The Blizzard of '96 Brought Me More Than Snow

15 years ago today I was packed and ready to go. There was at least 20 inches of snow on the ground. Richmond was in the middle of a blizzard. Luckily the snow had stopped for a day and we would be able to get to our destination. No, I wasn't going skiing at some mountain resort I was going to the hospital. I was scheduled for a C-Section delivery of the "Tiny Baby After Christmas" Since I hadn't found out if I was having a boy or girl, that was the name we had given our little expected one. I was originally scheduled for February 2nd, Groundhog Day, but the doctor wanted to go out of town and re-scheduled for Thursday, February 1st. Maybe he was going to the mountain ski resort. We arrived at the hospital at 7 AM, and my baby was born at 8:16 AM (coincidentally the same time her sister was born 3 1/2 years earlier but 8:16 PM). As the doctor said as he pulled my baby out, "Indoor Plumbing."It's a girl! I was very happy. She was healthy, and I was thrilled to have 2 little girls.
This little girl had no idea what was ahead of her. Neither did I. Her father left us when she was 2, so I have always been the only parent she has really ever had day in and day out. She is the personification of the uttered curse or blessing as the case may be of "I hope you have one just like you." She is my mini me. We are alike in so many ways. We have always been close, but she is my "sparring partner" I can always count on her to keep me in line, and if she doesn't like something I'm doing, she doesn't hesitate to tell me. She is the epitome of "asking forgiveness rather than permission." When she was about 6 she came downstairs from her bedroom and asked could she draw on the wall with marker. I turned to her and sternly said, "NO!" to which she replied with a guilty grimace "uhhh" She always had an explanation for everything, and I used to tease that she needed a T-Shirt that read, "But I just......"
We survived the marker-on-the-wall years, and she has grown into an amazing young woman. She is beautiful, smart, and talented beyond belief. She has the most beautiful singing voice I have ever heard. She's a talented artist and takes gorgeous photographs. But more than that she is one of the most compassionate people I know. She has such a caring heart, and she has been there for me more times than I can count. She has been, at one time or another during her 15 years, my confidante, my advisor, my advocate, my defender, and my protector. Mostly she is my friend. Happy Birthday my sweet girl! You will always be my baby.