Home Run Day

Today was an amazing day. We don't often "go big" for birthdays, but this year Micah went all out. He had a whole day planned for me to celebrate my recent birthday, and it was one of my favorites yet!

First he set up a photo shoot for me. For me! The idea of having a session focused on me was a little intimidating, but the photographer was amazing and made me feel very comfortable. She started with some pictures of the two of us to break the ice, then we ventured out around a local college campus (with a very retro feel--I loved it!) to get some more shots. I felt like some kind of movie star or famous author. In fact, I'd like to pretend one of these will be my head shot for my best seller. Dreams...

 We headed home to change into casual clothes, pack a picnic, and set out for a nearby state park. I love kayaks, so we rented two and took to the waters. We found a quiet little stream and paddled up it, soaking in the trees and the greenery around us. On the return trip to the boat rental, I found myself in the middle of a small lake. The blue sky stretched out overhead and I was surrounded by a ring of forest surrounding the lake. I stopped paddling and just breathed. This is my idea of a perfect moment.

 Next we came across an old schoolhouse on the state park grounds. We found a quiet picnic spot and had our lunch. It was perfect! We explored the schoolhouse (it seemed fitting for a school teacher on summer break, after all). We especially loved seeing the pictures of students through the years, from the 1800s to the 1950s!

 We found a trail that took us around a lake and spent some time hiking the woods and open spaces. It was beautiful and peaceful, and we even spotted a species of bird we'd never seen before! Micah's favorite part of the trail was when we had to cross a river stepping on large stones.

 After the hike he had another surprise! A local nature preserve had a special event to raise funds for turtles in the area. We went and enjoyed an evening of music, silent auctions, amazing food and drinks, and learning a little more about turtles. It was a really neat evening! We even got to enjoy a few minutes down by the water to watch the birds.

 One of the best parts of the day may have been the time spent in the car, just the two of us, to talk. Times to talk completely uninterrupted are few and far between, and today's talk time was wonderful.

 I'm crazy about this guy. Talk about a home run of a day...