In our idle moments, my freshman year roommate and I sometimes listed, for one another’s amusement, the top ten guys on campus we would date if we could.
If we could.
We did this more than once, and the list changed as names or rankings shifted.
But we both always always Always listed Bill Stevenson.
Somehow– by some miracle I still don’t understand– I got him to notice me. And not much later, I somehow got him to propose. I gave my answer without hesitation.
When you are fortunate to find and marry someone as extraordinary as Bill Stevenson, you ought to celebrate that find and that life Every Day.
I do not do this. Often I take him for granted, occasionally I find him annoying, and sometimes I become Downright Mean.
I always regret it.
But I did not take him for granted this weekend. It was his birthday weekend, and we celebrated all weekend because, as tworivers wisely says, birthdays should be celebrated early and often.
We celebrated today because, Just For Him, the Steelers defeated the Colts and are going the AFC Championship. Wasn’t that nice? We celebrated too because he made us a Really Fine pork loin for dinner.
Yesterday we celebrated by further celebrating Everett’s recent birthday, taking him and his friend Peter to Frankie’s. Good Fun. And William won, in overtime, his basketball game– for his dad’s birthday.
And on Friday night, the Actual Birthday Itself, some of our dearest friends joined us for dessert and celebration. Bill took pictures during the singing: 
The evening went on until the wee hours, until it was No Longer his actual birthday, until our corporate sweet tooth had gone the way of the savory and we had put the dessert away and were dining on cheese. 
Yes, kenndebbie stayed and talked with us in the way we love: with laughter and breath-taking honesty, talking until some of the candles burned completely out.
Now that’s a Good Time.
Happy Birthday, Cool Mo. I am so glad you Are.
