"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count, it's the life in your years." (Abraham Lincoln)

A Very Happy 70th Birthday, Joe!  

Hmmmmm...

So...just what is it that's made you so damned loveable to us all, 

over all these years?? 

Well, let's see...

Is it your love of flowers and gardening, and everything beautiful?

...Naaaaah.

Is it maybe your way with animals...

... and gentle nature with them that appeals?

 

They seem to sense immediately that you're a good guy.  

Scratch that.

I think it has more to do with your

wicked sense of humor and your irreverent delight in the absurdity in life...

yes, I think it has much more to do with that...

(oh, much, much more to do with that...)

 you do make us laugh...

(Joe and Sue and one of our "pumpkin" pics)

(gotta' love all those crazy photo captions...)

Yes, you do make us smile...

you Party Marsupial, you!

 But...why are we all so instantly drawn to you?

Certainly,  it must have

 something to do with your wild sense of adventure and wanderlust:

Now THAT we know you have in spades...

ever drawn to the new and "out of the box" experiences...

 

Everyone knows you're always ready for new foods, new locales...

New, new, new...

why, "NEW" is practically your middle name!

But more than anything, what's most delightfully appealing about you is your unquenchable love for your family:

(Joe, below, with his Family Tree:)

your understanding that family is the most important thing...

(Joe in his element, with genealogy work:)

 

You're definitely happiest when you're surrounded by your loved ones...

or at least torturing them in photo sessions...

(and with Big Foot)

  

and I love that my family loves you,...

and enjoys you...

and so do our friends...

 We love that you love theatre, and opera, and art, and ballet...
and bird watching, and gardening, and history, and genealogy, and movies, and reading, and just playing games...

and that you clean up pretty nice, too...

So, it turns out, there are innumerable reasons why we love you.

But...in the final analysis, 

 we just do.

Happiest of Birthdays, Joe!!

70 is definitely the new 50 in your case.

xo,

Sue

"It takes a long time to grow young."  (Picasso)