She's Simply Irresistible

- my 13 year old daughter, Kristiana, that is...

Here are a few of my favorite things to do with her as well as
a few things we do to and for each other:

- walk the dog up and down our street

- stroll through art galleries and ogle the art

- eat Thai food: pad thai and pineapple fried rice

- make cards and scrapbook pages

- pray

- read

- journal

- not only talk, but also listen to one another

- teach each other things we are learning along life' road

- sit out on the back deck and read

- watch the Eukanuba Dog show on television --> she went to her room to get her dog book so she could explain a few things to me about breeds and dog groups

- tell each other our dreams, nighttime dreams and daydreams

- do each other's hair

- explore the city of Charlotte, getting lost and eventually finding our way home in the dark

I can always count on her for a smile, a word of encouragement, laughter at my silly jokes, fashion advice, and beautiful artistic creations. She often helps me out by cooking meals, making muffins, or cleaning parts of the house without being asked. She's quick to offer assistance if she sees me in the midst of a demanding task. She's easy to travel with, live with, and exquisitely easy to love.

My hope and prayer for her is that she never loses her gentle, loving, compassionate spirit, that she finds the man of her dreams who shares her deep passion for living life to the fullest and who appreciates the magnificent woman that she is turning into, and that she will live out all of her dreams, whatever they may be and wherever they may lead her. I hope she is the mother of at least two wonder-filled children; I already have a crib picked out, and that she will have a daughter who is as special to her as she is to me.

I've been warned by friends and total strangers to be wary of the teenage years; children become monsters, tormentors, and ruthlessly rude. At this point on her very early teenage journey (emphsis is intentional), Kristiana is one of the kindest, gentlest, truly beautiful people I know - both inside and out. And if she turns on me someday, I will force myself to come back to this blog and to every journal entry that describes her earliest years, and then pray without ceasing for the restoration of this simply irresistible daughter that I love so dearly.

Thanks for the fantastic weekend, KNB.
And it's not over yet.
I love you, sweet girl.