My Birthday Celebration!

Thank you for all te people who sent messages and texts to wish me a Happy Birthday! I was able to get Bill to buy in that my Birthday lasted about 48 hrs becasue if it was still June 29th in Texas then I was still the birthday girl!

Well on my birthday I got up really early for having gone to be so late. We got dressed and headed to the bus station. I was going to catch a bus to Hovag for Trip to pick me up. Well come to find out that I would have taken 4 busses to get there becasue they have changed the route. Becasue of the confusion I missed the 1st bus so I was going to have to take an 11 o'clock bus and arrive at noon. Not really what Trip and Nora wanted. So I caught a different city bus to Sorlands Parken, the mall. It is very near the turn off for the island. Trip and Summer picked me up there.

We did our normal 5 hour study and then I took the car into town. When I arrive home Bill was busy getting things ready for some surprse he had planned. I let him finish with out disturbing him. I talked to family and I took a bath and relaxed a little before the celebration began. Once I was dressed Bill began the party. He had roses and candles set out. We had an appitizer of fresh strawberries, rasberries and Almond cake. It was nice to sit and talk about what he did alone all day in Kristiansand while having a sweet birthday treat.

Then we head off to dinner at the Fiske Marken. We sat outside in a nice cafe, I ate a Cusk fish wraped in philo dough and baked with vegetables, Bill had spare ribs. It was delecious. Then we took a short walk around the area and headed home to change clothes.

While discussing the plan for the next day, Bill realized that he was not going to to be able to see the big cannon from WWII. So I agreed to go out there that evening. He really wanted to bike it and Trip had fixed up the bikes for us to use. SO I thought what the hey, why not! Bill said it was only 9 kilometers. I really had no idea how far that was. But it did not sound that far so great!

I put on a jogging suit and tennies shoes and was ready to go! Bill packed a bag with a blanket and a bottle of wine, he thought the cannon would be on a hill and we could watch the sun set. How sweet!

Well we left the house out on our journey at 11pm. When we stoped for the 1st time, we had been biking for 45 mins and we were only 1/3rd of the was there. I was begining to think we had made a mistake. The sun had already set by this time, but it was not dark.

We stop a second time to check which split we should take and it was midnight. It was hard work, biking the hills. It was up and down, up and down. Bill made the comment, "Well I can run a 10K in 45 mins, but I did not take into the account that there would be so many hills!" HAHA, at this point I am just being a good sport!

So we finally get to the turn off to head towards the Museum. We go up the biggest hill yet, ugh it was hard and a steady incline, and we get to the top, he checks his GPS and it says we have gone too far! WHAT WE JUST CAME UP THAT HORRIBLE HILL AND WE HAVE GONE TOO FAR? At least the trip back to the point on the map is down hill. So we head back and there is a sign, we are at the point on the map, but no cannon.

Bill and I agree that the GPS is possible wrong and that we should follow the direction of the sign. BUT THAT MEANS BACK UP THAT HORRIBLE HILL, WHAT!!! So I treck back up the hill, ugh so, so tired. We have to go fartehr up the hill this time, steady incline, steay peddle, burning legs. Spin class did not prepare me for this!

So we finially reach the base of the cannon. There is yet another hil, a gravel road and the cannon is supposedly at the top. GREAT! So we walk up, the hill was much to steep to bike. We get to the top and we park our bikes at the base of a bunker built into the hill and walk up more stairs. Once we get to the top we see the cannon.

I have never seen anything so big! It looked like one of the giant walking cannons from Star Wars, only there were no legs, it just sat on a rotating platform.

We walked around it a little, takeing pictures in the dark and staring in amazement that they built such a huge cannon and it was never fired in war. It really was a great site. We then positioned the blanket on the gound to watch the sun rise over the city. I needed to sit and take a break before riding home.

So we sat and talked and drank some wine. It was beautiful on top of the hill. It was so quiet! It was very peacful. Finally I looked at my watch and thought we should get home and get to sleep.
The bike ride home was all down hill! We made great time because we coasted a good deal of the time! We made it home in 30 mins when it took us 1 hr 15 mins to get there.

We were about 2 blocks from the house and Bill decided to cross the street becasus of construction. As I began to cross I decided that the railing, and the lamp post and the wall were all to close for me to make the turn. And I made this decision in the middle of the street and just as the light changed for a car to turn. SO I hit the breaks. Only the back break did not really work, so I hit the front one as well, my bike stoped, but I did not. In the middle of the street, the bike kicked out from under me, the back wheel kick up about a foot off the ground. I managed to land on my feet and hook the bike in my arm to keep from face planting in the street.

Totally embarrased and pride hurt, I walked the bike out of the middle of the intersection and got back on to ride home. Bill was very concerned, he was glad that I did not totally eat a piece of concrete, but he knew he should be sweet. I am fine, I have 3 really good brusies from where the bike hit me, one on my left thigh, my right knee and my right for arm. It could have ended much worse. :)

Once we got home we cleaned up and went to be at 2am! I had to be up and ready to get out of the house at 8am. Nothing like a quick 5 hr nap. In the morning we were headed to the island. The next morning Bill made the shocking statement, "Wow Megan, I am proud of you, you did great on the 12 mile bike ride!" WHAT!? I RODE 12 MILES LASTNIGHT! UGH, NO WONDER I WAS TIRED! But it was a great birthday and I am glad that we took that little trip!