Birthday Girl ~ a tad late!

 Every good and perfect Gift is From the Lord and we believe it!  Now over 20yrs ago, Jesus gave us this special gift in our oldest daughter, Natasha!  No, we wouldn't say she is PERFECT... but She is a delight and we are sooooooo blessed!

Natasha ~ Music Hall 2013

• Thank you Natasha for your sweet, careful walk with Jesus!  You have always had a desire to serve the Lord and that blesses our hearts tremendously!  You have always been a high goal achiever... always went after those "carrots" in life. Often surprising us as to what you could achieve when you put your mind to do it!   (Maybe that was due to the 50lbs of carrots given to us to feed you when you were a wee one! Lol!=)
• Thank you for choosing JESUS!  Your careful, consistent life of walking with God is such an encouragement to me!  You have always striven to be compliant in whatever it was we asked of you.  Even when much of that wasn't easy.  You always were careful to come with an "I want to learn why so I can improve" attitude to whatever we felt we had to ask of you! And the times that you didn't have a peaceable attitude, I knew it wouldn't be long before you would come with a humbled heart and ask for our forgiveness. I have so many blessings to count and am unworthy of such a beautiful, godly daughter!  I NEVER want to take you for granted!
• Thank you for your prayer life!  I've been continually encouraged to how careful you are to find times to pour out your heart to God.  Even IF those times have been caused by your crazy Momma sending you BACK TO HAVE YOUR DEVOTIONS ALL OVER AGAIN!  yea... and thanks for forgivin me when I BLOW IT.... sadly more often that I get it right!
• In the last 2 years especially your close walk with God has continually amazed me! I've watched you search your heart, surrender your ALL, again and again.... all your desires, your plans, your hopes, your dreams, your wishes over WHOLE-HEARTEDLY to God!  That is the ONLY Way to true happiness, dear!  Thanks for loving Jesus with all there is within you!
• Thank you for being ever so careful to be chaste! That being defined as: Pure in thought, word and act and to be modest and honorable in all things.  When and if we've ever had to talk to you about "not wearing that" or being careful, you've always had a willing, obedient heart!  even when in the human you couldn't totally understand where we were coming from... you obeyed anyway! And the times that finances were limited and a more modest wardrobe was HARD TO FIND... Jesus has always supplied! And we BLESS THE LORD!
• Thank you for giving all your talents to God to use in whatever way He sees fit!  I know that this hasn't always been "grand" and when and if you've had to take a 2nd seat... I've watched you once again surrender even a lower seat over to Jesus!  You chose to SMILE and SHINE for HIM... no matter what and that's HUGE to us!  
• Thank you for your patience with us... as we've had to "learn on you" what this whole parenting thing is all about.  We've blown in many a time....(uh....didn't I already mention that somewhere....=) thanks for putting up with us!  You're the best!
• Our prayer is that you will always stay fully surrendered to God's WILL for your life!  God cares about EVERY.SINGLE.DETAIL.OF.YOUR.LIFE and don't you EVER let this ole world and it's lies tell you anything other wise! Yea, even whoever "Mr. Wonderful" is for you some year!  Jesus cares and is fine tuning and pruning you both to fit His perfect Will for your lives!  "In His Time"!
• When the storms of life hit in full force...and they will.... just dig deeper in Jesus.... settle for NOTHIN LESS than HIS BEST for you!  You'll never be sorry... though the heartaches hurt, God will be there through each step of the way.  We love you sooooo much! And though we wish in the human we could spare you of all hurts... God is teachin us that it is those stretching times... the digging in deeper in His Holy word... that makes us reflect HIS IMAGE more and more!

Jesus gave us this special birthday treat for Natasha this year! (and her sisters tagged along)  Sarah Chang, one of our girls favorite violinists, was right downtown here at Cincinnati Music Hall! And to beat all RIGHT ON HER BIRTHDAY WEEK!!!  Pretty special!!!! and no girls deserve more....  yea!  we're prejudiced... but hey, that goes with the whole being Mom and Dad thing!!! =)

We love you, more than life itself! As Brittany sang with the High School Choir this year.... "Whatever the question, the answer is JESUS"!!!
 Happy Birthday, Natasha!