17

Seventeen years ago today, Kyndal reluctantly entered this world. She was 10 days late, and I forced her out by an induction. I hadn't dilated at all, my cervix had not thinned at all. She wasn't going anywhere! She was comfortable and planning to stay a while longer.

Yet, from the moment she was born, she has been charging forward, never happy being where she is. She is always moving toward the next step, with me holding on tight trying to keep her where she's supposed to be for a bit longer.

Last night Kyndal and I took a rare opportunity to spend some time alone together. We went out to eat and had a really great talk about her future plans. She is currently in Cosmotolegy school through Vo-Tech in high school. She plans to get her cosmo license, get some experience, and then open her own salon in the town where her dad is from. It's four hours away from here, but I have complete peace with it. I will miss her, but it really is her destiny. She'll marry some little country guy and live a little country life. At her age I couldn't wait to get out of the small town and hit the big world. She is the complete opposite. She's ready to settle into that country, small town life.

After dinner, we grabbed a Starbucks and went to buy her a birthday outfit. Eli and Brynne gave her a giraffe Pillow Pet that she named Wollie. It is the only thing she wanted for her birthday. Dawson posted a sweet message on her Facebook Wall that made her cry and gave her $20 of his own money for her "to spend how she wants".

This morning, she opened her other gifts: Two tickets to the Lady Antebellum concert in January and a David Freese St. Louis Cardinals t-shirt. Like I said, she's her own kind of girl!

This weekend she is going to Missouri to spend some time with her dad and his family. Well, actually, she's going to see some country boy she is smitten with. He seems to be a really nice guy and she is excited to hang out with him. They are going to watch him play football in the state playoffs, and then somehow he has convinced her to get up at o'dark:thirty to go hunting. Oh, young love.

It's an exciting time for Kyndal.

We have such a short time left with her, and I really want to slow down time. But, some birds were not meant to be caged. Sometimes you just have to let them fly.

Happy Birthday, Kyndal! I love you!