成人式の日( Seijin Shiki no Hi) Coming-of-Age Day

Can you believe that our lovely daughter is going to be turning into an adult this year?  So, she decided that she wants to celebrate in Japanese fashion, to dress up in a kimono since she'll be turning twenty years old this year.  We went to the Denver Botanic Gardens to take pictures and celebrate.  First we went to the outdoor Japanese gardens area, where it was about 27 degrees.  Brrrr!

The cold weather outdoors assured us of not having any people photobombing our shots.  Besides, it truly was the actual date of Coming-of-Age Day in Japan.  I don't have the actual "correct" style of kimono, according to the Japanese.  I also don't have a white fur muff for her to drape over her shoulders.  And I didn't know how to tie the obi (belt) in the proper way for a young person.  However, I thought she looked gorgeous and we made great memories as it took between 2-3 hours to get ready for this event.

After the outdoor shots in the Japanese gardens,  we went indoors to take photos amongst the orchids and other tropical plants, many of which are native to Penny's homeland of Thailand.  It felt really good to warm up. There were a few more people.  They were all very polite.  None actually asked us what we were doing, although a few would send a smile our way.  It was so nice to see greenery in the midst of the bleak midwinter.

We're so proud of our lovely daughter and the beautiful person whom she is becoming.  She has a heart of gold with a beautiful smile to match it!  As she likes to say all of the time, "God is good!"