To William Eugene....

Happy Birthday to daughter Billie Jean, or William Eugene as Jenn calls her.  Some of you may be saying "who??"  Billie is our special daughter.  We adopted each other many years ago...as I like to say, we found her in our family room when she was 11 and she never left us.  Billie was Jennifer's best friend in school...6th grade I believe.  Anyway, she was always at our house, went on vacations with us, etc. We love her like we love all of our children. 

Billie 1983Billie and Jenn 1984

I don't really have any childhood stories to tell about Billie because she didn't enter into our lives until she was 11, but I do have stories.  One vacation we took to the beach/Big Sur/Carmel/Winchester Castle, etc.  Billie was into squirrels that trip....I bet she took over 100 pictures of squirrels....I know I had a lot on my camera as well.  Imagine my surprise when I got the film developed and there were all these pictures, this is a squirrel, this is another squirrel, etc.  We had a tent camper at the time and I remember the girls giggling at night until Dad or I would tell them to be quiet, then the would just giggle quietly. 

Fast forward a few years...we have been to Saudi and now back in Seattle.  Lo and behold I come home from work one day and here is Billie in my family room again!  She had flown up from California to see us!  Imagine how happy I was. 

Billie is a Lt in the LA County Sheriffs Department.  However, when she was out on the streets, before her various promotions, I didn't want to hear what she did....of all of our kids, her job scared me the most.  She is as smart as smart can be and it didn't take her long to go up the ranks to LT, which is fine with me.  At least she is off the streets.  Very proud of her.

Billie married her wonderful hubby Dan in 1998.  We were privileged to be "parents of the bride", with Dad walking her down the aisle.  He was so proud of her.  Heck, we both were!  Talk about beaming parents  -- that was us!

Billie and Dan still live in the Antelope Valley and they are so good to us.  She truly has a big part of  my heart....such a special daughter.  Happy Birthday Billie.....we love you.