Birthday

Last October, my wife, Wendy, and I traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, in celebration of her birthday. We stayed at a wonderful boutique hotel about a block from the famed Blue Mosque. On her birthday we met friends on the rooftop terrace for appetizers and wine before going out for a celebration dinner. As the evening progressed, we had the good fortune to witness a full moon rise behind the mosque. A few of us scattered to get our cameras. I went so far as to tangle with the tripod I had carried for so long and got the shot.

SINCE WE MOVED to northwest Carroll several years ago, the library has become our favorite place to escape whenever we need to get out of the house and break the monotony of routine.It's where we go to stock up on cookbooks, picture books, novels and magazines (sometimes dozens at a time) before a storm hits and we anticipate a few days of hunkering down. It's where we run into neighbors to catch up on the local gossip or read the bulletin boards for local events. We've made many wonderful discoveries, from art work by area students to continuing education classes offered around the region.

SO, DO YOU feel any older?" I heard my sister ask.Looking up, I assumed she was directing her question to my oldest son, who celebrated his 18th birthday Saturday."Not him, you," she said. "Do you feel any older?"Pausing for a moment I realized that I did feel older -- considerably older. In one day, things had changed. Suddenly, I was the parent of an adult."I doubt things have changed that drastically," my sister said.She is wrong.One day he was in the birthday parade marching behind Chuck E. Cheese.

Kids AskIs left wing Brendan Shanahan of the Detroit Red Wings related to coach Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos?No. But they are both champions.Last June, Brendan helped Detroit win the Stanley Cup for the second season in a row. The Red Wings beat the Washington Capitals four games to none. Mike coached Denver to its first Super Bowl championship in 1998. The Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers, 31-24.Birthday Blowout!S.I. For Kids is celebrating its 10th birthday this year. We asked athletes to tell us about their favorite birthdays.

The professor begs off any questions about a favorite subject. One question only leads to a another and another, then a conversation. Who knows where it would end?"

Chapter EightThe RoommatesSoon after the start of her junior year, Caroline made a sign and taped it to her dorm-room door. It was Sept. 16, 1998."HAPPY BIRTHDAY," it said. "Thanks for being such a great friend. Love, Caroline."Who knows why Jenny and Caroline hit it off so quickly; why they were so good at sharing space; why they liked talking in bed before going to sleep. But the roommates agreed: It would be wrong to say they bonded just because they were twins. It would be too simplistic.

Celebration of continuity; A memorable placeAnna and I met in our teens and have maintained a close friendship for 30 years despite the ocean that separates us. For a year before each of us married, she and I shared a flat in London. Otherwise, we've lived on different continents. Yet, we have stayed close through letters and visits.When she called from Scotland and asked if we could come over, I knew if was for her birthday. She and I have been leap-frogging decade birthday visits for years.

ST. LOUIS -- It's the simplest of situations now: Every time Mark McGwire swings his bat, he has a chance to make history."I'm one swing away," McGwire said.One swing away from a moment even better than the one he delivered yesterday, if that's possible.One swing away from breaking Roger Maris' record and becoming the all-time single-season home run champion."I'm sure that [moment] will be as good or better" than what happened yesterday at Busch Stadium, McGwire said.That's hard to believe.

LONDON -- At an age when many successful professionals are entrenched in positions of power, Britain's Prince Charles, who marks his 50th birthday tomorrow, is still preparing for the job he was born to fill.The man who would be king remains "the man in waiting," as the BBC called him, a prince forced to grow up in the limelight in an ever-changing country.The two essential facts of his life are these: His mother, Queen Elizabeth II, remains the sovereign, while he remains the heir. Elizabeth, 72, shows no sign of abdicating in favor of her son. Far from it. If she were to stay on the throne for the rest of her life and live as long as her mother -- Britain's beloved Queen Mum, now 98 -- then Charles would be at least 75 before he has a chance to take the throne.

ALL TOO OFTEN at birthday parties, I encounter dreary sheet cakes coated with white stuff. Technically, it's icing, although I imagine it coming from some plastic bucket that has a green lid stamped with an expiration date.The icing is sweet, but it may as well be shaving cream or joint compound.Being hopelessly old-fashioned, and possessed of a incurable and demanding sweet tooth, I prefer to envision birthday cakes as delicious, homemade confections that joyously toast the honoree's arrival into this world.

It's said that the first step toward fixing a problem is recognizing you have one. So when the producers of the TV show "Making Over America" needed a subject for an August episode, they stumbled upon gold in LaShunda Rodgers, an Army staff sergeant and self-described "crazy person" based at Fort Meade. The cheerful Rodgers, who was getting ready to turn 30 this year, had a feeling her style of dress was less than appropriate for her status as a maturing single mother. The show "sent an e-mail to every female stationed at Fort Meade, asking us to describe our style problems, what was in our closets and other things," says Rodgers, an Iraq war veteran who teaches multimedia illustration on the base.

Peter Angelos is taking a rare day off. Pam Shriver is leaving the television spotlight and making a dash from England to California to be with her three children. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend will spend a civilized day in Towson instead of enjoying the outdoors at some exotic locale. As the nation turns 233 today, Angelos will celebrate his 80th birthday, Shriver, her 47th, and Townsend, her 57th. Even though being a year older isn't thrilling, each of them considers sharing their birthday with the nation an honor.

A Twitter follower asks: "How [do you] encourage friends and family to give to charity in lieu of gifts at a kid party? We're racking our brains for a polite, workable way to do this. We hear people do both when asked, which doesn't solve the issue." I sent the question to Bill Dougherty, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota and one of the people behind Birthdays Without Pressure, a Web site (and group) that discusses how costs and expectations have gone up for children's birthday parties.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - With several of Hayden Penn's competitors for the open rotation spots struggling with injuries or ineffective, the Orioles right-hander's chances to stick with the club get better by the day. Penn turned in three scoreless and one-hit innings in an intrasquad game yesterday despite pitching with a cut on his finger that prevented him from throwing his breaking ball in his final inning of work. It was an encouraging performance for the Orioles' one-time top pitching prospect, who is out of options and might need a solid spring to stay with the organization.

On your Birthday and always we love and miss you. Your loving children and grandchildren

Happy 49th birthday. You are in our hearts forever. Love Mom, Dad, Eddie & Mark

As reported March 2, 1988, in The Howard Sun: Marian Sleeper has a special birthday party every four years. None of her friends ever forgets it. She's one of those chosen few who just happened to be born Feb. 29 - a leap year birthday baby. The 36-year-old mother of three and part owner of an outdoors supply store, Patapsco Outfitters on U.S. 40, officially celebrated her ninth birthday Monday. Actually, 25 people celebrated her birthday with a party Saturday at her Sykesville home.

Last October, my wife, Wendy, and I traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, in celebration of her birthday. We stayed at a wonderful boutique hotel about a block from the famed Blue Mosque. On her birthday we met friends on the rooftop terrace for appetizers and wine before going out for a celebration dinner. As the evening progressed, we had the good fortune to witness a full moon rise behind the mosque. A few of us scattered to get our cameras. I went so far as to tangle with the tripod I had carried for so long and got the shot.

Presidential party George Washington is having a big birthday this year, and you're invited to the party. Although his 275th birthday is Thursday, the celebration will take place today and tomorrow at his Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia. The festivities include a Washington re-enactor, parade, military demonstrations, wreath-laying ceremony and music. Admission is $6-$13; free for age 5 and younger. Admission is free for all visitors tomorrow. Call 703-780-2000 or go to mountvernon.

They lit candles yesterday for Jamelle Carter's 19th birthday. Standing in front of his alma mater, Northwestern High School, his mother, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends sang "Happy Birthday." A day earlier, Carter's mother, surrounded by relatives, had walked onto the Parks Heights school's football field. The principal and athletic director wrapped their arms around her. Then they wrapped her in a baseball jersey and told her that No. 9, her son's number, has been retired. Far from the traditional birthday celebrations so typical of this large, close-knit family, these were solemn remembrances of Carter.