Beer – Bless Your Heart

Saturday was Birthday Day!!!

We woke up fairly early and had a light breakfast then got ready to go to town. 9 people and 1 shower means that takes a loooong time! We went to Hob Nob Farm Cafe for lunch. Hob Nob is SO good. I had a crab cake and brie panini with plantains on the side. Yum. We had a yummy sangria too. I wish I’d taken pictures at lunch!

After lunch we stopped by the kayak store so Papa could look at kayaks. Then we headed over to Appalachian Mountain Brewery. They weren’t open yet but they kindly let us in early. While we were waiting CSP & Marc went to Walmart to buy more BBs- 2200 of them! Once the brewery opened we played giant Jenga and all the beer drinkers (not me) had one of their artisan beers. It was such a gorgeous day and they have this big covered patio. It was really nice.

We went home and hung out on the porch some more. People watching, knitting, reading, and BB gunning. For dinner Marc made pizzas for everyone. For dessert since I’m not a fan of cake, Marc’s mom made me this gorgeous fruit pizza! It was amazing! They sang happy birthday and I blew out my candles then burst into tears. I was just so overwhelmed by all that everyone was doing for me, to make me feel special on my day. My heart just couldn’t hold it all in! Even typing this now makes me tear up. Maybe turning 40 makes you sappy! Then it was time for presents. I got totally spoiled by my family. Turning 40 is apparently a big deal. Next it was game time! We played a rousing game of Cranium and laughed and laughed! I love that game so much and it’s even more fun when it’s with your family!

We tired ourselves out and went to bed. What a great day!

After CSP’s wild ride on the AquaDuck we changed clothes back in our stateroom. Snapped a quick pic of our view of Castaway Cay from our verandah. Such gorgeous water!

We went to O’Gills pub on deck 4. CSP had a ticket for a beer tasting. I do not enjoy beer so tasting 5 of them does not sound like fun for me. So I was just there as the photographer. I was surprised at how many people were there considering we were still docked at Castaway Cay. O’Gills is a very cool Irish pub. I loved the little area where we sat for the tasting. The bartender told us all about the history of beer as well as interesting facts about each beer they tasted. Their beers went from light to dark. Five 10 ounce beers for $15 is a great deal! Plus you learn stuff. Well, if you can remember it after drinking 5 beers in an hour! He had Stella Artois, Sam Adams, Boddington’s Cream, Newcastle Brown, and Guiness. We really liked the peanut dispenser dishes they had in the pub. No grubby fingers digging around for nuts. It’s a French company who makes it though- Revol. I’m on a mission to find these in the States. So far I’ve only found a UK site that sells them for a reasonable price.

After the beer tasting we went back to the room and….sob…packed.

Then it was time for our last dinner of the cruise. Back in the Enchanted Garden. By now our sunburns had really set in! Check out CSP’s red face! And my pitiful farmer’s burn! Thank goodness I use good makeup so I could tone down my red lobstah forehead!

For his appetizers CSP chose the Trio of Salmon, and the sesame encrusted tuna. I had a potato and goat cheese Napoleon. We both chose Potato Leek soup but CSP also had the lobster bisque. I think he was taking advantage of being able to order a million things for dinner one last time! I had a cranberry salad. Yum!

For our entrees CSP chose the Beef Wellington. I chose the seafood linguini. I can’t shells in my food so CSP had Beef Wellington and clams plus asparagus! lol

CSP picked the dessert trio- Celebration Cake, chocolate decadence, and a cappuccino mousse tartlet and I had the Celebration cake.

After dinner we went back to our room and found our last (sob) towel animal of the cruise. A stingray! CSP surprised me by bringing out the towel monkey! He had been saving him in the closet.

If you’re wondering how I remember the names of all our dishes and all the details of our trip (especially after the Mixology class and wine in my cabin) I take notes. I went to the Dollar Store and bought a multi pack of these tiny notebooks. I slipped one in my wristlet (one just like this one) with a pen and at every meal I would just jot down what we ordered. I would take a few minuted throughout the day to write down things we did and saw. My friend Lisa has a mind like a steel trap and can write up a trip blog 6 months later without missing a detail! Me- I need help! Hence the notebook.