When we left the had a little girl, stuffy in hand, pants that fit who loved to be tucked in every night.  And now I stare in amazement at this young woman blooming before my eyes able to navigate the world often on her own, and who pushes herself and us to grow at every opportunity.  Somehow this year was like the Alaskan summer sun for Lily; twenty-four hour light causing her to grow faster, stronger and sweeter than I thought was ever possible.

She has always beat to her own drum with an eye for the beauty and an ear for the song.  As the days rushed towards another year around the sun for her we enjoyed all that Danang had to offer, a modern, pulsing growing city on “China Beach” an impossibly long and wide white sand beach.  Danang was like the eastern tourist town, the balance to the Hanoi’s western tourism. Loud, modern, pulsating lights and karaoke by the beach. Company team building events with mass weddings and endless selfie-shoots in the early morning and evening leaving the beach almost deserted midday.  Isabelle and I explored countless alleys, streets, bakeries, jewelers trying to piece together the bits of birthday. Meanwhile Lily spent her days before her birthday completing all of her school work a solid month ahead of schedule.

The day was a celebration of her and this adventure, blowing out candles in the shower to not set off the smoke detector, sand castles and wave jumping, painted nails and our first American movie in a movie theater since we left, complete with popcorn and pizza.   But I kept finding myself quiet and reflective. In awe at her strength, determination, and beauty on the cusp of adulthood. I find myself just holding on to these days that rush past sure I am seeing the pants get shorter as I look at her legs, in awe of this not so little person who I get the privilege to call my daughter.