Celebrating 80 Years!

Here is an excerpt from the book The Rainbow Comes and Go's by Anderson Cooper. This is what inspired the idea of asking Annabelle to recall stories, likes, dislikes, favorite memories, anything from her last 80 years that would be fun to know!

From Anderson Cooper's book THE RAINBOW COMES AND GOES

80 years ago on this day, I was born. I recall a note from my Aunt Gertrude, that I received on a birthday long ago. “Just think, today you are 17 whole years old!” she wrote. Well, today—I am 80 whole years old—a hell of a lot wiser, but somewhere still 17. What is the answer (to life)?What is the secret (to life)? Is there one? That e-mail between me and my mom and its three questions started the conversation that ended up changing our relationship, bringing us closer than either of us had ever thought possible. It’s the kind of conversation I think many parents and their grown children would like to have, and it has made this past year the most valuable of my life. By breaking down the walls of silence that existed between us, I have come to understand my mom and myself in ways I never imagined. I know now that it’s never too late to change the relationship you have with someone important in your life: a parent, a child, a lover, a friend. All it takes is a willingness to be honest and to shed your old skin, to let go of the long-standing assumptions and slights you still cling to. After all, if not now, when?