Happy Birthday to Me!

This is the second year in a row I spent my birthday away from home, in places with temperatures higher than 80 degrees. Last year Tuxtla Gutierrez with new friends and my dad, this year with some of my oldest (in terms of how long I've known them, not how old they are) on the Delmarva shore. I could get used to this. Feel free to send suggestions for warm locations for my 30th birthday.

The sun lit the farms on either side of the highways and penetrated the glass to give me a slight sunburn on my right arm as we made our way to the Delmarva shore Sunday morning. For those of you unfamiliar with the word Delmarva, it is a charming combining of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia that locals use to call this part of the country.

The cast of the Delmarva Shore - much less dramatic than Jersey

We spent the day at Rehoboth beach. I'd never been to Delaware before, so I was excited to be getting closer to meeting my goal of visiting all 50 states. I'm only at 23, so I have a ways to go. Anyway, about Rehoboth. It's a touristy beach, but it wasn't crowded even though it was a beautiful day. The water felt like someone poured a glass of ice water on my feet every time a wave came up to greet me. Nick and Corrine were braver than I and brought Elaina in the water. She loved it!

Once the water got too much we went back up to our spot on the sand. Nick dug a hole to bury himself in. Lane was so cute because after he patted all the sand down around him, she tried to get him out.

I made a sand salamander and afterward soaked in the sun until the kite was brought out. Lane got one for her birthday, it was from the Cars movie. I think it was her first time flying a kite. The wind wasn't blowing incredibly fast or furious, but when it was my turn I kept it in the air with minimal jogging. I'm not sure how long it has been since I've flown a kite, but I can safely say years. And that is way to long to go between kite flying outings.

It was a few hours of beach time, and after the kite flying it we were ready for some food. Lucky for us, Dogfish Head brewery has a pub on Rehoboth Beach, their brewery is just a few miles from there I guess. The best part of micro brew pubs is the sampler. It made for a great birthday treat. I tried the Raison D'Etre, Chicory Stout, Black & Blue, World Wide Stout,  Palo Santo Marron. I couldn't choose a favorite, so rather than get a full glass of one that I tried, I gave the Red & White a try too. We also had their Parmesan Rosemary fries and fried pickles. They weren't messing around with the parm on those fries and the dipping sauce was a cheesy mustard goodness that went fabulously with the pickles. While the people next to us who got seated after us got their food and left before we got our meals we were beginning to think the waitress forgot to put in our meals. Which was true. But, it gave us more time to chat and sample beer and lick the basket of fried goodness clean. My main entree, Mushroom Mac & Cheese, was all I was hoping for in a birthday dinner. Something to remind me that even though I'm pushing 30, I can still eat like a 12 year old without guilt at least once in a while (like on my birthday).

After our bellies were full and our hearts happy, we strolled the boardwalk. We found an instant photo booth in an arcade and had to cram in for a strip of black and white prints. And then it was time for ice cream. Soft serve with sprinkles. My shirt was a little less messy than Lane's. Happy birthday to me!