Ode to Kaylee James.......

On this, the eve of her "Promotion Ceremony"......from middle school. My lovely, effervescent and extremely spoiled niece......She got her Dad's name in the middle...which we all think is quite cool, especially Kaylee, because how cool is it to be a pretty, smart and funny young lady, with a boys name in the middle, eh?

Kaylee can't decide which boy she likes, so, she makes friends with both. Kaylee talks so fast, if you blink, you'll miss what she is saying. Kaylee, has blond, naturally wavy hair and sparkly blue eyes and long, dark, eye lashes. I swear she must be her school's speed texting champion. She shuffles a mean iPod and knows the words to songs I can't understand. She worries about her clothes, her hair, her Mom and her Brother and her kajillion friends. Kaylee believes in Magic, not like a toddler believes in Santa Claus, however, Kaylee still believes in Santa, but, she believes in the Magic in the world and that Nature is Magical. She knows the importance of family and how to appreciate a Tradition and how to celebrate traditions. She loves to garden, pack for moving, clean out the garage and shop in antique stores and what to look for at the Good Will and garage sales. She's like a full grown adult, only not and most of the time I forget that she is only 13, because she's going on 30.

Kaylee, in case you haven't figured it out is my surrogate kid.....we're simpatico, we get each other. She listens to me and I listen to her. She loves to talk about the mysteries of life and asks intelligent questions and stores the information she receives. She is artistic, judgemental, bright, compassionate, smart mouthed (just like any self respecting teen), articulate, funny, shy, (not so much, but occasionally), outspoken and a defender of the underdog, even if it's not her underdog.

Kaylee is a blessing to me, a sparkle in the twilight, an inspiration, my hope.

She makes me HAPPY.......

(side note: photo taken when Kaylee was about 3, a pure luck shot with an old workhorse 35mm slr....My favorite picture of her....and her favorite picture of herself!)