Thirteen can be lucky, right?

Dear CE, you are a bonafide teenager now. You decorated your own cake again, enjoying every minute of it:


You got your ears pierced yesterday, with a minimum of trembling:



Birthdays get less magical as you get older. You had to spend the night of your birthday doing homework. School and piano lessons continued unabated and so did family chores and other responsibilities you have in school, church and our family. I can't believe it's been thirteen years since that snowy Utah day you were born. You are nearly as tall as me and have plans, dreams and growing skills. You must really be thirteen. It will be lucky, right?