The Birthday Season Begins

And Papa Rooster kicks it off! After today, we have birthdays in September, November, our anniversary in December, two in January, two in February...and one in May, all by itself.

I am never prepared for any of them.

Papa Rooster bought his own gifts this year--photography equipment for the hobby he's been getting into--so that made my job easier. The kids have made him cards, and I bought him an ice cream cake--his favorite, and a special treat we don't buy for any other family member. (At $25 a cake, that would be $200 a year--just in birthday cake!--Bantam10 and I were figuring out as we drove it home.)

So we have cake, we have cards..but the birthday boy is stuck in an airport, hoping to get home before 10 p.m. What a way to spend one's birthday, huh?

But I am so grateful that my husband is there in that airport--so grateful for his job and for the commitment he has to providing for our family. He works so hard, carries so much weight in his division, and is so good at what he does. He is one of the best listeners and extemporaneous speakers you could ever meet, and that combination makes him a sales guy who isn't just hawking a product, but one who cares about the needs of his client and can knowledgeably explain how his company's services can help, and within what limitations. He is always honest. And for that, and his many other great qualities, he is well-respected and well-liked by both colleagues and clients.

In short, he's one fantastic man.

And I am lucky enough to be married to this guy, who you also may remember is a wonderful Christian priest--and a sensitive husband and a loving, caring father.

In short, just about perfect. Almost. You know.

Happy Birthday, dear. Though your age is no longer a prime number, there is another one just around the corner in 3 years. Did you know there are more prime numbers in the forties than in any other decade (past the teenage years) until you get to your seventies? It's a good decade.