Dinner Date + Sleepover

I have a special visitor tonight: my niece Anna came for a sleepover! We tried out my new grill with teriyaki chicken and vegetables, and she helped me make some rice. At 9-years-old, she's a great helper in the kitchen, although she prefers preparing the meal to cleaning up. :-)

We had a nice conversation during dinner, too. She asked me if it was lonely living by myself and said she couldn't imagine living without her family. I explained that it's a little different once you're an adult, and that there are benefits to living alone.

After dinner, Anna enjoyed a bubble bath. We strategically placed the bubbles so I could take a picture of her reclining in the suds:


She's such a sweet girl, and right in between being a child and being a teenager. It's great to talk to her one-on-one and hear her thoughts about the world around her.

And she told me at least three times tonight, "I'm so glad you live in Austin now." Me, too.