Celebrate Joanne Murray – the British author, who writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, turns 44 today! When Rowling began writing her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in the early 1990s, she had no idea how famous she would become. “I thought I’d written something that a handful of people might quite like,” she said. “So this has been something of a shock.”

Rowling has left readers spellbound with her Harry Potter fantasy series! She’s captured the hearts and minds of children and adults alike with the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. A number of Rowling’s books have been turned into blockbuster movies, most recently Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (see the trailer below).

So Happy Birthday to J.K. Rowling! Hope her’s is a truly magical day.

In her personal blog, “The Assertive Cancer Patient: Living with Cancer – and an Attitude,” journalist Jeanne Sather writes about the birthday celebration of her beloved dog Constant. Find out how Constant enriches her life, and why she’s celebrating his special day. Read the full story on her blog, excerpts below:

Constant, the Wonder Dog, turned 4 this month. Connie is my constant companion, which is how he got his name.

I grew up with animals (my father was a vet), and we always had a dog and a couple of cats. But then as an adult, I was moving around, back and forth across the Pacific Ocean, and working, and so I waited a long time to have a dog of my own…

To celebrate Connie’s birthday, I asked my friend Monica, the photographer who shoots all the photos for my jewelry blog, to take a portrait of Connie and me together. She got some great shots of us in the park, including this one of Connie knocking me on my butt … I’ll be using them on my blog whenever I write about my lovely dog.

One thing about dogs and cancer: Almost all the cancer bloggers I know have dogs. Lisa. Teri. Laurie.

Another interesting thing about cancer, my dog, and me: Before I adopted Connie, I talked to my therapist about whether or not I was being selfish to adopt a dog when my life expectancy was not so great. (Two to three years from the time of metastasis is the generally accepted prognosis for metastatic breast cancer.)

So that conversation was four years ago, and I’m still here. And the past four years have been greatly enriched by sharing them with my dog.

Oh, my therapist’s answer: “If you need to find another home for Connie, you will. You won’t abandon him.”

And that is true.

Happy Birthday to Constant! Here’s wishing him and Jeanne many more happy years together. To find out how you can help create a world with more birthdays and less cancer, visit morebirthdays.com.

Happy birthday to Hilary Swank! The Academy Award-winning actress turns 35 today. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Hilary’s illustrious career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992), and she became famous for her roles in Boys Don’t Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004).

Hilary has joined the likes of Viven Leigh, Helen Hayes, Sally Field, and Luise Rainer, as one of the only actresses to have been nominated for Academy Awards twice and win both times. Here’s wishing her the happiest of birthdays!

This weekend Simon Cowell’s celebrity friends gathered for a surprise party to mark his 50th birthday. Simon’s friend Jackie St. Claire lured him to the secret bash by saying she was planning to celebrate her own birthday.

Guests included Amanda Holden, Piers Morgan, and Louis Walsh. At one point Dannii Minogue led the partygoers in singing “You’re So Vain,” and Simon laughed all the way through.

Simon became famous for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as American Idol, The X Factor, and Britain’s Got Talent. He is known for his blunt criticisms and wise cracks about contestants’ abilities or lack thereof.

He won’t actually turn 50 until October 7, but he will be too busy in America to host his own party. Here’s wishing him many more years of critical acclaim (with an emphasis on the critical).

Happy Birthday to Miami. The coastal city turned 113 yesterday.

To celebrate the big day, the city held a celebration at the historic Lyric Theater complete with traditional gifts, cake and ice cream.

First incorporated on July 28, 1896, Miami has lots to celebrate since it’s become an international center for popular entertainment in television, music, film, and fashion. So Happy Birthday, Miami! Here’s to many more sunny beach days!

Happy Birthday to Barbie. To celebrate her birthday, the leggy blonde made an around-the-world tour, and her enthusiastic receptions have proved she’s still one of the most respected icons in the world. Read the full story in Time magazine:

Barbie turned 50 this year, and she’s been celebrating her birthday with a whirlwind world tour, christening a new store in Shanghai and strutting the runways of New York’s Fashion Week. As curvaceous and sprightly as ever, the petite doll even paid a visit to the nation’s capital for a recent weeklong convention, and the reception there proved that much of the world still has a love affair with the leggy blonde.

The 29th annual Barbie Convention sold out in two days, and lit up the District in the doll’s signature hot pink, drawing Barbie-lovers aged 13 to 80 from all over the globe, including Russia, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Britain and France. A trio of sisters trekked from Mexico in order to be around other passionate Barbie fans. “There is no Barbie club in Mexico,” said the oldest, Leonor Vidal Rosada…

Here’s wishing her the happiest of birthdays – she sure makes the half-century mark look good!

When a child is invited to a birthday party, some parents think it’s only necessary to respond if you plan on attending the party. This story from a couple in Rock Hill, South Carolina, may make you reevaluate such etiquette:

I mentioned it to my parents, and to cheer our son up we decided to take him to the beach. When we returned and opened our front door, we found assorted wrapped presents with cards attached wishing our son a happy birthday and saying, “We’re sorry we couldn’t come to your party.”

My folks did not tell us they were going to do it. They said they had “found” the presents on the porch and brought them inside while they were house-sitting. Their thoughtfulness and caring — not to mention their creativity — took away much of the hurt. I get tears in my eyes thinking about it. Our son is now in his early teens and has never been told the story.

I would like to thank my parents again and tell them how much their gesture meant. Also, please advise parents that when they receive an invitation to a child’s party — or any party, for that matter — to RSVP! No child should have to feel that kind of hurt.

Thanks to Grandma and Grampa for saving the (birth)day! Here’s to many more happy birthdays to come! To find out how you can help create a world with less cancer and more birthdays, visit morebirthdays.com.

Happy Birthday to Peggy Fleming! The Olympic gold medalist turns 61 today. Fleming has won 5 United States titles (1964-1968), 3 world titles (1966-1968), the Associated Press’ female athlete of the year award (1968), and a spot in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

Fleming didn’t start skating until she was 9, and won her first championship at age 11. She won her 1968 Olympic gold medal wearing a costume her mother made and her artistic performance awed the world, vaulting her to celebrity status. In 1994 Sports Illustrated featured her as one of the most important athletes in a 40-year period.

Peggy Fleming was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 and underwent a lumpectomy and radiation. She’s become an outspoken advocate of early detection for breast cancer. Here’s wishing her a happy 61st. Watch her legendary 1968 performance below:

Think back to when you were little… remember those birthday parties with “Pin the tail on the donkey?”  I do!  Every birthday was a celebration, a time to have friends over and eat cake.  Sometime in the “growing up” process the novelty fades, and we tend not to broadcast our birthdays quite as loudly.

But then, when we have kids, birthdays take on a whole new meaning!  I remember my son’s first birthday – sitting him on the kitchen counter with his first cake, and getting whipped cream on his baby toes!  I remember the Power Ranger party, and the critter party, the magic party and the monkey party.  All the kids, all the photos, all the chaos and all the fun!  Each birthday is a milestone, another candle on the cake, another wish to create.  We see life through our child’s eyes – and it’s magical and sweet all over again.  We understand that we are really a kid at heart.

If you’re planning a party, whether for a child or yourself, think about some of these themes to help you celebrate this very special day!