It's my birthday - and I have a Gypsy in my garage!

I have really enjoyed today - lots of great conversations through phone, cards, and email (yes, Hallmark marketing wonks, more cards than email), and special hugs from my two teenagers. No cake yet - but I figure I will make one for my family to enjoy tomorrow. I did have some celebratory mixed nuts, though.
I have been saving money since September to buy a bike, and did it this week. Of course, it happened to be the week that Omaha had The Great Blizzard of '07, but I firmly believe that good weather will happen again in time for me to start riding on the trails that snake through this town. I located a photo online of the bike (this store will probably be surprised at their web hit count this month!):
http://kensbikeski.com/itemdetails.cfm?catalogId=39&id=1746.
My teenage daughter was mortified that I wanted a bike with tassels, which made me all the more determined to buy it (ah, mother/daughter relations). I figure folks won't notice the tassels at all after they get to staring at my face shield... The bike is a total extravagance, costing more than my first car (a great '66 Dodge Dart, slant-6 engine that I could work on all by myself with Chilton manuals checked out of the public library), but meaning just as much to me now as when I was 17 in freedom and being able to answer the call of the open road (or at least the Keystone Trail). Knowing I have this beauty waiting for me when I get home from work, or from my next checkup (one week away, dang it), might just keep me from thinking too much - something folks around me have said I have been guilty of lately. For everyone reading this - thank you for making the past year more than just something to bear. And I wish for all of us a wonderful year to come.