I turned 40 this past month! My wonderful parents gave me the best birthday gift - taking care of the kiddos for a few days so Erik and I could take a little trip. We are so grateful for that! We headed down to Captiva Island, FL. What a great place to relax and enjoy some beautiful warm sunshine. We stayed at Tween Waters Inn and had a lovely view of the ocean. We rented bikes during the day and rode all over the island, stopping at places that looked interesting and grabbing food at local spots. We had some amazing dinners at the Old Captiva House, Doc Ford's, and a special birthday dinner at Sweet Melissa's Cafe. We made time to watch the legendary crab races, where you grab a seat, choose a hermit crab to be "yours", give it a name (ours was Ditka, no surprise!) and cheer it on as it races its fellow hermit crabs to the edge of the big, round table. Silly fun that makes for a memorable evening. We also spent an afternoon at the Darling National Wildlife Refuge, which had long walking paths where you could view bird and reptile species (we saw lots of birds and a gator!). The sunsets over the water each night were gorgeous. The beach was quiet and relaxing (with more pelicans than I've ever seen). We'd definitely return!
Another fun part of turning 40 was feeling the LOVE from close friends! My Wilmette crew treated me to a really fun night out together! And my best college girlfriends sent me a special birthday package filled with things they knew I'd love. We've been taking turns doing that for one another as we all turn 40 and it's been so fun to celebrate them all. I am SO grateful for my lifelong friends, near and far!
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| Such a special birthday gift from lifelong friends - the lovely letter inside made my day |
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| My friend Bridget sent me this framed e-photo to remember our fun night out |
