My Happy Birthday Surprise! :)

I'm not afraid to admit it....I am now officially 42! :)  Aging doesn't bother me, at least not yet,...and I sure hope it never does.

Sure, I kid around about getting older and the crazy gray hairs that keep popping up, the aches and pains I never "use" to feel,...but I want to always be thankful for each and every day that the Lord blesses me with, and to see each year of life as a gift.

I want to be thankful for the lessons learned in each year that passes, the heartaches that disappear further and further into the past, and the joys and wisdom of the future, that lay ahead just waiting for me to join them!

I hope I'll never forget that.

This weekend, my preciuos hubby surprised me with a really fun birthday adventure... I have to say it was the most fun birthday I've ever had.  I think that is mostly because he surprised me and it was just so much fun, so romantic, and so refreshing...

Saturday morning, he told me that he had a surprise for me that evening.  I thought we were going to go out to dinner, but it seemed he had more up his sleeve than that.  He said we'd need to leave the house by 4pm and that I should dress as if we were going on the boat, but not in the water....and wear shoes that can get wet?????  Hmmmmm, interesting.  I had no clue what we would be doing.

We drove for almost an hour on our scooter, taking in the sweet spring sunshine and pretty houses along the coast....then we arrived...at a Country Club?  We aren't "Country Club" type of people, so I thought we were just taking a little break to stretch our legs.  Mike says "Here we are."...huh?

There was a group of about 10 people gathering in the far end of the parking lot, and he noted that must be "our group", ....huh?

Then he decided to tell me what the surprise was, because he didn't want someone else to break it to me...we were going on a Kayak and Dinner Moonlight Tour....FUN! :)

Once we checked in, we hopped in the back of a truck with one other couple to cut down on cars that were heading down the dirt road to the boat ramp...

When we arrived, 12 Kayak's awaited us, loaded with chairs, grills, coolers and life vests....

We were instructed on how to sit (so as not to tip over), and proper use of the paddle for maximum enjoyment and no shoulder pain...

I sat in the front, so that Mike could handle the "steering of the rudder", which is controlled by your feet.

Mike keeps a sharp eye out for alligators...LOLOL...NO, we didn't see any alligators...dolphins YES, alligators, no. :)

It was a gorgeous day and we peacefully glided along the water...making our way out into the river...

Though peaceful and quiet, we did giggle at the comments we heard from the group of three women that had joined the outing...."I'm soaking wet!"..."Mine doesn't steer right!"..."I think my rudder isn't working!"... LOLOL

We saw some lovely birds...

And even a manatee, but she disappeared so quickly I wasn't able to get a photo.

Once we got out into the river, we came to an island to "make camp"...

Our "Leader" set up all her gear that had been stored on the Kayaks...tables, grills, coolers of food.  Then she began to cook us a gourmet meal...

We took this time to Kayak around the island...

There were lot's of beautiful photos to be taken...

...and birds to see...

When we got back to the Island, our Guide/Chef was busy at work preparing our dinner.  Choice of Salmon or Chicken along with Pasta in marinara, bread, and my favorite, Salad that she picked herself at White Rabbit Organic Farm, which included edible flowers along with homemade dressing.  Of course there was dessert...crusted brownies with chocolate glaze and strawberries!  YUM!

I kinda scarfed my salad before I took the picture, bummer, because it was so colorful and pretty...

As we dined,, we watched the sun go down across the river...

As we enjoyed our dessert, we watched the moon rise high above us...we packed up our chairs and the gear was loaded back on the Kayaks, and we rowed our way back under the light of the moon...it was absolutely breathtaking to see the stars above us, and the moon peeking through the clouds, watching the water shimmer under it's light...

The next morning (my "actual" Birthday)...Mikey made me yummy scrambled eggs for breakfast...

After lunch he got busy in the kitchen with Betty C. and made me a Chocolate with Chocolate Birthday Cake!  Then he arranged the candles in a most flattering combination! :)  hee hee hee

I'm so glad our Kayak trip had been the day before, because this is what it was like outside on my Birthday!

What an all-in-all, wonderful Birthday weekend I had! :)