Happy Birthday, Ace!

On this day 23 years ago, after a much failed attempt to steal Jesus' thunder by being born on His birthday, Ashley made her way into this world. She tried her hardest to come out the day before, but missed it only by a few hours. Her reasoning: to be "an actual Christmas present because she is God's second gift to this world." (Those were her first words.) Luckily, for our sakes, God did not allow that to happen, so her day lies in the shadows of our Savior. Go God!

Now, she is forced to be overlooked this time of year because her existence is so insignificant. Therefore, if you remember later today (you can put it low on your list of priorities), give her a nod or smile and just be friendly. If you really want to make her day special, throw in a "oh, is it your birthday?" or a "you're how old?!" She will be so glad that she was even thought of.

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Today, Ashley turns 23.

Yes, you read that correctly:

TWENTY FREAKING THREE.

The most famous and most quoted of the Psalms is number 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters."

The nuclei of cells in human bodies have 23 pairs of chromosomes.

Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times.

23 is one of the most commonly cited prime numbers.

The number 23 has been the subject of two films.

23rdians are a group of people who subscribe to the mystical power of 23 and see it in multiple combinations throughout daily life.

The best basketball player that ever lived (Michael Jordan) wore number 23 throughout his entire career.

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Did you realize Jared Leto shares your birthday?! He was born in 1971. Also sharing your birthday are Lars Ulrich from Metallica (1963), Chris Daughtry (1979), John Walsh - the host from America's Most Wanted (1945), and Mao Tse-tung - a communist in China (1893).

Today is the 360th day of 2010. In 1776 during the Revolutionary War, the British were defeated in the Battle of Trenton. In 1862, four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship. FM radio was patented in 1933. This day, in 1941, is the day that FDR signed a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. In 1982, the first non-human was named Man of the Year by Time Magazine. What was it, you ask? A computer. This only begs the argument that the world will one day be taken over by robots. Today would be the start of Boxing Day, but since it's Sunday, it will be deferred until tomorrow.

Okay, enough of the history lesson... I just wanted to tell you how proud I am to call you my sister. You are an amazing Christian, sister, and friend. I don't know what I would do without you. You have always been such a great sister to me, looking out for me when I needed it. I only hope I can be half of a good sister as you. I love you so much!

AND, for your enjoyment, watch this on behalf of her birthday! :)

Happy Birthday, Ace!