Seventeen! In Thailand!

We were in Thailand for Kylie's 17th birthday.

We had a low-key breakfast at an outdoor café, where it actually rained on us a little while we were there.

Kylie and Doug rode on a rented scooter to breakfast,

while the rest of us climbed in the back of the island's version of a taxi.

After breakfast, we went swimming and then we walked to get some sandwiches and coffee for a late lunch, early dinner. 

After sundown, we walked to a restaurant on the water that looked worthy of a 17th birthday dessert.

We all tried smoothies, and most of them were pretty good, but the view was definitely the best part.

When the restaurant heard us singing "Happy Birthday" to Kylie, they brought her something special, but it wasn't a cake.

Bet you never saw this coming...

Crackers with chocolate dipping sauce (H.B.D.)

Yep.  You heard me correctly.



I think this was one of the sure signs that it was "off-season" on the island.

We ate a few, but mostly we just played with the letters.

Kylie is a pretty fantastic human being.  Being the firstborn, she is the guinea pig for a lot of things, and she bravely takes them on.  She pitches in around the house, helps fix her sister's hair, cooks, and works hard at all she does.  She has a creative streak that I only dream about, and she gets excited about planning events and following through with all the details.

She is strong, protective, honest, loyal, self-confident, stylish, and fun.  She is a lot of things I had always hoped to be, and I'm so proud of her.



She's looking ahead at all that is to come, but...



I'm looking back, remembering all that was :)

Happy 17th, Kylie!