Happy 21st Birthday Dear Ashley!
There aren't too many dates out of the year where I remember exactly where I was, what I was doing, and what the weather was like on the same date from previous years but the days my dear nieces and nephews were born I remember quite clearly. Today was Ashley's twenty-first birthday. The day she was born twenty-one years ago was cold, snowy, and icy so we didn't get to be at the hospital when she was born. My sister and brother-in-law kept us up to date by phone all through the day and into the evening when this beautiful lady finally made her way to us.
Thanks to my wonderful sister and her husband, I've always gotten to share a very close relationship with Ashley. They were both teachers when they first got married so they traveled a lot in the summers and I got to travel with them and help care for Ash when she was little. I taught her to curl her tongue when she was just two or three months old and how to enjoy a good cup of crushed ice when she was about two. We've shared a ton of other great memories.
She's all grown up now and off at Ohio Northern University where she is studying to be a pharmacist. However, on the night of her twenty-first birthday instead of partying with her buddies (she and one of her best buds Audrey share their birthday), she spent a quiet evening at a hometown restaurant with her grandparents, mom, dad, and aunt. I can't help but be proud of a wonderful kid who knows how to have fun but also appreciates the family that loves her so much.
Thanks for letting us be a part of your big day. Happy Birthday Ashley!
Ashley with Grandma and Grandpa Monroe