Happy Birthday, Mike!

Today is my friend Mike's birthday, and to honor his birthday I made him a Hummingbird Cake. The recipe is from the Martha Stewart Living magazine. I made this for him because I know that he loves birds even though he grumbles about those little sparrows that make a lot of noise in his backyard!

Mike has the most wonderful sense of humor and we can always count on him to say something to make us laugh. Sometimes though we aren't sure whether he is serious or not and the benefit of communicating via e-mail is that we are often left wondering, "Did he mean that?"

He is also a person who is very supportive and he has this wonderful gentle and thoughtful side to him. He is known as the master baker and can make the most perfect cookies of anyone that I know. He bakes every Thursday night and takes his delectable treats into work to share with his coworkers - they are so lucky! They do appreciate him, so much so that they gave him an award at work recognizing that what he does each week is a definite morale booster.

Mike is also passionate about two of his favorite hobbies, running and gardening. He runs 11 miles a day on the weekends - even in sleet and snow, and is always training for the next run. He gardens as soon as the snow melts enough and plants different kinds of lettuce to give variety to his fresh salads. His flower garden is beautiful and he is always wanting to learn more about plants and flowers and is always willing to try someting new.

It's your special day, Mike. Have a wonderful birthday. We love you!