Happy birds

Dave is 43 today, and I actually believe the world has been a better place over the past 43 years because he's been in it.

In typical Dave style, he had no problem with Luke having a boys' sleepover tonight, even though it's his birthday. Once you have two boys, what's the big deal about throwing in a few more? And who better to get really excited about a birthday than a bunch of kids?

So I rushed home from work today to make sure we had dinner for the boys, a nice dinner for Dave, and most importantly, a cool cake. The boys and I settled on an Angry Birds cake, and clearly I didn't have time to do it the way the professionals do it (with fondant and happy comic shapes), but it was good enough for a bunch of kids. As we sat at the table, enduring the toilet-related jokes, Dave observed, "I haven't had this many kids under 8 at a birthday party of mine since I was...under 8."

Happy birthday to my partner, my good-luck charm, and my very best friend. Life may have its ups and downs, but everything - everything - is better with you by my side.