Eighteen

Once upon a time--July 26, 1991, in fact--a red-headed princess was born. It was the only time in her life she was ever early, but that's because this was a princess with lots to do, so she really needed to get things moving. Her mom and dad named her Kathleen Kristi Lynn, but because that was such a big name for a such a little girl, they called her Katie. And with the red hair and eventual freckles and all, it seemed to fit.

For the first few months, the princess cried--a lot! But after about four months, when she got big enough to sit up in a walker and push herself around the house, she stopped crying so much. This was a princess who needed to do stuff--all the time--and once she was able to do stuff, she was much happier.

Like most princesses, this one grew. She liked to talk (a lot), sing, and laugh. Everywhere she went, people asked her, "Where did you get that pretty red hair?" One day when the Meijer cashier asked this very question, the princess answered, "From God." And she was right.

The princess experienced some difficult blows. When she was four, her daddy died--and she was a daddy's girl if there ever was one. For different reasons, she had to change schools way too many times. That was hard. But she was a strong princess, and she continued to be very smart, and she always liked to talk, sing, and laugh.

As the princess grew, she became quite a companion for her lonely mom and went with her to plays, restaurants, and concerts. She developed her own unique sense of hair and clothing style. As she became less and less of a child, she grew to love children more and more. And they love her, too. She learned to see the things in the world around her with a different eye from most people, and she started taking pictures of the things she saw.

The most important thing that the princess could have done and will ever do, she did. She publically professed her faith in Jesus and vowed to serve Him with her life.

So with that most important event accomplished, the princess graduated from high school. And she begins a new chapter in her life this fall when she goes to college. It seems it doesn't really take very long to get to eighteen.

Happy birthday, Katie!