Happy Sweet 16, Anna!

Anna is 16! Wow! She has had a very fun multi-event celebration, beginning on the 3rd with a joint celebration in Concord. 

Then, Saturday, she invited 5 of her friends to do an escape room, then back to our house to get ready for a rooftop dinner in downtown Raleigh. While the escape room didn't go their way, they had a great time and perfect weather for dinner! 

Sunday, the four of us and Joe went to Drive Shack (a first for Erin and me) where we had a wonderful time playing games and eating lunch. Joe came back to our house after and stayed for dinner. 

Her actual birthday began with the traditional DMV appointment (haha) in Cary for her road test, which was successful! She ended up having the same examiner who she had for her permit, a very nice lady, and while the road test was different from Erin's route (that Anna had practiced on Friday), she passed! We are so proud of her! 

She wasted no time and drove the two of them home from school that day and then round trip to/from school on Tuesday. Her car, Bunny, even got some bling for Anna's birthday! We rounded out the celebrations with a family Mexican dinner at Aye Toro. 

So, it was quite the event, as it should be for Anna's 16th birthday. Anna loves to have fun with the people she loves. We love being a part of that! She is pleasant, happy, calm, kind, level-headed, and funny. She has such a great sense of humor. She loves her people and is extremely loyal. She's always willing to talk and listen. She's taken on challenges, even when she has been apprehensive. Next year, she's got FOUR AP classes on the docket! It's going to be tough, but she can do it. She has grown immensely this year in her time management and diligence, and we are so proud of her for that. Tomorrow, she has her first-ever job interview at a local ice cream place. She's taken it upon herself to apply and schedule the interview, and she's ready to take on this new responsibility. She's always up for some fun with family and friends. She's forged strong relationships in many areas of her life: long-term babysitting and pet-sitting clients, family, teachers, and friends. A teacher has asked her to participate in research for his dissertation, and she's learning a lot from that. She and Joe have been together for 8 months and are still going strong. 

Other highlights in the past year (other than driving) include her Confirmation which required two years of youth group meetings, traveling to Australia with Bob last June, and coaching the middle school girls' soccer team at StMM.

I like to say that Anna is a joy and a delight; this still rings true in her teen years. People are happy when they're around Anna. She is a true blessing, and we love her so much. Now, go be safe out there, Anna!