Isn't life great?

I was in high school when I first heard Luci Swindoll tell the story of her 40th birthday party. (It was on a cassette tape, for the love of pete.) Luci's friends rented a hearse which they named Patty -- Patty Hearse -- and they went on a great adventure. She laughed and laughed as she told this story. I don't remember where they went, but the rented hearse was towed or something, and they ended up at the police station in the middle of the night.

I remember thinking, "Man! How great is turning 40 going to be!"

And it was a pretty great.

My old Sunday School superintendent sent me an email from beyond the grave via Cyberspace Sarah. Remember Dayna Carvey's church lady? He surely studied her. She used to sing "Blessed Birthday to You." S'aughter Shelby and her roommate called and sang me my first Happy Birthday of the day. My mom called. There was free Caribou. Brent took the day off and we went to the outlet mall where I promptly spent the birthday money given to me by my in-laws. We had Italian lunch with bread sticks and tomato salad and chicken saltimbocco AND creme brulee.

And when I got home . . .

There was a message from s'on Jeremy who is student teaching and I was serenaded by the Fargo North High School marching band! How terrific is that?!?! You have to be 40 to get that kind of awesome treatment!

That's just a terrific birthday right there.