Katie Couric's Birthday Leads Us To Reflect On Why We Love Her

Dear Katie Couric,

Is it OK if we call you Katie? We assume so, and that gets to the heart of why -- on your 56th birthday -- we decided to let you know something we never told you before:

We like you. We mean, like you like you. Old school, passing letters in the classroom, check yes, no, maybe so if you like us back like you. If you can't send us a note, at the very least, we'd settle for one of your awesome tweets.

We find you to be so easy-going and relatable; you've consistently impressed us with your openness to life's possibilities and willingness to share your journey with your fans (and this list of 25 things people don't know about you just proves what we mean).

With more than 20 years of broadcasting excellence to your credit, you hit a huge career milestone in September 2006 when you became "CBS Evening News" first solo female anchor. But in the face of building criticism and ratings drops, you never lost sight of who you are or your abilities. You told Good Housekeeping magazine.

"I had an ultimate sense of satisfaction. But I was not ambivalent about feeling this wasn't the place for me for the rest of my career. It wasn't the right environment for me. In terms of the atmosphere, it wasn't a good fit for my sensibilities and personality. ... I'm not a quitter. There were times when I thought to myself, Gee, do I need this? But I thought, You know what? I can do this job as well as anyone. If people are projecting their own issues onto me, that's not my problem."

(Slow clap) Nice, Katie. Nice. That's a lesson that would fit right in the pages of your New York Times best seller "The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons From Extraordinary Lives" or on your new daytime television show, "Katie."

And while we're on the subject, "Katie" is yet another reason why we think you're great. After leaving "CBS Evening" in 2011, you struck off on your own, reinventing yourself as a daytime talk show host, while still maintaining your journalistic integrity. You've created smart programming for older women, something sorely lacking in the mediascape. The beginning may have been rocky, but with each new show, you're proving your mettle and your ability to meet the new challenges of the job. It is, indeed, a new beginning for you, Katie.

You're more than just the "perky" news anchor (though brava to you for saying what you really think about that dismissive descriptor)...

You're a committed and dedicated single mom to two lovely daughters...

... and a champion to finding a cure for the disease that took your late husband, Jay Monahan, away from you, having founded a number of cancer research and advocacy groups. Your work-life balance is second-to-none, and we here at Huff/Post50 are very impressed.

So happy birthday, Katie! We could go on and on, but really, this photo sums it all up:

xoxo,
Huff/Post50