DQ's Birthday - the End of an Era

Today is the birthday of one of my favorite people - DQ! She's turning 12 and, as I made the cupcakes for her to take to school it suddenly hit me... this is the last time I'll be making cupcakes for her. Next year she'll be in middle school and, as such, way to old to bring cupcakes to school on her birthday. I can't believe it.
DQ's twelfth birthday also means that a certain major event is just a year away. I'm kind of amazed to find myself at this point because I really don't feel old enough but I must be. At any rate I've got some planning to do and one very big project to get started on. I've got ton's of dyeing and hooking to do.
This was the pile of gifts she opened this morning. The biggest was from hubbo and I. We got her a new boombox to replace the one we bought her at birth which finally died. Did you know how hard it is to find a boombox these days? Apparently they're nearly extinct but when you do find them they've got ipod docks and remote controls and other fancy stuff. Nothing stays the same.
So, what do you suppose was in most of those packages? Books! (perfect for the daughter of a librarian) DQ was thrilled to find nearly a dozen books wrapped up and waiting for her. The other thing was a music stand. Books and music - that's my DQ in a nutshell and I'm perfectly ok with that.
At twelve, DQ is an amazing kid. She gets all A's in school and manages to keep up with dance classes, a special school band group, Girl Scouts and so much more. She's a wonderful, positive kid and I'm so proud of her I could burst.
Happy birthday darling!