I just can't believe my Eli-Pie is actually 17! Whoah! I feel like 17 is a good year in a lot of ways. There is a lot of growing and maturing and figuring things out. I love all of that for Eli.
Eli is seriously sooo cute. I imagine he didn't go to much school on his birthday, I feel like he didn't go to much school all year, for that matter. I really didn't see him much that day either, and he said he didn't know what he wanted for dinner, so Jon made his own favorite dinner: Wings in the airfryer. I picked up a cheesecake earlier and girlfriend Chloe came by for us to all sing to him and give him our birthday wishes that evening.
Eli continues to work at Papa Murphy's, he still won't get direct-deposit organized because he swears he will not be there much longer. He is definitely more confident in driving- he's a great driver, actually! He is about half-way through his Invisalign and he's been so dedicated and responsible about that. I really don't think he eats much- ever, which may be why it's moving along so rapidly. He continues to skateboard and mainly hangs out a lot with his friends. I get glimpses on Instagram of their wacky movies they film downtown and other hijinks. He does not divulge a lot of information or details, as he's a guy with few words. I usually find out about things from other people. Like the Bishop from the 1st ward told me how Eli joined their youth group activity when they biked down the canyon to home. Eli had borrowed another friends bike, and there was chain trouble early on- not sure why he didn't just take one of ours. Anyway, the bishop ended up buying him a scooter rental and dragging Eli's bike all the way home. The bishop said he was very funny and a great time and they were glad to have him. Eli said he had told the bishop he would just stash the bike on the trail and pick it up that night, but the bishop insisted on pulling it along. This bishop just couldn't believe I hadn't heard about all of this. Then from another friend, (I learned this while at girls camp), when his big group dined at her house for Prom, her daughter's date thought it would be funny to spray her mace from her keychain into her taco. The date thought it would just taste spicy and she would have a good chuckle. Pretty quickly everyone was coughing, they had to open the windows and go outside so they could breathe. She thinks one kid threw up. The mom felt kind of bad for the kid, who clearly did not understand how dumb that was, and clearly felt embarrassed. I heard about none of this! You can see why on the random nights he comes in my room and plops on my bed and tells me about music he's listening to, or friends, school, or future plans, I soak up all the Eli I can.
I think I will enjoy watching Eli grow this year, even more into the young man he is designed to be. I know that Junior year is stressful in general, and it has been so for Eli. My hope for him is that he will continue to learn and stretch, continue to have fun friends and make new ones, and have great experiences. When I see Eli doing his thing, I feel a rush of gratitude that I get to know him, and be his mom and know sides of him that no one else does. He is extra special to me, and I love him to pieces. Happy Happy 17th Birthday, Eli!