The Arrogant Sage makes it through another year of life...news at 11!

Yikes. Hard to believe it, I am the big 29. I still feel like a snot-nosed kid. But that might be due largely to the fact that I do indeed have a snotty nose. Don't forget the stuffed up head and the throbbing brain...so much for head colds on the b-day. Hello Dayquil!

I'm up early because of the head cold. My husband and daughter are sleeping soundly in our large family bed. Brought a tear to me eye, I tell ya. I turned on the computer and checked my email to be greeted with a e-card from my sister (thanks, E!) and an email from my husband with a link to Scientific Computing and Instrumentation Online. Now I know I have a science degree and I know I am a big 'ol geek, but I had no idea what there could possibly be for me at this website. In fact, as I started to read the article I was even more confused because the writer was talking about golf. But as I read on a name jumped out at me. The late Earl Cooper is mentioned there. Hey, I know that guy from somewhere....oh yeah, that's my dad!

My father died when I was 15...just before my 16th birthday. So, obviously it's been a long time since the funeral. I still have those moments of reflection that may bring on the waterworks, but they are few and far between. But for a split second, reading that article made it seem like he was just around the corner. Like I could call him up and say hi. It caught me off guard. What's great about that is it made me truly remember the feeling of having him alive and a phone call away. It was really nice. So, I looked up something else that exists on him on the world wide web. One of these days, I will have the ability to contribute to the Earl L. Cooper Memorial Scholarship.

This birthday is going to be filled with laughter and love. I am soo damn lucky to have the husband that I have. I am blessed with the kinetic energy that is my daughter. It's great to have those moments that let you know just how much you have. On this birthday there is nothing anyone could give me that could rival the gift of knowing I truly have it all. That's right folks. I can bitch and complain all day long, but in the end I know that what I have is worth more than it's weight in gold. Friends, family, love. It's what makes the world go round.

Gee, I didn't realize how sappy this was gonna be. Time for me to grab a tissue and peruse the blogs...gotta make comments and let people know that I hear them. Cause what else could this possible be for except to make sure our voices aren't lost in the din. Thank you for taking a moment to hear mine.