Happy 17th Birthday, Hadley!

Dear Hadley,

Happy 17th birthday and what a year it has been! It started during the height of a pandemic with your Sweet 16 in lockdown. We managed to have a lovely backyard family party at Aunt Tammy’s, cruise around in a vintage gold car and have an outdoor movie night with Edyn and Zoe but the rest of it sure didn’t live up to expectations. Much like a lot of 2020/21. But you survived, you were one of the first teenagers to be fully vaccinated in Utah and the world awaits!

Except you still have no idea what to do with it. How about let’s start by getting your driver’s license?

Last fall, we did a mother-daughter road trip to visit some universities in Southern Utah. You loved SUU because of your fun tour and their “My Little Pony Club” (an excellent reason to apply), but when we walked onto DSU’s campus, Dixie became your first choice because Palm Trees! Warmth! What every college kid looks for in their potential school. We also visited Snow College which you were less impressed with because it’s small but there is still plenty of time to decide. You recently floated the idea of traveling around the nation in a van which, on the surface, wanderlust is good. But living in a van? Reality bites, especially after being conditioned to The Broadmoor.

You had a blast with Monty and your friends at Prom and begrudgingly performed at Promenade, a 100+year old tradition at WHS, to appease your mother (you’ll thank me in 20 years). You limped across the finish line of junior year with a shockingly good GPA that we salvaged by dropping math when we found out you had enough math credits for graduation. Let’s hear it for being done with math forever! Well, at least while you’re in high school. Senior year looks promising! You have a few required classes and then fun. Horticulture/greenhouse. Jewelry. Art. Weight lifting. Travel/tourism. Even psychology sounds interesting to you. Our exchange student, Maelle, will be arriving in August so you will have a Swiss sister for your senior year which will provide its own set of opportunities and challenges since you’re ruled the roost for so long but our hope is you will both have a blast as queens of the school your senior years.

Finishing our basement has been drudgery during COVID but we finally finished in fall 2020. Our theater room has become a hot spot for you and Bode to hang out with your friends (Monty, Edyn and Maddie are your regulars). You moved into your new bedroom which we built with your needs in mind: a huge walk-in closet (much bigger than mine), a carpeted bedroom area and then a tiled area for doing art. You have little interest in decorating it, except for a gazillion plants and every time you walk into a store, you beg me to buy you more. And a frog. Aunt Lisa has become your plant mentor and here’s for hoping her OCD cleanliness will rub off on you. Though not likely; when I briefly lived with her at Grandma and Grandma’s, she was a complete slob so maybe we all start out that way and some of us evolve.

During quarantine, you developed an interest in puzzles, became an expert in Minecraft and expanded upon your makeup artistry–everything from the grotesque to the stunning. Pink is your favorite color (at least that’s what I assume from all the times you’ve dyed your hair) and you have your Grandma B.’s flair for fashion. You can make anything look cute (except for that one time I commented you looked like to Emu even though I meant to say Emo). You have worked off-and-on at Dairy Keen this year and you fell in love and had your hearts broken by Chewy (a golden retriever) and Zelda (an Australian shepherd) with whom you and Bode were hired to dog walk shortly after Fat Kitty’s passing. You had many wonderful adventures together and they were the perfect distraction when we were stuck at home but they sadly moved away earlier this year. We thought we wanted a puppy…until we puppy sat several labradoodle puppies and we decided maybe we’re not puppy people. But you’re still obsessed with getting a golden retriever and you were delighted to recently see Chewy, even though he was a big drooling, hairy mess who, in his excitement to see you, had a death grip on a dirty diaper; he knows how to charm.

Despite COVID restrictions, we were able to do some local trips this year. Girl’s Camp was canceled and changed to just one evening. The Canadian border is closed.  The week before Memorial Day 2020, we met our friends the Hardymans to camp at the Grand Canyon…and were evacuated on Night 1 due to a wildfire (but talk about a memorable story about your first visit to this iconic National Park).  In July, we had our final houseboat adventures at Lake Powell with the Olsens because they sold their boat but those lazy, hot days on the water are some of our favorite memories. Last August, we had an awesome vacation in Crested Butte where we climbed 12,162-foot Mount Crested Butte (stunning) and mountain biked (not your favorite), and we had the time of our lives white-water rafting the Arkansas River and ziplining and scaling the precipitous Via Ferrata at Royal Gorge. The lodge we stayed at overlooking the deep cavern was spectacular and it was a fantastic family trip back to Colorado.

For my birthday in February, we took a fun vacation to Bryce Canyon with the Olsens and then for Spring Break we flew out to Sea Island, Georgia for a beautiful beach vacation where you proved you can still fly a kite while passed out on the beach. On June 1st, you will embark on the trip-of-a-lifetime with your brother through Illumuniate Youth Tours. Church History sites. Boston. Chicago. New York City. Washington, D.C. The Sacred Grove. Your Dad and I will be living vicariously through you back home…and paying off your trip. You had your orientation meeting last weekend and you’re most excited for New York City and least excited for the lack of personal time–17 days, 23 days and 30 teens. “Why do we always tell introverts to get out of their comfort zones?” you mused. “Why can’t we just tell extroverts to shut up?”

You are hilarious, beautiful, smart, immovable, adventurous, talented, artistic, sassy, loved and worthy. When you set your mind to something, you’re unstoppable.

None of us can believe you’re turning 18 in just one year. A couple of weeks ago, you marveled, “I can’t believe I’ll be an adult soon and will be able to vote and buy a fish from Petco.”

Climb every mountain. And buy those fish, girl.

We love you (now, go do your homework),

XOXOXO

Mom

P.S. For a stroll down memory lane, read letters for your 16th birthday letter15th, 14th,  13th12th11th10th, 9th 8th7th6th5th4th3rd2nd and your birth story.

 

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