sisters so much. She is so patient with them. She is so much fun. She is the perfect person to tell funny stories to, play games with, see something interesting with (like 1 million Paris museums), and just hang out with. Eliza still loves to read and is brilliant at all the school things. I am crazy proud of her for working her tail off to get a 4.0 even after missing so much school to go on this trip.
For her birthday photos this year, we had to take them in Paris! I took my nice camera in my carry on and tried to keep it safe. We set aside some time to take photos in a variety of places. John was longsuffering in this because this isn't something that he cares about as much as I do. I am happy with the results though. We were able to go to the Lourve one morning about an hour before it opened. I was pleased to get so many photos without tons of people in the background. Of course we weren't that lucky with the Eiffel Tower. But we were able to find some dormant shrubs to block a lot of the crowd. She got this cute coat from a clothing exchange, and those cute overalls for only $8 at a second hand store. It was awesome! She is so darling.
What's your favorite song right now, and why?
Taylor Swift's new album came out and I love Opalite!
What's a show or movie you could watch over and over again?
I've seen 20th Century Girl a couple of times now and I love it!
What are your top 3 favorite apps on your phone?
Libby, Apple Music, and Powerschool is really useful.
If you could learn any skill instantly, what would it be?
I would want to speak spanish or figure skate really well.
What's the best book you've read lately?
I've been loving reading Nancy Campbell Allen's books, especially Kiss of the Spindle and that series.
What's a big goal you have for the next year?
I want to feel comfortable driving anywhere I want to go and keep my 4.0.
What's your dream vacation destination?
I really want to go to Italy and northern Europe and Korea and Japan and London and all over!
If money were no object, what would you do with your life?
I would travel, go shopping, and donate a lot.
Who is a role model you look up to and why?
I look up to my parents and to my seminary teacher, Mama Wads and to my English teacher Mrs. Van Orden.
What's something you'd like to change in the world?
I want to help people from natural disasters and also be a missionary.
Are you more of a morning person or a night owl?
I can do whatever I need to!
What's the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
Darcy told me since I only like girls, when I marry a girl I won't have kids and that was a good thing.
What makes you laugh out loud?
I love reading funny books and memes. Also my sisters are hilarious!
What's your favorite way to relax and destress?
I like to read or chat with my family or watch my show.
If you could have any fictional character as a best friend, who would it be?
I would want to be best friends with...
If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
I would be a sea turtle because they swim and are such fun happy animals.
What's the best thing about yourself?
I am good at doing what I need to do to reach my goals.
What's a bizarre dream you've had?
I had a dream that I was picking blueberries with Mommy and Holly and Grandma, and then I shrunk down and was attacked by a rabbit three times as tall as I was.
What would be your go-to karaoke song if you suddenly had to sing karaoke?
I would pick a Taylor Swift song I know really well, like Maroon or Dancing With Our Hands Tied.
Would you rather have a pet shark or stare down a tiger?
What’s your favorite quality about yourself? Least favorite?
I think I am good at being present, but I tend to look for the bad everywhere, especially if someone says something that could be interpreted in an insulting way.
What is something that makes you feel unstoppable?
When I listen to The Alchemy by Taylor Swift.
What three words would you use to describe yourself?
I am right, a reader, and a music listener!
Would you call yourself brave?
I can be brave if it doesn't involve talking too much or heights or much danger or bugs or a great deal of risk :)
When do you feel the safest?
When I'm in my bed or when I'm cuddling with my family and watching our show.
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
I remember traveling as a family. Some of my favorites are probably Long Beach and NYC. Another one is remembering Mommy reading to us in the car every morning while we were waiting for the bus. I also remember swimming in the HOA pool in Arizona, and balancing on the cinderblock wall on the walk there.
What’s your biggest life regret so far?
I regret not appreciating how nice Grandma Deru was to us and what an amazing person she was and how often I saw her.
What’s something you’re really bad at?
My coordination leaves something to be desired... dancing and I aren't friends.
What do you look for when finding new friends?
I want to find someone who is nice, that I feel comfortable with, and that is fun & easy to talk to.
What is your favorite family tradition?
I love all the stuff we do for Christmas- all the countdowns and fun family activities. I also love our fun Valentine's Day celebrations.
What’s your favorite nickname someone has given you and how did you get it?
Ellie- I got it before I was born.
Are you a good gift giver?
I'm okay. I tend to get stressed when shopping if I don't have a good idea of what they would like.
Who do you admire most and why?
My parents! They are hard workers and are so smart and kind.
What is a spiritual experience you'd like to record here?
I decided this year to go a mission! I was in seminary, talking about early D&C, and I felt inspired to go.
What’s the quickest way someone can lose your trust?
Telling me they like reading but hate romance. That's not a good person.
Do you live by any particular mantra?
Not really.
If you started a business, what would it be?
I would become a reviewer of everything- products, shows, books.
How would you spend your last day on earth?
I would spend time with my family and eat amazing food.
What is your number one goal in life?
Right now, I am mostly focused on getting into BYU with a scholarship. One day I want to have a good family!
How do you hope people describe you?
I hope people say I am kind and smart.
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| There were fun sidewalk performers too! |
On Eliza's actual birthday we had a full on play day! President's Day meant Ellie had her birthday off school. We surprised her with a balloon arch (which we have never done before--so many balloons!) and German pancakes in bed. We played Zingo and Quacks during the day. We went to the Curiosity Museum and did the ropes course, which we had been meaning to do for maybe a whole year. We had grilled lemon chicken for dinner with roasted potatoes and pie. For presents, she was given a trip to Paris (and clothes and a purse to help with that), make up from Uncle Daniel, and lotion from her sisters.
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| Darcy was too little to go on the ropes course so we hung out and watched them. |
The ropes course looked fun but for our girls it was more nerve wracking than fun. I thought they would do better with it after the major success of ziplining, but I guess the whole was way shaky and kind of scary. At one point cute little Holland struggled to step between the posts and got stuck. Fortunately a worker came up and helped her. I think they were glad that they did it, but aren't going to be asking me to do spend the money to do it again.
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| They were up so high! |
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| Coming down from the very top |
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| I love that they stuck together |
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| This is the funniest pose if you ask these girls. |
We love you darling girl! You make us proud every single day. We feel so incredibly lucky and blessed to be your parents! What a joy it was to go on that trip with you. It was unforgettable. But the main reason it was so nice was because we got to be there with you. You make everything better. We love you more than we can say!
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