There’s been a lot of focus on me the past two days (Father’s Day and my Birthday falling one day after the other. I want to take the focus off of me and spend some time on someone else.

Thirteen years is a long time for anything. For my favorite daughter, that’s how long she spent getting through school. From Kindergarten through her Senior year, it’s been an adventure. A journey. She’s gone from being my little girl, to my favorite daughter to being her own person (though she’ll always be little girl and my favorite daughter.) The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. She made sure to keep my wife and me on our toes. Just a small list of things that have happened.

Getting ready for Prom.

Getting ready for her t-shirt site launch (http://shopheartbreakers.com)

Getting ready for her t-shirt launch party

Photoshoot for her website

Launch party for her t-shirt company

Launching her website (did I mention http://shopheartbreakers.com)

Going to Prom

Getting ready for graduation.

Registering for college.

Going to her Baccalaureate

Going to her graduation.

Having an after graduation celebration

Audition for Fashion Week San Diego

Grad Night at Disneyland

Photoshoot for a local designer.

Then it was Father’s Day and My Birthday.

Suffice to say, I’m exhausted. My wife is exhausted. My Favorite Daughter is exhausted, but still eager to do more.

It’s times like this when I haven’t had a chance to really let everything sink in. We’ve been so busy with everything that somehow I missed the fact that my little girl has gone and grown up. She’s out of high school. She started her own business. She’s off to college. She’s doing her own thing and making her parents so proud of all she’s done.

Life isn’t without its ups and downs and this year started out tough. Through it all she’s made it to the end of school. She graduated with honors, technical recognition (for working in the Mac Lab and being the Career Technical Education (CTE) Ambassador for Valhalla High School). She kept everything she wanted to do on track and followed through even when things got tough. She saw her goal, focused, and hit her targets. Nothing deterred her.

I still see that little girl going to school for the first time. The awkward smile as we dropped her off. The way she twisted her hair around her finger letting us know just how nervous she was while putting on a strong face. How her teachers asked us why she was so quiet and us assuring them she was just shy.

Then seeing her at graduation. Running up to her friends, taking pictures, cheering loudly at how happy she was for them. Trying to find other friends and knowing she can reach out to them later, or texting them that she’ll see them at grad night. The confidence she showed knowing that she had everything under control and at the same time not wanting to admit it was truly all over and many of her friends were off to their own adventures.

Sitting here it’s hard to not post a thousand pictures of everything she went through at school from plays, to volleyball games, to parties, to… well, you get the point.

It’s been a long thirteen years and they’ve gone by in a blink. Now she’s on to bigger and better things. We couldn’t be prouder.

My Favorite Daughter. She’s kinda awesome. Congratulations kiddo. We love you!