Almost 22 years ago on February 5.....

My darling, sweet, precious baby girl was born almost 22 years ago. February 5 is one of the greatest dates in the world to me!!!!!!!!!!! Now, she's all grown up, attending college, but still just as wonderful and adorable as she was all those years ago. Every year that she has been at college, I have gone up to surprise her. However, this year it's going to be different--and very, very hard on me--because I won't be able to go up there on her birthday. Her time is so extremely limited this year, and my time is taken up with work, that I won't be able to make the drive up to surprise her. I'm so, so sorry Katie, if you are reading this before your birthday. Because I stayed home to raise my kids until they went off to college, I didn't have a "real job" until this past year. Last year, I happened to have the day off so I could run up to her school and surprise her, but this year I have an "overnight", which is where I go in to work overnight (hence, the name...duh) to get certain sections of the store ready for new merchandise. We are getting ready for the Lawn and Garden section, and I had joined the team to do that, so I have to go in tonight at closing, then work all night til 8AM, then go home and sleep for a little while, get some other stuff done around the house, then sleep some more to go in again Thursday night. I couldn't drive over there if I wanted to after work in the morning because I'm so exhausted I'd fall asleep at the wheel. This would be the first year I haven't been with my precious Katie since she was born. I feel like a part of me is missing.

So, Happy Almost Birthday my darling girl. I will call you on your Day....sniff, sniff....(falling tears here). Darn work. As much as I love working there, I wish the overnights would have waited one more week, or even a few days!!!!! I love you, girly-girl!!!!!

I'll be so busy trying to "bank" all the sleep I can, then rushing in to work, with a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts for that large coffee, that I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to write about my special sweetheart by waiting until later to write. I am so absent minded that I'd forget, then I'd forget what I forgot!!!! Or, something like that. I'll write more on your actual Day.

I'm so sad.......