A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER!!

OK, I ADMIT IT-I LOVE BIRTHDAY SURPRISES. THIS YEARS BIRTHDAY WAS A SURPRISE TO BEAT ALL. THE WEEK STARTED OUT WITH A BANG-WE WERE EXCITED TO HAVE NEPHEW CHRISTOPHER AND "HIS GIRLS" COME TO MONTANA-THEY WERE ON A ROAD TRIP OF THEIR OWN-AND WE WERE LUCKY TO HAVE THEM MAKE A STOP AT OUR CAMP. THEY ARRIVED JUST IN TIME FOR MY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION-AND A CELEBRATION WE DID HAVE! MIKE AND I BOTH HAD TO WORK ON THE 20TH-MIKE DID THE RESTAURANT AND POTTY PATROL-ME IN THE OFFICE ALL DAY. BY THE TIME THE EVENING ARRIVED-ALL WAS SET FOR A GREAT PARTY AT THE GABBARD CAMP. WE HAD INVITED OUR FELLOW WORKAMPERS-MIKE WAS GRILLING RIBS,CORN AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT SOUNDED GOOD-I WAS SO HAPPY TO BE DONE WITH WORK THAT DAY-IT WAS CRAZY-ANYTHING THAT COULD GO WRONG DID-AND ANYONE WHO COULD BE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR CAMPSITE WAS-BUT ALL THAT WAS BEHIND ME-I HAD FRIENDS,FAMILY,AND A BEAUTIFUL BIRTHDAY BALLOON AND TIARA AND MATCHING EARRINGS TO WEAR-COCKTAILS TO ENJOY-AND A WONDERFUL EVENING TO PARTY!
EVERYONE IN CAMP CAME-WE HAD A GREAT DINNER,DELICIOUS BIRTHDAY CAKE-AND MUSIC PLAYED BY OUR LOCAL MUSICIANS! NEIL BROUGHT ME A BOTTLE OF HOME-MADE FLATHEAD CHERRY WINE-WE HAVE YET TO UN-CORK IT-BUT THE TIME IS ALMOST HERE FOR THAT-
WE HAVE HAD SOME FUN PARTIES ON OUR LITTLE DECK-BUT I THINK MY BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS THE BEST-SO FAR! THE DAY AFTER WAS OUR DAY OFF-AND MIKE TOLD ME I HAD A SURPRISE COMING-HE WAS SO BAD AND WOULD NOT TELL ME ANYTHING. HE JUST SAID-GET DRESSED-THINK WET-AND WE ARE OUT OF HERE BY 10AM. WE GOT IN THE TRUCK, HEADED DOWN THE ROAD-AND HE PULLED INTO A SPOT RIGHT BY THE PETTING ZOO. HE SAID "WE ARE HERE!" I WAS TOTALLY CLUELESS-BUT IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SUNNY DAY, THE ANIMALS WERE HAPPY TO SEE US-AND,WELL,I TRUST MIKE-SO I KNEW I WAS GOING TO HAVE A GREAT DAY. I KNEW NOTHING-PRETTY SOON I SAW WALT PULL HIS TRUCK AROUND. TRACI ARRIVED-THEN HERE CAME NEIL-HIS TRUCK-AND THE RAFT. OH MY GOODNESS-WE WERE GOING WHITEWATER RAFTING!!! I FOUND OUT THAT EVERYONE IN CAMP KNEW ABOUT THE SURPRISE AND HAD BEEN SO GOOD TO NOT LET ME KNOW A THING-I WAS IMPRESSED TO SAY THE LEAST!! WELL, THE DAY WAS SO PERFECT. THE SUN WAS OUT-THE WATER WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TURQUOISE-BLUE-AND WE WERE GOING TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL. MIKE AND I HAD REALLY ENJOYED OUR JET BOAT TRIP ON THE SNAKE RIVER LAST YEAR-WE SAW RAFTERS AND THOUGHT-WELL, ONE DAY WE MIGHT DO THAT! THERE IS JUST NOTHING LIKE BEING ON THE FLATHEAD RIVER-OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF GODS MOST GLORIOUS CREATIONS-ON THE WATER-GREAT FRIENDS-EEK! BIG RAPIDS-AND WALT TELLING US TO PADDLE!!! I ALMOST WENT OVERBOARD A COUPLE OF TIMES-BUT THANKS TO MIKE-LANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RAFT INSTEAD! WE HAD A BLAST-THE SCENERY WAS INCREDIBLE-THE BEER ICY COLD-AND I WAS LUCKY-NO ONE THOUGHT THEY SHOULD PUSH ME OVERBOARD! MIKE DID GO IN-NEIL DID GO IN-IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE-AND YES, I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT!! THE ONLY THING I REGRET IS THE LACK OF A FISHING POLE-OH MY GOODNESS THE FISH WERE JUMPING!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE STAVES FOR A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME!!!