Happy Birthday to Me!

What a grand 40th birthday I had. My darling husband threw a SURPRISE birthday party for me on Sunday, which involved a lot of family and friends at a cookout, and karaoke. Karaoke, if you want to know, really can CLEAR a party.  Anyway, below you can see me and Aunt Charity singing RESPECT.

Tonight we had quiet birthday dinner at home and I opened my birthday gifts.  I got an Edward action figure (if you spy carefully in the photo below you can see Rose #2 holding it!) and another very, very nice gift which I will not name on the website for fear of sounding elitist or something.  But I really, really loved it.
Tonight for bedtime story Rose #1 picked Where the Sidewalk Ends, which she received as a gift for her birthday.  We read the poem titled "Listen to the Mustn'ts", which I think is OK to reproduce since it is fully credited (to Shel Silverstein, of course):

Listen to the MUSTN'TS, child.

Listen to the DON'TS

Listen to the SHOULDN'TS

The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON'TS

Listen to the NEVER HAVES

Then listen close to me -

Anything can happen, child

ANYTHING can be.

I love this.  It sends a shiver down my spine and makes me hopeful for the next decade - the next decades.