When You're Seventeen

At age 17, summer should look like this.  

Crazy canoe adventures and corn roasting

under a summer sky filled with stars and a glowing moon.

 Cute friends to laugh with until you know your sides will split.

Boys. Those silly boys who make the world go round and make you crazy at the same time!

Good buddies who have or will shortly be leaving on missions soon.

 Carefree and joyous.

Fun youth leaders who organize these silly escapades and care so much about the kids!

Ahhh good ole summertime.

 Oh yeah, and 17 is the time when photos like this appear on your camera roll.

{Enough to make your mother ill}  

PLEASE DON'T STAND SO CLOSE TO THE EDGE!

{and please adopt this as a lifelong motto}

 Perfection in your hand

 It doesn't get  better than this.

 We're on the top of the world and carefree for the moment.

Starry Starry Night

***

 And when you are seventeen and the baby of the family,

you can bet your parents will be soft 

enough and worn down enough

to say yes to a kitten.

Meet Benny.