I have a hard time knowing what to get people for their birthdays. And Matt is tricky to buy for because he likes techy stuff. I'm not very tech-savvy, so I wouldn't even know where to begin. But Matt also likes the great outdoors, so this year that is the direction I went. Our friend Josh, who we love, has some off road recreational vehicles. He also has a trailer and a car to haul them with. So I gave Josh a call a few weeks before Matt's birthday to see if we could borrow his four-wheeler. Josh suggested that given my "condition" we might prefer the Rhino. I didn't know what that was, but it ended up being perfect!!
On Monday 30 April (Matt's birthday is actually the 28th, but we were at Wood Badge then) I assigned Matt to some errands. I packed up a lunch, complete with a birthday cupcake and some decorations. When he got home I packed up the car and we headed to Josh's house. When Matt saw the trailer hooked up and the Rhino on back he got excited (yeah!). I told him I didn't actually know where to go, but that Josh had suggested some property Matt's grandpa had bought years ago called Tucahoe. Matt was even more excited (double yeah!!). We went to his uncles house and got a map of the location and some additional directions and we were off.
We found the turn off pretty easily (thanks to the added directions we got from Aunt Rosemary). Matt parked and then started getting things set up for us to head up the mountain. I packed the back of the Rhino with our lunch and blanket. And we were off... though not without our safety goggles.
I was grateful to Josh's suggestions that we take the Rhino so we could ride side by side, but also because I realized I didn't know how I would have done trying to hold onto Matt if I was on the back of a four-wheeler. We bumped down the dirt road with some air in our face, but mostly dust.
We bounced along for an hour or so, following trails, trying to find the Tucahoe property, bumping down ravines, following empty stream beds, and eventually realizing that I was 7 months pregnant and could only do so much bouncing and bumping. We did happen upon some dear right close to the path we were one.
It was a pretty day with some high clouds that kept it cool. We found a shady little spot there wasn't a blade of grass to be found, but we liked our spot. I hung some decorations and set up our lunch, even had Norah Jones playing on my computer in the background. We enjoyed our picnic and birthday cupcake, laughing and relaxing before finally heading back down the mountain.
We had a great time, mostly because we could enjoy the day together. Happy Birthday, Matt!! How grateful I am that you were born!!
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