There was a moment tonight at Ellie’s 18th birthday party when I had to secretly and silently excuse myself.

Ellie’s idea for her 18th birthday party was an outside dinner party with 13 of her closest friends. She enlisted the help of her mom, her nana, and me to cook a 6-course meal. We spent the day cooking and chatting and decorating her nana’s backyard. Ellie’s boyfriend, Duncan, also spent the day helping and visiting. It was a really nice time.

When the party started, we kicked it into work mode, serving Ellie and her friends one course after the next, refilling drinks, etc. At one point, they all went around the table and said what they loved or admired about Ellie.

As a parent, you pray that your kid makes good decisions and makes good friends. What I saw tonight was that, once again, Ellie has exceeded my expectations. Her friends are kind, and they love Ellie for her kindness. Well, that and her fashion sense. They love her because she is funny. They love her because she is a good listener. And they love her because of her faith. It was all the things my heart wants for her.

At one point during the dinner, I grabbed my camera to take a few candid photographs of the party. What I saw was the way Ellie looked at Duncan. You know, 18 after all is just a number. You can be an adult mentally long before your 18th birthday, or long after. But seeing the way she looked at him made me realize she wasn’t a kid anymore.

While we are here, I’ll go ahead and show you other images from the party, including the creme brulee I made for everyone (the garnish is a candied lemon peel and fresh fruit). I’ll try to do a recipe post later!

Talk to you soon,
Dale