A Friday the 13th birthday

She’s gonna kill me. No lie.

Her favorite movie as a child was Friday the 13^th part—actually… all of them. So, I would say she’s well versed in ways to commit murder.

Maybe I won’t tell her that I’m writing about her? Or I’ll just hide from her for a week or two after she sees this?

You see, my daughter Hailey turns 20 today. Since today is my normal blog day, I figure it’s only fitting to dedicate a whole post to the first person to steal my heart 100%. I know it's corny, but there’s nothing quite as all-encompassing as the love you have for your own child.  

Looking back now, it’s easy to see how my first-born turned into a strong, confident woman. The little things that happened all those years ago made a path directly to where she is now.

I remember when Hailey was a toddler, sitting and watching as freshly hunted deer was strung up in a tree to be skinned. Inquisitive, she walked to the deer and literally stuck her head in the chest cavity. She told me she wanted to see what was inside.

It was maybe the next summer that I found her picking earthworms out of the dirt and pulling them in two to see their guts. It was the same when we were fishing and gutting the trout.

It all sounds pretty morbid really. I get that. But hold on, this is going somewhere.

As she got older, Hailey became an avid outdoorsperson. She loved hunting and fishing and taking the snowmobile out for a ride. She learned how to blow donuts when I locked the four-wheeler in low range (thinking she wouldn’t be able to get it to do that). She played baseball with the boys and had no problem getting covered in mud (a hose was often needed instead of a shower).

When she got older, we often helped a friend butchering meat. Hailey knew where her food came from, and how it came to be when it hit the kitchen table.

The first time I saw her covered in blood, I should have known what she was going to end up doing forever. 

No, not a murderer.

Hailey is a butcher. You see, this inquisitive young girl turned into an amazing redneck woman. Which, she doesn’t view as an insult. She’s the type of country girl that will sing very loudly to the song.

She can change her oil and rotate her tires, skin and quarter a buck faster than any guy I know. She swings a splitting maul with the vigor of an axe murderer in a house of drunken teenagers. She’s done a truck pull at the fair, and belts out Johnny Cash songs with vigor. (She’s got a soft side too. Somewhere. She keeps a tight lid on it though. Unless you put a dog or a kitten in front of her. Then all bets are off.)

Hailey has a caring personality, and is witty and funny to boot. This isn’t just a proud mom thing… I’ve heard it from many people. (Personally, I think she’s got her mother’s snarky, no-nonsense personality.)

She skipped college, opting to work doing something she loves instead. Most days, you’ll find her in the meat room of Dave’s Super Duper, doing what she’s loved since she was little. She’s a wiz with a knife and odds are, if you’ve bought meat there before, she’s the one who cut it up.

So, before she decides to cut me up for writing about her, I’ll wrap this up. Here’s to 20 years of love, laughs and memories, and to at least another 20 watching her grow even more.

Happy Friday the 13th Hailey, and more importantly, happy birthday!