Old!!!!

Well, I turned 40 on Friday. I can't say that there's much to recommend it so far, other than that it beats the alternative I guess. But a great big thanks to everybody who called and wrote and made it somewhat bearable. A great big special thanks to my wonderful wife who took me to Disneyland on Thursday so that we both felt pretty young still : )
That Thursday started off a huge whirlwind of activity the last few days, so I'll have to post it in chunks, starting with a great Disneyland trip! Although some people might think that a better 40th would be something like wine-tasting or going to a fancy restaurant, Disneyland always brings out the kid in us and so it was really a perfect way to spend such a fraught ocassion.

As you can see, especially from the picture of Em, we really did have a fun, goofy time. And it was even better because we met Bell and Steve there. They are definitely Disney faithful and we had a good time picking the crucial rides (Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean twice) and eating the perfect Disney food. This of course means the Blue Bayou Restaurant, and Bell is one of the few people in the world who would know to make reservations there online. We got the best seats in the place - right across the swamp from the rocking chair guy! Bell & Steve are also great people to wait in line with, and we had fun answering, "What is the worst movie that you've ever seen that you really liked?" and other good time-passing topics.

Other highlights of the trip included a cool pirate band who played actually really good nautical folk music and had a mysterious young mascot, a canoing trip that was fun and relaxing, and seeing Rachel Pearl there in front of the shooting gallery! Also, we went out to a great dinner at the new Disneyland hotel outside of the park. It's a beautiful hotel with tons of carved wood and river rock - a lot like the old ski lodges in Oregon. No pictures unfortunately, but we had a teriffic meal and got to get some real adult drinks before heading back into the park for the evening.

Finally, we left exhausted but happy as the fireworks exploded over the castle. Thus, my youth.

So the next morning, Finn came in and wished me a happy birthday. He said, "you're 40 years old Daddy!" So I asked him if I looked any different. He said, "Yeah, you have less hair on your forehead."

He's out of the will.