Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!

It is nearly impossible for me to believe that the jaundiced baby I brought home from the hospital in a yellow dress and yellower skin turns 25 years old today. Just how is that possible?

Here is that "baby" standing on the flight deck of the USS Harry S. Truman on their way to the Persian Gulf. Isn't it some sort of crime to allow your only child to work on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier? And go off into a war zone?

This grown-up girl can't be the same one who fell with a toy baton in her mouth and tore her uvula.

Who wrecked her bicycle and had scratches IN HER ARMPIT.

Who took dance for 10 years and now crawls around on helicopters for a living.

Who scampered away from me in the train station in Munich when she was 9 years old because she had absolutely no fear of getting lost.

Who was disappointed the first time she flew commercially, because she found out she couldn't jump out.

Who didn't crawl for the longest time because she could get where she wanted to by rolling over and over.

Who, when she asked where the car was at and I responded "Behind the 'at'" pointed out to me, "Mama, that's not an at....that's a van."

It's just not possible that she's all grown up now.

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl!