Elle Raboff 21 years old

Elle Twenty-One

Our daughter Elle turns 21 today. That’s hard to grasp. Time surely flies when you’re a parent. Twenty years ago today, Charlotte, Elle, and I were living on Karon Beach in Phuket, Thailand where we stayed for almost 10 months.

Elle had already been walking for a while and so the three of us strolled slowly down to a local Thai restaurant where we celebrated her very first birthday. I’m pretty sure some luscious cake or creamy ice cream was served after our dinner.

Traditionally, we celebrate Elle’s birthday together, like last year when we ate covid-era dinner at Kitchen & Table in Malmö. Among the more faraway places we’ve celebrated her birthdays are Marrakech, New York, and L.A.

Sadly, this year, we are many, many miles apart. Hope we get together soon, though. So we can smother our amazing daughter with belated birthday hugs and tell Elle in person that we continue to be proud of and inspired by her.

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