FIFTY (and 17)

FIFTY.

The big five-oh. Halfway to 100.

I remember when we were kids, from time to time we'd look ahead and say, "When I'm ___, you'll be ____." Or, "when it's 2000, I'll be ___, and you'll be ____."

It was hard to imagine having a sibling this old. Or being this old myself. (Of course, I'm not there yet, but obviously it's not that far away now.)

So, Happy 50th Birthday to my sister, Cherie! (That's us, 41 years ago in Mansfield, Ohio.)

But that's not all.

Because it's also Shae's birthday - named Shaelyn Cherie to honor her much older aunt. Seventeen is a pretty big number, too, especially when it's my daughter.

Shae has been a constant delight. Monday was a sad day for us, as the other three kids began their homeschool year without their older sister for the very first time. (Even though she is officially a high school senior, she is taking all her classes at Edison Community College this year.) Instead of the usual Math, Bible, Latin and all the rest in the schoolroom, Shae went off to work at Jorgensen Contracting.

Happy 17th Birthday, Shae! (In the picture: cousin Jason, toe-picking Shae, cousin Ben, cousin Jenni.)