I am really feeling old this week. Lynnae, our daughter, turned sweet 16 and along with the birthday comes another right of passage – a trip to the licensing office in North Bend.

Of course there was a line, as is usually the case, so we waited patiently. She had already passed her written and driving tests, so it was just a matter of actually getting the license.

On a side note I have a sure-fire way of getting someone elected governor: promise folks they’ll never have to wait in line at the licensing office again, or better yet, put it all online. The person that can promise that will get my vote.

Daughters are a bit different from sons. Lynnae is very independent and a lot smarter than I am. The worst part is she knows she is smarter and therefore I am the brunt of many jokes and much teasing. I try not to match wits with her very often because I will typically lose; that is, unless we are talking sports or current events. Heaven forbid I have to debate her on Britney Spears because she knows all the facts and trivia tidbits.

It really didn’t hit me that she was getting older until Saturday. I did my time in the dunk tank for the Mount Si Booster Club. (A special thanks to James is necessary for the 10 bags of ice he dumped in while I was in the tank.) Afterwards we drove over to the new Huxdotter coffee house where Lynnae is working as a barista, one of her two jobs. The coffee house is located where Domino’s Pizza was in North Bend. We ordered our drinks and as I was sitting at the counter watching this smart, well-rounded kid make my drinks, I realized she wasn’t really a kid anymore but a young lady, venturing out into the world. Heck, she has her license and a job, so what does she need us for?

Despite her thinking she knows it all, there will be times when she needs advice, or a favor, or maybe money. But she is growing up fast and the realization, as I have stated before, that our house will soon be quieter is taking some getting used to.

So there we were, sitting home on a Saturday night, both kids out doing their own thing and the two of us weary from a day of painting. But we couldn’t just sit home and fall asleep again on the couch as we had done the night before. We needed to live a bit. So we took a drive to explore the Denny Creek area.

We kind of figured that this is what two married people do who have no kids at home. We both used to get a chuckle at our good friends Vivian and Cliff Gohlke, who, every evening prior to dusk, took a drive somewhere in the Valley. We would see them on the road and wave, but for some reason they never saw anyone else on the road. Yet Saturday evening there we were, doing our own Vivian and Cliff impersonation. When I brought that up we again laughed.

So now that the kids are doing their own thing most nights, you may see Karen and me on the road somewhere in the big red Ford. Wave and hopefully, we will wave back. Also, a happy sweet 16 to Lynnae.