To Abby, on the occasion of her 19th birthday, (with a tip of the cap to Eric Asp, as he does this for his kids)

Abby – I am so proud of the young woman you have become.  Of course, you know how ridiculously proud I am of all my girls, but since it is your birthday, I will draw attention to some of my favorite things about my favorite youngest child…

You are diversely talented.  You are kind-hearted, intelligent, quick-witted, and beautiful, inside and out.  You have become quite skilled at leading worship behind a piano, guitar, or bass guitar – way to rock it out, because YOU ROCK!  You have always been a graceful dancer and in your later dance years, you even became a bit of a choreographer, leading a bunch of young Karen girls to discover the gracefulness God has placed in them as well!  We could always count on you to know your parts and others look to your leadership. 

As your teachers have told you – you are your own person!  As a Yackley, of course you enjoy being a little quirky – but not too much so.  Golly – some people don’t even realize you were homeschooled!

NIPTO!  I don’t know anyone else who has blogged her quiet time every day for a year without fail – what a great foundation laid in your 17^th year!

Apple? Oh, no thank you. It’s gooOOooOd!  You can always make me laugh.  Always. 

Perseverance!  I promised you that every hour spent studying for the ACT/SAT would be worth at least $50 – and you kept trying until you got a score that would reward your efforts – way to persevere, even when it was hard!  Not to mention your awesome 5K this weekend – way to persevere!

I love that you have encouraging verses around your room and bed and have really taken the time to allow God’s word to infiltrate your mind and being.  This allows you to emanate Jesus – to be the light and ambassador He has called you to be.

Disappoinment.  Yes, there will be disappointments in life, but you have learned to communicate and express your disappointments in a healthy way – and that is really important.

Impact and LT! I know you’ve always loved LT and I thank God for the foundation it has placed in your life.

GVUMC!  It is good to get godly input from many sources.  It makes Mom and Dad seem not so strange after all!

H2O! Ditto! And way to pick up the mantle and follow in your sisters’ footsteps while dancing to your own drum, if you know what I mean.

GSCC Worship Team – I know it takes a lot of time, but as a WLK, you've helped me and helped others to worship and I know I don’t tell you often enough how much I appreciate it – just be sure to let me know if it is too much!

Backwalks! ‘nuf said!

IT Bands! Oh yeah.  And Calves – who needs an iSqueeze?!

I know we expect a lot out of you.  And I know no one is perfect – and I never want you to feel that you can’t share something with us because you’d ‘let us down’ – we are all fellow-strugglers, and while at times I seem to place a high value on straight A’s or Happy Jesus Points, your mother and I are always here for you and want you to know that we love you for you – not because of what you do but because of who (and Whose!) you are.  Yes, on this occasion of your 19^th birthday, a prouder papa couldn't be found!