Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Twenty-five years ago today, at 1:26 in the afternoon, Hannah Elizabeth Moody was born in Naples, Florida. She weighed in at 9 pounds, 5 ounces, and measured 22 inches long! The first time I held her, I threw up on her (compliments of the anesthesia from my c-section). Thankfully, she doesn't remember that part. But oh, how I remember the awe of holding that little angel in my arms and wondering at the miracle of her.

As with most first-time parents, we marveled at her every expression and giggle and movement. We filled photo albums and logged hours of video, but none ever fully captured the real Hannah, so full of life. That's Hannah (right) on her first birthday after the ceremonial wiping of the birthday cake all over her adorable little face. How cute is she?!

But Hannah was definitely a strong-willed child! When her brother came along, she found meaning in life by bossing him in ways that would have made Donald Trump look like a sissy. The street we lived on when we moved to Largo was filled with all boys (to her brother's delight). And that didn't phase her a bit. She bossed them all equally!

Dr. Dobson taught that strong-willed kids are tough to raise, but they become solid, confident adults. Truer words were never spoken. Hannah blossomed into a smart, beautiful young lady who knew what she liked, knew how to stand up for herself, and knew how to achieve her goals in life.

She graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2007 and was hired by Nashville-based Centre-Source as a graphic arts designer. In September of 2009, she married the love of her life, Ben Schmitt, n a wedding that beautifully represented the personalities of both the bride and groom. At a bar, no less! Or wait, I think they called it a "music venue." Regardless, it was an unforgettable evening and the perfect beginning for two very talented, unique people.

As we speak, the birthday girl is on a cruise to Mexico with her husband and several couples from their small group from church. The trip was a reward of sorts after her first running of the (half) Music City Marathon last Saturday. What I love most about my daughter is her insatiable appetite to live life to the fullest. She is such an inspiration to me on so many different levels. Ken and I couldn't be more proud of her.


On that April afternoon in 1985, we knew we'd been blessed by a precious daughter. We just had no idea what a joy she would be to us!

Happy birthday, sweetheart! We love you!