To Mrs. BA on the Occasion of Her Birthday

Today is the day that this Brave Astronaut stops and celebrates one of the greatest days in history. For today is Mrs. BA's birthday and I urge all of you, my faithful readers to celebrate along with her (we can all have a drink in her honor - she doesn't, so it's OK if we have hers).

Mrs. BA is a great daughter. Trust me on this, her mother would tell you the same. We all complain about our parents, but I am grateful to hers for producing such a great person. She is a great sister. As the oldest of three girls, she and her sisters are a great set and I am happy to know her sisters and their families.

She is an outstanding mother to two wonderful boys (LBA and SoBA), who love her very much. While there are certainly moments that lead to more gray hairs for both Mrs. BA and me, those two boys are spitting images of their mother and I love them as much as I do her. I went through a period that I didn't think I was going to have children or that I wasn't going to be a good father. It is because of her that I do have those two great boys and I am a mildly successful father. However good those boys are, it is because of her.

Finally, she is the best wife a man could ever ask for. I love her with all of my heart. I cannot begin to imagine a world without her in it, nor do I want to. I find it hard to remember a time when she wasn't a part of my life. She has helped me to be a better person, really helped me to know what love is, and what "quality of life" really can mean.

She can still get me to catch my breath when I see her, her laugh will always make me smile, her touch will never cease to energize me. I am forever grateful for her love and will work for the rest of my days to earn and deserve it.

Mrs. BA, I love you. Happy Birthday. Thank you for you. I'm a very lucky man.

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Of course it is also Pizza and Movie Night Friday at the launchpad. Maybe Mrs. BA will get to pick the movie, but probably not this one (one of Mrs BA's favorites). Evidently because there are no original ideas in Hollywood, there are talks of rebooting this series. The original was released 28 years ago on July 29.

10 Things you didn't know about National Lampoon's Vacation (from BuzzFeed)

1. The W in Clark W Griswold Stands For Wilhelm
2. Originally, We Were Supposed To See Aunt Edna Wiggle Her Fingers While Tied To The Top Of The Car
3. Originally The Film Ended With The Griswolds Taking Roy Wally (Eddie Bracken) Hostage
4. All The Distant Shots Of Walley World Are Matte Paintings
5. Harold Ramis Was Inspired To Shoot Wide Shots Of Clark Alone In The Desert By La Guerre Du Feu
6. It Was The Only Vacation Movie To Receive An R Rating
7. Harold Ramis Is Embarrassed By The Scene In East St. Louis - "No, I'm from the South side of Chicago, I'm here on Vacation!"
8. The Script Originally Called For The Griswolds To Go To Disneyland - but evidently the Magic Kingdom objected, because they don't close.
9. The Film Is Based On An Article By John Hughes - September 1979 issue of National Lampoon
10. Harold Ramis Has An Uncredited Role As A Police Officer At Walley World - he does?