Last week was Jane's birthday.  She turned 12 which I consider an important birthday.  It feels like the unofficial passage from older child to young adult.  We took her to dinner at Outback so she could try a 'bloomin' onion' which she had heard about on Buffy: The Vampire Slayer - a show she has been enjoying for the last few months.  She loved it, of course, but I just love the fact that when it comes to her birthday and she is allowed to pick a restaurant, she almost always picks something new.

At dinner began the scavenger hunt.  Scott came up with an amazing gift for her - 2 tickets to P!nk - and wanted to make the giving a special event so he created a scavenger hunt where she had to do good deeds in order to earn puzzle pieces which she put together over the weekend and learned about this great gift.  She's a huge fan.  I enjoy her music and attitude a lot, too, so I'll be the adult in charge of taking her.  (I know.  Quite the sacrifice!)  It made her birthday memorable and I hope was a good connection for her and her father.

I'm looking forward to these teenage years.  It's going to be rough, I'm sure, but seeing her grow so far has been pretty amazing.  The next few years will define her future and she has great plans for that.