Sweet Sixteen

Our little angel, Cheyenne Leialoha Poston, turns sixteen today.

I may be standing too close for a sharp-focused portrait of her. As a father, I see brains and beauty even though I am often the target of her quick wit. Her defining characteristics are seriousness and commitment. She will not let me tell you where she ranks in her high school class of 340, but if it was a horse race she would be running “in the money.” Wearing the medals she recently won at an academic competition would give a weaker person a sore back. For her birthday she asked for an SAT prep class and a calculator.

As a baby, Cheyenne used to curl up on my chest and cuddle for hours. Little did we know that her ability to sleep would one day become legendary. As “the” girl of the house, she balances competitive swimming, classical piano and all-star academics while protesting their impact on her twelve-hour-per-day sleep requirement. She is also famous for her shark-like sense of smell. This means that our “lab” experiment, Tyson, gets very little love despite his obvious affection for her.

And you should all be forewarned that Cheyenne does not share food.

Inside this gorgeous young lady is the adventurous spirit of an explorer. She has hiked the Inca Trail, sailed the Aegean, toured ancient Korean cities, climbed Mayan pyramids, SCUBA’d with sharks, kayaked Costa Rica, rung in the New Year in Times Square, skied every mountain west of the Mississippi, surfed the islands, caught mahimahi on Maui, and “ruined” the Acropolis for the rest of the family. If the world is a book, Cheyenne is intent on reading (and re-reading) all of the chapters.

Happy Birthday darling. Drive safe and have a wonderful day.