Happy 19th Birthday!

I always say that 19 was one of my favorite year. I couldn't say for sure why I say that. I was a sophomore in college, I was living off-campus, I had a boyfriend who had a car (a fast one), I was taking interesting classes, I changed my major from home economics to English... Maybe 19 was the first time I felt like I knew who I was and what I wanted to do. Whatever the reason, it stands out in my memory as a good year.

Today is my youngest niece's 19th birthday. Our family celebrated yesterday, but today is the day. I remember it clear as a bell. She was born in the same hospital I was, although many years later. It was a Friday, as I recall. My mother called me from the hospital to say the baby was born. I was so excited, I could hardly wait for my class to finish so I could drive the 45 minutes to the hospital to see her. I remember rushing up to the OB floor and meeting my mother at the entrance to the unit. I fell in love with Kait the minute I set eyes on her. She had an immense amount of dark hair and was such an adorable baby!

When she was three, I took a year off from teaching and was nanny for her and her baby brother. We had a great time together, although sadly she doesn't remember much if anything of that time. Nineteen years later, we are still close and enjoy hanging out together. What a lucky aunt I am!