Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl

 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA!
HOPE YOUR DAY IS SPLENDIFEROUS!

My baby (*sniff, sniff*) is 23 today. This is the second birthday we've celebrated far, far apart. It doesn't get any easier. But even if we were nearby, not sure we'd be able to do anything since she's in class all day and has to work tonight.

When I was pregnant with her, we were living in hot, muggy South Florida. I rarely ventured outside our air conditioned apartment except to take our 4-year old son to the pool for brief -- very brief -- periods. Oh my word, I don't think I've ever been so hot in my life. Southern girls aren't supposed to sweat. We glow. We perspire. But we do not sweat. Only that summer? I sweat. Great big drops of sweat, all the time, everywhere.

It was a difficult pregnancy with me losing weight rather than gaining it. I survived on yogurt and the newly released Dole Fruit 'n Juice bars. And water. Lots and lots of water. Couldn't stand the smell of meat. Any meat. Couldn't stand the sight of meat. Any meat. Ivan had to do the grocery shopping the entire pregnancy. I could not walk anywhere near the meat section or I'd barf. Just thinking about the meat section made me barf.

I weighed the same right after I had her as I had when we got married. Only the weight had seriously shifted. My arms and legs were stick thin but my middle... well, let's not talk about that.

She was a scheduled c-section and I was relieved to know my mom would be flying down right before, to stay with our son while I was in the hospital and then help the first few weeks I was home with the baby. Only Tina was rather impatient and came three weeks early. She's always been raring to go, the first one in the car, the one planning trips whether it was just to the library or out west to Colorado. We called her our "Go Go Girl" when she was little because she was always wanting to Go! somewhere.

She hasn't changed. Give the girl keys to the car or a ticket on a plane, and she's outta there. She might have gotten the itchy feet from her parents but she's taken it to new heights. She's already been to more states than us, and I have no doubt that within a few years she'll have been to more countries and continents as well. And that's just fine. I have only one thing to say: You Go, Girl!

Right now she's busy finishing her bachelor's degree and thinking about that next, all important step: finding a "real" job, one that will utilize her skills and training. We're excited to think about where God will lead her next.

AFTER she visits us, that is :-) We are very much looking forward to her visit in December. Only 99 days to go! 

Will God direct her to a secular job? One with a non-profit? Into full-time ministry? She doesn't know. But she's open to wherever He wants her to go. And for that we're thankful. Thankful that she knows God and loves Him and wants to do His will.

I'm sure y'all have some great verses you could give to encourage her in these coming months as she seeks to know WHAT'S NEXT. Today would you share those verses in your comments? Don't forget, comments serve as entries in my 2nd blogiversary giveaway!

9 comments:

sara said...

Oh Kim, I was the same with my daughter!! By 6 months I had not gained one ounce..I was sooo sick!!

my life verse is:

Micah 6:8 And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.

after that, it seems all else falls into place!

Robin Lambright said...

What a beauty, they grow up to quickly!!!!

PS 119:35 Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.

PS 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.

We can never go wrong when we look to God's word for guidance!!!

Blessings
Robin

Lhoyt said...

Happy Birthday to Tina.
Ps. 37:1-7
No use comparing ourselves with the world... (vss 1,2)
You need a good job, a means of sustenance? TRUST in the Lord. (vs.3)
You have deep-seated, legitimate desires?..(husband, home, family of your own?...some spiritual offspring?) DELIGHT in the Lord. (vs. 4)
You have the senior panic? (job, direction in life, etc.?) COMMIT your way to the Lord, He'll work it out. (vs. 5)
Concerned about your impact on this world? REST in the Lord, WAIT patiently for Him. (vss. 6,7). As great grandma Hirschy's sign said "Ve get too soon oldt und too late schmardt..."

SusanD said...

Happy Birthday to the Go Girl! Here's my verse:

Prov 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

Blessings, SusanD

Oldfangled said...

Stephan and I are working diligently to get out of debt -- debt I wish we'd never incurred. We read a book called The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey, and we're taking a Dave Ramsey class right now called Financial Peace University. So I'm thinking a lot about money and responsible spending and saving and debt, so the verses I'm going to share are along those lines.

"The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender." Prov 22:7

"Owe no one anything except to love one another." Rom 13:8

Mari said...

Happy Birthday to Tina! She and my Heather are the same age.
A verse I always think of is:
"I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you" Jeremiah 29:11
This is another promise I like:
"When you pass through the waters I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned, the flames will not set you ablaze" Isaiah 43:1-3

Skoots1moM said...

my life verse...
a promise...a never-failing promise even when I don't necessarily like how He answers :)
Jer. 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

riTa Koch said...

As soon as I opened your blog and saw beautiful Tina, I thought, Oh, no, I was not going to forget! So, I called her right away, 10:01 pm. She'd just gotten off work. I sang to her a bit more harmoniously than our family tradition, which she would have preferred, she said! Ha!
I enjoyed reading your birthday piece. I was trying to think, where were we at that time? Then I realized we were already here in the US. How disconnected we were back then...
Here's a very meaningful, encouraging promise that I love:

Ephesians 2:10 (New American Standard Bible)

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Christy Duffy said...

Happy birthday to Tina, and special blessings to her mom!