Happy birthday to me!

As I sit here and write my blog, two of my friends (Maribeth and Becca) are singing me happy birthday!!!! So.....today was my birthday!!!!!!!!! haha...and if I might add, probably the best birthday I will ever have. The day was filled with once in a lifetime activities that I will never forget. It all started out by the mother and her two cubs coming up to the Tundra Buggy for the first time. I invited them to my party : ). haha That was amazing.

After taking hundreds of videos and pictures of the bears, we had a priority to fulfill. A helicopter ride to be exact. What a wonderful birthday present right?! We took a tundra buggy out to a safe place where the helicopters would be picking us up. The group met with the pilots and drivers and learned about these amazing vehicles before we piled into them for our ride to the den. As I entered the helicopter, I had no idea what to expect. I had requested to sit in the front so I could get the full effects of the ride. It truly felt like I was in a video game. It felt surreal. Our pilot was an amazing tour guide considering he was telling us about the land hundreds of feet off the ground, going at about 90 miles per hour. As we landed I imagined what the tundra would feel like, and as I stepped out onto the precious tundra floor, I was surprised by the squishy spongy feeling under my feet. It was amazing. After exploring the maternal den, looking out over the river at the autumn trees, and investigating about the earth, we hopped back onto the helicopter to return to the tundra buggy. It was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever encountered!!!!!!!

After returning to the lodge, we did a video conference, ate lunch, and got some business done. Kathy came up to me and asked me if I wanted to call my parents. I wondered “well I don’t REALLY want to, but I guess that would be nice, seeing it is my 17^th birthday!” So she took me into the girls bunk for some reason, maybe because it is quieter in there, and I called my mom and dad. After I was done, her and a few adults led me to the dining car and told me to open the door. So I did! I opened the door slowly, and peering inside, I saw that it was dark! I was like, “what the heck?!” and all of a sudden, everyone popped out from under the tables and yelled “SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!” and began singing and taking pictures. Of course, I began to cry because all day I was hoping that something really special would happen. My dream came true! It was amazing. It was so sweet that they spent their time and efforts to make my birthday even better!