I am sixteen going on seventeen.

If we would have a blown out coming of age birthday party for Sierra's sweet 16 last year the dress she wore to her church prom would have been perfect! Today is Sierra's birthday week, and although she is not one to have a big celebration I know she is excited to be turning 17 this Friday.

One being she will be legal to drive. In the state of New Jersey you don't get your license until you're 17. Previous states we have lived in such as Texas, North Carolina, and Utah allows you to get your license when your 16. I am actually glad that the age is 17 here because it gave Sierra more time to prepare in learning to drive. So she is pretty stoaked to be licensed to drive soon!

Turning 17 means that she will be a Senior in high school this fall! She is super thrilled! I still can't believe that she will be graduating high school one year from now.

Turning 17 means she will be attending college soon after she graduates high school. She has already looked into a few colleges, and her email gets blown up daily by various colleges from all over. I was pretty impressed that she got invites to tour colleges such as Brown, Georgetown, NYU, Yale, and Harvard. It doesn't matter to me what college she chooses as long as she knows the choice is correct, and that it will benefit her future.

Turning 17 means that I will soon have three children left in the home. It brings me to tears, but I am salvaging every shred of Sierra that I can inhale. Her presence is soothing, and she is a huge blessing in every aspect of my life. A blessing because of her example in righteousness.

I have a whole year and a half to take advantage of her 17th year. To be there for her, to guide and help her in anything she needs. Senior year is going to come and go just like her junior year has.