Ella has always had these dazzling eyes that sparkle with kindness and friendliness (Okay, sue me. I’m her dad. I don’t have to be impartial). As a little kid, people were regularly drawn to her. In fact, when we moved into our house in Seattle in 1998 (Ella was not quite 2), our next door neighbor said, “I think an angel just moved into the neighborhood.”

Now that she’s 15 (16 in December), the same overall cute factor might not always be there. I mean, what person can be as cute as they were at age 2? But her eyes have retained a friendliness and a dazzle.