Inauguration Eve... Um, I mean, Happy Birthday Rob!

Yes, the excitement of tomorrow had to take a backseat today to celebrate the guy who normally graces these pages with tales of our lives. Happy Birthday, Rob! Make a wish! I mean it. And don’t scoff… we are never too old to do that. Lincoln, Greta and I (and undoubtedly the faithful blog readers) hope you have had a great day. From an “annoying” flurry of emails from colleagues sending well wishes (against your wishes!) to your choice of chicken fajitas for dinner, when you look back on the celebration of year 49, I want you to remember those highlights…as well as breakfast with me, and balloons, a knife and spoon, and Greta's homemade espresso cake! 

As we usually do in birthday posts, here is the squirrel-eaten-nutshell of this doozy of a year. While it reads like more low-lights than high, there were countless silver linings in the endless hits 2020 delivered. From the incredible loss you supported me through with Christine’s unexpected passing, to the unprecedented transition to home schooling and telecommuting for work during the coronavirus pandemic, to finding a new job as the Communications Director to New York State’s second-largest union and saying goodbye to undoubtedly your favorite job ever, to doing a lifestyle about-face with a diabetes diagnosis, you have ridden the roller-coaster for the past 12 months with your signature can-do-attitude, a sense of humor, and healthy cynicism. I don’t know how our family would have weathered this past year without your perspective and guidance. We are so fortunate to have your leadership, love, encouragement, support, and corny jokes to see us through. And on top of all that is your dedication to the dog you love (but hate)! We are all so grateful for your devotion to his well-being and constant care!

So although you view today as merely 28 plus a legal drink, there is a certain heft to this year’s celebration. Hitting the final year of this decade has both of us looking at each other with eyebrows raised, wondering, “already?!” It seems impossible that we can nearly be to that eye-popping hilltop, but here we are, still standing side-by-side, ready to support each other and guide this Merrill family through another day. I hope you have enjoyed our celebration of you. While I know you will mercilessly scoff in a later post, we tried to be thoughtful and practical, since, as you always say, we want for nothing! We love you and look forward to your next romp around the sun!