I mean, those older people tried to warn me....but when days of sick babies and sleep deprived mama seem long, who can believe that years fly. My daughter is 13 this month, but honestly, I feel like I have been mothering FOREVER. I hardly remember my life pre-babies anymore. This is partially due to my ever failing memory, but mostly because I was blessed with a new identity that one summer night and I never looked back. Who am I apart from being a mama to 5? I can hardly describe...
Back to my baby girl. I just reread this post from 3 years back and giggled at some things that were present at 10. Some things have changed, but some are very much still there.
Over the past year, especially, I have been thinking a lot about how her and I are similar and how we are different. The differences are so great that sometimes I am at awe that we share genetical makeup. I love our differences, but sometimes I look at her and say--"Yep, that is so me!"-- with pride and other times with my head hung low hanging on to grace...
I decided to document some of those things for the sake of maybe revisiting it in a few years for another chuckle.
- She is a blond, I am a brunette
- She's got beautiful eyes that are blue, mine are the same shape as hers but brown.
- Though we both have curly hair, she loves to wear hers straight.
- We are both very responsible especially when it comes to schooling (Runs in the family--thanks, mom!)
- She very much cares about her appearance in public, while I do too, I have no problem running to a grocery store in the same clothes I spent the day cleaning in.
- Abby is obsessed with high end brands. I can care less and prefer that I don't advertise any company's logo for free. (Praying she will grow over it).
- She's also obsessed with cars. Talks a lot about owning a fancy one one day. All I care about is that it runs and is roomy enough for our fam.
- While we both love sushi and other Asian food, I prefer to reserve soy sauce for those cuisines while she can add to it every meal.
- She is athletic and I am (was?) too.
- I love to read for pleasure, she reserves it for academic purposes.
- I love her choice for clothing more with every day that passes...
- She loves to play her music loud. I'm getting way to old for that...
- She loves the mall, I prefer boutique style shopping. Choices overwhelm me.
- The girl loooooves high heels. Ouch--is all I have say about that.
- She loves to cook and experiment with different combination of flavors--I am a devout recipe follower.
- She's got a knack for organizing, please don't open my cupboards.
- She plays the piano better than me, has an ear for music and also plays the flute.
- She is an extrovert all the way.
- Though we share jeans, she is a pear, I'm an apple.
There is probably more, but thats all I can think of right now. We spent her big day in Seattle--here is a quick recap.
We woke up early, but ended up leaving around 8am. Our first stop was of course the Pike's Market. We were mostly impressed with the street musicians and various seafood--foot long
lobsters, y'all!
Though my husband enjoyed his lobster roll, I think I will skip my crab roll next time and just get a double serving of chowder. Yum!
After lunch we got coffee here. Another score (not money wise, but flavor)! Its located on the upper floor of the building right across from the market--feels worlds away from the hustle when you are there. My latte was so smooth and delicious and the decor and architecture is so so beautiful. If I had more than one day to spend in Seattle, I might have just camped myself there for a whole day with a book in hand.
Goodness, she looks all grown up!
We passed the ever colorful Gum Wall on our way to the Ferris Wheel and Pier 59. I wanted to keep walking, but teenagers had to take a picture ;).
It was the perfect day for the Ferris Wheel. The 360 degree view from the cabins (?) was so pretty, definitely something I would love to do again.
Pier 59 is full of gift shops, an ice cream shop and seafood restaurants. Restaurants range from casual to fine dining; we gravitated towards casual. The gift shops had mostly tourist material with some gems such as these mixed in:
After Pier 59, we decided to walk all the way to the Sculpture Park. Ahem. Maybe not such a great idea. It was farther then we thought. Would have been wiser to park closer to the park and take a walk in the park instead.
By the time we made it to the park, no one felt like walking much further.
Mixed in our trip was a parking ticket (almost a towing ticket--sign of relief!) and my husband being mistaken for a homeless person while waiting for us near the gift shop. We had all had a good chuckle.
We woke up early, but ended up leaving around 8am. Our first stop was of course the Pike's Market. We were mostly impressed with the street musicians and various seafood--foot long
lobsters, y'all!
The market itself is a bit overwhelming--lots of people and lots of vendors. I don't do well with too many choices. We made our way through the covered area and out to the street where we found Pike Place Chowder. The line was loooong but definitely worth the wait.
After lunch we got coffee here. Another score (not money wise, but flavor)! Its located on the upper floor of the building right across from the market--feels worlds away from the hustle when you are there. My latte was so smooth and delicious and the decor and architecture is so so beautiful. If I had more than one day to spend in Seattle, I might have just camped myself there for a whole day with a book in hand.
We passed the ever colorful Gum Wall on our way to the Ferris Wheel and Pier 59. I wanted to keep walking, but teenagers had to take a picture ;).
By the time we made it to the park, no one felt like walking much further.
Mixed in our trip was a parking ticket (almost a towing ticket--sign of relief!) and my husband being mistaken for a homeless person while waiting for us near the gift shop. We had all had a good chuckle.
Love you baby girl, many many more Happy Birthdays to ya!
