Ashley

Today is Ashleys' 17th Birthday, and I am just not sure how she got to be 17. It doesn't seem that long ago, that i spent a month with pre-term labor, and after many trips to the hosptital, was induced a week early.

The shock and joy of my life, after 2 boys to have a beautiful healthy daughter. Of course we called her him for 2 weeks, trying to adjust to life with pink, and bows and ribbons. I tried everything in my power to turn her into a girlie girl, but somethings aren't meant to be. She got her first pair of cowboy boots at 2, and has been wearing them ever since. She wears her boots with skirts, dresses, capris, jeans, shorts, and yes pajamas. To say Ashley has her own sense of style is like saying the sun rises in the east.

She is definitely my fathers' granddaughter. I call her sense of fashion cowgirl chic. She pulls it off very well, and the cowboys, well when she goes to town, they are whooping it up, yelling out their windows at her.

She is such a tom-boy, that i had to start sending her to school with shorts under her dresses, because she always hung upside down on the monkey bars....her first love was in kindergarten Rowdy Roulston, one of Kyles' best friends, they still are good friends.

Ashley told me in the 2nd grade, mom, i am the only girl at school that wears dresses and bows in their hair, i want to wear what i want now...okay...just keep it decent.

She has had many serious challenges in her life, severe, chronic asthma, that put her in the hospital every year with bronchiitis or pneumonia. Last year was the first in her life to not spend 3-4 weeks down with that. She has been under the care of a pulmonologist for years.

Memorial weekend when Ashley was 12, she slipped and fell, and broke her hip. This was directly related to the years of asthma medication affecting her bones. She had surgery to pin her hip, then spent the next 4 years in and out of a wheelchair.

She had 4 hour surgery last Nov. to remove the pin in her hip. She has a condition from the injury known as avascular necrosis. Her bone is dead, and at some point she will face hip replacement surgery. The fact she is walking at all is a miracle, her Dr. said there is no way she should be able to walk on that hip, but praise God, she is walking, and everyday she is out of that wheelchair and walking around is a gift.

Ashley is a great big sister, and loves to play silly games, and sing silly songs with her little brothers and sisters. She plays the piano, and guitar, and according to her vocal teacher and the judges she has the voice of an angel.

It's a good thing too, she is quite sassy and ornery. It broke her heart, and mine when we were told, she could never ride horses again, or play softball and basketball. She loved to play and was excellent. She has focused her talents on music ever since.

It makes me think of my Grannys saying, when God closes a door, he opens a window....and you ought to see her fly, she has been a joy and an inspiration to me. I am so blessed to have this wonderful young woman in my life, and to call her daughter.

Happy Birthday Ashley Catherine Julieanne, I love you!!!!!!