Sweet 16 for Sydney Marie

If anyone knows the story of my Sweet 16...it's pretty lame. My family tried to throw me a party, but let's just say...it didn't work out. My big day was less than two months after my mom died and we all were still numb from the awful days, weeks & months that we had finally started to put behind us. I think because of where I was on my 16th birthday, trying to figure out how to live without my mom, taking care of my dad (who was NOT my BFF at the time), helping with Raelynn, and trying to run the house until Richelle came home from NAU on the weekends...watching Sydney rapidly approach this day has been extra sweet for me.

Although she's a total blonde band geek, she is quickly turning into a beautiful young woman...inside and out. She loves her family...even Billy (she told me once!!). She is super smart and can play an instrument AND walk/march at the same time. As lame as I think marching band is (sorry pretty girl), I have to admit...running cross country was a heck of a lot easier than trying to play an instrument (& make actual music) while marching AND sweating your butt off in the thick, heavy, dumb band suit....(love ya Syd!!) It's funny to hear that she has opinions on things that "matter." And the best part for me...she is HAPPY. She is growing up SO fast...(and I'm not getting ANY older!!)

Robyn, Richelle & I spent hours on the phone, e-mailing, texting, etc trying to determine what that special day should bring for Syd. We started this life drama months and months ago. We didn't want to go "overboard," but we also knew that since the three of us were planning it...overboard was most likely the best option. We agonized with Robyn over what special gift or trinket Sydney would treasure for years to come...someday looking back and with only her personal, private memories would think, "I got THIS from my mom on my 16th birthday!!"

The three of us have obviously come and gone long past our teenage years and it is much easier to see the important things in life...ya know when teenage drama and hormones are no longer a daily dose along with breakfast, lunch and dinner. I'm sure we each have something that our mother gave to us...something that is special...something that only she would know she gave us and we would know where it came from. We can't honestly come up with what that is right now, but we continue to assure each other that there must be something hidden away...very hidden :)

Syd is totally gay for the "Twilight" book series and expressed her undying love for the charm bracelet to Richelle one night on the phone. Richelle assured her that she would NEVER be able to talk her parents into buying it for her...and then secretly called Robyn & me. We had to completely rethink our gift idea that we had already decided on, but Richelle also expressed Syd's undying devotion for this bracelet...so what choice did we have??

(side bar: I had voted for the Tiffany's charm bracelet...but to be honest...that vote was not only for Sydney, but also for myself!! I REALLY want one!! I was anti-Tiffany's for Syd at the tender age of 16 until I saw that stupid charm bracelet...now I REALLY want one...I'm 28...so I should be ready for something in a little blue box...and I'm not even askin' for a diamond...okay...I'd rather have a diamond ring, but beggars can't be choosers these days!!)

I of course, just made snide remarks, because I think the whole vampire book, OCD B.S. is just that...a bunch of S%$#. But Richelle wouldn't just drop the stupid Twilight bracelet idea...and I had already gotten to pick out the other gift from her parents AND Sydney's gifts from us. I had NO choice but to accept the inevitable - Sydney was getting the stupid Twilight bracelet. And I am SO please to report...Sydney was dang happy about it!!

I moved on from that point :) and we continued to plan Sydney's big day. Pedicures for her and her best friends and then lunch at her favorite restaurant Oregano's!! After all the food was eaten and the pizza cookie pan completely scraped clean by 6 teenage girls with more drama than hormones, Robyn and Sydney would head home together.

After Bill got home from work, their family of four would head out to eat a special dinner together...but I honeslty have NO idea where they went?? Huh? Anywho...while they were at dinner, Richelle, Mike and I decorated the house for the "Sydney's Sweet 16 Smorgasbord." There were tons of sweets!! See's candy, ice cream sundays, cream puffs, gummy bears, black licorice, strawberries, and I'm sure there was more crap...but the best part was of course the cake that Grandma Carlys made especially for Syd.

When I found the first half of her present at the Coach store around my birthday, we sent a picture to Carlys to see if she could replicate it. Of course it was amazing!! It was identical...including the tiny "coach" signature in a few of the colored "C's"...just like her new purse.

We all chatted and ate sweets...Sydney made an outfit change (since we shopped special for it 2 weekends ago) and then at Sydney's request, after a majority of our good friends left, we played the animal game; Robyn was of course the lead elephant, Carlys was the snake, I was my favorite giraffe, Sydney was the tiger (I think because she is so gay for tiger stripes), Billy was the alligator, Derek fashioned a new creature "the dog" and Richelle started out as the lowly pig.

I'm not sure which was better, Carlys trying to do the snake move AND stay on beat or Derek's numerous attempts at making the giraffe movement and having it look like anything but the giraffe!! He absolutely looked adorable trying and trying and trying...every time it was his turn he tried to do that stinkin' giraffe movement!! Then he switched it up and tried for the snake...but it was just as goofy!! It was hilarious...so hilarious that I think Syd peed in her pants just a little.

All in all the night was awesome. As I sat there next to Shanna, I looked around and felt very much at peace. With the exception of a few people, whether they have since died or weren't able to make the party, everyone there tonight was in attendance at my sweet 16. When my sister's would tell me that none of the "cool" girls in junior high mattered anyway...they said that 10, 15, 20 years from now they, my sisters, would be my only girlfriends that would still be around all those years later.

I never wanted that to be true...until I woke up one day and they were not only my only real girlfriends (with the exception of 1 or 2), but my only true friends...the ones that always have time for me to whine about nothing, the ones that keep calling until I answer...even when I just wanted to die, the ones that I still cry with, the ones that I pray for, the ones that know all my dumb jokes, all my bad habits and love me anyway...the ones that I can't live without.

Sydney doesn't have sisters like I do, but she has us. I pray everyday for her...for her to know what's right and what's wrong...for her to stand up for herself and for what she believes in...for her to be able to see past all the b.s. that comes with being a girl...to see that very few other people in this world will be around in 10, 15, 20 years...but I promise we will be.