According to the chalkboard at the resort, I must be celebrating my birthday everyday. However, today was my actual 30th birthday. It will definitely go down as one of the most memorable birthdays ever. As it should be right? I marked a new decade in my own style.

When we were planning this trip I was adament that I wanted to volunteer with Sustainable Harvest International on my birthday. Google them if you haven't already. They are an amazing organization that teaches farmers in Central America how to farm using sustainable farming practices. They offer Smaller World trips which are typically week long volunteering trips. They partner with our lodge, Cotton Tree in many ways. The Belize volunteers stay here, but SHI has also set up their demonstration organic garden on the Cotton Tree Lodge property. Its a great garden with an abundance of fruits and vegetables. They bring farmers here to teach them. The garden also provides much of the food for the lodge guests.

We woke up and had our normal breakfast. Eggs, ham, yogurt and the sort. I successfully got on Skype very early and was able to video call my parents and see Holden. He was very happy but a bit confused with the computer. I'm not sure if he was trying to eat the computer or see me, but it made me happy. He made all sorts of sounds for me. Josh was still in the room so he missed out. I took a few snapshots on Skype to show him how dapper our son looked in his polo shirt. We talked for a bit and then my parents had to get him ready for daycare.

We were told to be ready at 9 to be picked up. Right on time, Candido, with SHI showed up in the main lodge. He invited us to take a quick tour of the gardens with him to learn about their practices and how they set up the garden and work with CTL. He said that we would be helping with an organic garden at the local school today. This sounded really cool and we were excited. The tour was great. We learned about how they do natural "fertilizer" (lots of poop) and rotate their crops. A lot of the plants are outside the garden itself, too.

After the tour we jumped in the truck and headed into Punta Gorda to go the school. We pulled up to a very cute school. The Benedict RC (Roman Catholic) School. It is an elementary school. We were greeted by the principal, handed some tools and headed to the back to the gardens. While the SHI staff talked with the principal and teachers about what they wanted us to do that morning we watched as some other volunteers (not through SHI) played games with the kids. It was a special treat for the kids. The kids were adorable in their uniforms and running around playing.

A few minutes later we were shown our project. They wanted to till and prepare two new beds for the kids to plant. They were going to vote on what to plant. I think the options were cucumbers, onions or jalapenos. I'm pretty sure cucumbers won but I might be wrong. We got the beds done pretty quickly. Two of our guys plus two SHI guys. Becky and I were pros at using the machetes to cut up the clumps. The boys are obsessed with all the machetes down here. Seems like a dangerous obsession.

We were quite proud with how quickly we finished our project and were ready for our next assignment. About that time we were told the kids were coming over for their "garden session" with us. We weren't sure what we would be doing with them. Then we were told to grab some tools and follow the SHI staff. The theme of this day should be confusion. As we headed back to the truck the students lined up and in unison said, "Hi Mister. Hi Misses. Welcome to Benedict RC School." It was super cute.

We piled into the truck. Lots of bags in the back. What were these bags for? Candido (laughing) said we had to pick up the soil additive for the students. In the US pick up means go to the store. Not here in Belize. Yes, they literally had us PICK up the additive on my birthday.

The truck quickly came to a stop in the middle of a dirt road with nothing but lush jungle around us. Where were we were going. The other SHI guy grabbed a machete and told us to follow him. He started cutting away foilage and led us to a barbed wire fence. He apologized for the lack of a gate. What! They guys held the barbed wire apart and had us climb through it. Oh my word. I'm going to get arrested in Belize on my birthday.

The next part is why I will never forget this birthday. They had us spend 45 minutes climbing through tall grasses searching for cow poo and loading it into bags. I'm not kidding. The SHI thought this was hilarious. When I told them to put us to work I never imagined this is what they had in store. Candido's favorite phrase was "Rebecca! Poo! Poo here!" Then she would have to run and scoop it into his bag. I got lucky and was paired with Randy. We chose not to compete in the "which pair can scoop the most poo" game. We still got a lot though.

After we filled all our bags we piled the poop into the truck and delivered it back to the school. While we were gone one of the classes had chopped up the soil into small pieces. The SHI folks gave instructions to the teachers on adding the manure. They were big on not doing everything for the school, farmers, etc. Rather, they wanted to teach them how to do it themselves.

We were bummed we weren't given more to do. We told Candido we had blocked out the whole day for us so he said he would keep us busy. We headed over to a nearby restaurant for lunch. It was the restaurant where the SHI used to be located above. A guy from St. Lucia had moved to the area and opened a vegetarian and seafood restaurant. Apparently he is known all over for his cooking and is taken to other places around Central America to do teaching instruction. I must say it was probably the best meal we have had the whole trip. Some sort of spiced (almost like an Indian spice) shrimp. Rice wtih cabbage, onions, cilantro and carrots and vegetables. We all devoured it.

After lunch, Candido drove us around Punta Gorda and gave us our own personal tour. We saw where everything was. He even took us to the Fajina (pronounced liked fajita) Arts Center where the local Mayan women sell their arts. I picked up something for Nina's birthday and a little basket for my wedding rings at home. We tried to find these baskets we saw the folks using at the market but couldn't find them. We finally felt guilty for making Candido be our personal guide and headed back to the resort.

We got back around 3, got cleaned up a bit and then decided to take a kayak trip. No rest for us! We were smart and paddled upstram so we didn't get stuck. It was eerie how calm and quiet everything was. When we stopped paddling we could just hear the animals in the jungle. It was super cool. We went a good distance but didn't find any villages or anything. We must have gone the wrong direction for action. The sun was starting to set so we headed back to the resort. The cotton tree loomed over the jungle so we took some couples pictures with it in the background. Can't wait to see those on R&B's camera. Thank goodness for their camera.

The funniest part of the kayaking was that we decided to not wear our bathing suits but stay in our clothes. We weren't planning on swimming. What Becky and Josh didn't realize is that their kayaks had wholes in the bottom. Nice. They were both drenches as soon as they got in. Randy and I were quite wet too from the paddle splashing. One of the guys challenged us to a race back to the resort. Last one there had to go off the rope swing in their clothes. I think Randy lost because Josh and I tricked him into taking a photo of us downriver, but we all ended up in the river. We were already wet anyway. The other folks here I'm sure think we are nuts. Randy is still the only one who can successfully make a full swing. The rest of us drag through the water. I'm sure this will be Josh's mission for the rest of the week.

We were freezing by then and headed in for showers before dinner. I hurried to get back to the lodge to try and check my email before dinner. No service. Are you kidding me? I missed my skype call and was getting very frustrated. Of all days with no internet! Don't they know I'm waiting on an email. Josh messed with the phone that kept cutting out, calling cards, etc. and finally go through to my parents. We gave them my yahoo password and told them to keep checking. For some reason we could occasionally get emails on Josh's Outlook even when we couldn't log on to the internet. We told them to email it to him when it came through.

Dinner started and I was distracted. It was a so-so stew dinner. Josh ordered champagne. We all cheered my birthday. Josh gave me my present. While I was looking through it (a tour book a homemade trip brochure for London!) he disappeared. When he came back he whispered in my ear "It's a Girl." What? I asked him if he was joking and he said no. The internet popped on for just a second and he got the email from the agency. No other internet all night. Crazy. We were shocked and excited. Then the staff started signing happy birthday and brought a chocolate cake they had decorated for me with a candle burning. Everyone sang. It was all pretty amazing. The four of us capped the night off with a bonfire by the river and called it a night.

That's one different and amazing birthday!

Tuesday we all slept in a bit. The howler monkeys were up very late Monday night and must have taken a break this morning. By slept in I mean 7 (for us). I guess it's the daylight and all the animals but I can't, and don't want to, sleep in here. It feels like you are missing the day.

Our ride was to pick us up at 8:30 so we all agreed to meet for breakfast at 8. I did my usual routine of trying to check email but the router seemed to be down. It was pretty frustrating. I really wanted to know how H was doing and if our caseworker had written back. We shared one email about Wednesday. (She is going to email us the news as soon as she hears! Not as personal but at least we can keep the email. She offered to call but we felt guilty having them call us international).

Instead we sat down and ate breakfast as a group. Again it was pretty yummy. Scrabbled eggs with chees. Sausage links. French Toast. Fruit. Cereal. Orange Juice. Nice and filling. I'm glad we get fresh warm meals in the mornings rather than your typical continental cold breakfasts you get at Hampton Inn.

Tuesday was Becky's Birthday Celebration Day. To go along with the Survivor themed trip Josh and I gave her a "buff" aka a yellow bandana with Crosland "C's" all over it. We also gave her 6 tasks for the day. She could complete them whenever but it was her Birthday Assignment.

1. Tell 5 complete strangers it was her birthday. (She accomplished this by the time we got out of the van for the fishing trip)
2. Tell our boat captain about the pooping incident on our last fishing excursion in Costa Rica. (This was absolutely hysterical and I think Dan had to actually stop the boat for a second because he was laughing so hard.)
3. "Walk the Plank" after two beers. There is a 2 plank path back to the organic garden and the Jungle House. We joked that that would be mighty difficult with any alcohol in your system. (Note: Becky has NOT completed this task yet)
4. Take a ride on the rope swing. (She chickened out because it was getting dark when we returned and asked for an alternate task. I think we still owe her one.)
5. Get a total stranger to serenade her with Happy Birthday and playing the guitar. There is one in the lodge. (Again, she did not complete this. I'm not sure she is doing very well in this game.)
6. Kiss the first fish we catch. (Not only did she do this, but the first catch was hers.)

Hopefully, when we get back I can upload all the pictures.

8:30 came and no one was in the lodge to pick us up. They told us we could wait anywhere. In the lodge. At the entrance in the parking lot. Strange, but okay. A few minutes later we were told to go out front. A few bugbites later we were back in the lodge. Then we were told our ride was outside. Oh my. I was already exhausted. To get anywhere you have to walk through the jungle on these raised platforms.

The van picked us up and we were off to somewhere. Punta Gorda? We were off to Punta Gorda but this is the funniest trip. We kind of just get in vans and don't know where we are going. That is the really nice thing about staying here. Normally, I have to do so much planning. Here they have it so together.

Punta Gorda is actually a really cute town on the water. We dropped off at a little house on the water. The guys there asked us who we were going out with. Um, I don't know? The driver came to the rescue and we were walking to our fishing boat. Coolers were loaded and we were off.

Dan, our guide, is one of the coolest guides I've had on a trip. He spoke perfect English. Even though English is the official language here, I've found that most locals don't speak it perfectly. Probaby because some also speak Spanish or Creole. We found out that his wife is American/British and is an international Marine Biologist. They live here but she works all over the world. Very cool. Because of that Dan was very environmentally focused and I felt even more comfortable. He was also the Captain for Matt Lauer when The Today Show filmed down here a few years ago. Matt is very nice and down to earth for the record. Dan also helped film for a new BBC special and I think he said Discovery Channel (maybe a different one) special called 'Migration'. Watch for it. It seems like this guy does it all.

Let's just say it's a good thing we don't make our living fishing. We are awful. Becky caught a Jack that we threw back after a kiss. I think that is what it is. It makes Dan laugh so I don't think it is good to eat. She caught a beautiful Grouper. We found out they are protected here and he helps his wife track them for research. She also caught a Yellow-Tailed Snapper that was pretty but too little to eat. I caught a King Mackeral that got away by spitting the lure out at the last minute. Josh caught a King Mackeral shortly after. He was a pretty good size and we actually kept him for dinner. Randy's catching was interesting. Twice he caught the ground. Once Dan said it was obvious he had caught a fish and the fish dived under because the lure wouldn't go that low on its own. Another time he caught an enormous fish and it took our lure and lot of line. Dan again thought this was hysterical. The fourth time Randy caught a lizard fish. It was the weirdest thing ever. Darwinism at it's best was a good description.

After several hours of our horrible skills Dan asked if we wanted to eat our lunch (packed by the lodge) on a beach. Sure, that sounds good. So Dan takes us to this tiny island with a house on it. It was the ranger station where the rangers watch over the Port of Honduras (where we were). I guess Dan knows these guys because there were signs saying how you can't come on the island without an invitation. It's government land. This place was gorgeous. I felt like we were on Gilligan's Island or something. They had some picnic tables where we put out our spread. The cutest puppy ever. White sand beach. Crystal blue water. Palm trees. Definitely paradise.

By this time I really needed to go to the bathroom. I heard Dan aske the rangers if I could use their bathroom upstairs. Fifteen minutes later Dan came downstairs and invited me up. I went into the bathroom and noted how clean it was. Then I realized why. They had spent the last 15 minutes scrubbing and cleaning the bathroom for us. How cute is that? After we finished our lunch and taking pictures on the make-shift gym equipment around the island, the rangers invited us up to teach us about the Preserve. They had a cute little map and they talked about the rules and wildlife. Then they invited us up into the birdnest which took three ladder climbs. It was a 360 degree view that was awesome. I'm so glad Dan has the connections and took us there. I love the unplanned parts where we get to do the "off the beaten" path stuff.

We spent the afternoon with more bad luck fishing and then looking for manatees. Becky really wanted to see manatees for her birthday. No such look. We "saw" one in the main waters but only Dan saw the snout. Oh well, it was a great day on the water. We are amazed that we were all on the water for 7 hours and no one got seriously burned. We were lathering on 70 SPF the whole day.

We got back to the lodge around 5pm. Well, we asked our driver to take us somewhere to get wine. There are only 2 bottles at the lodge and they were very inflated prices. He took us to the Chinese grocery store (just like Raul had told us) where we grabbed a few bottles of white and Belikin Premiums (hadn't founnd them yet) for $1.50. Can't beat that. We dropped our wine off with the bartender and went to clean up before dinner.

We are a bit like vultures with food. The Happy Hour food is placed out at 6pm. We are usually waiting by 5:50. At 6:20 when no food had appeared Becky and I were scavaging at the bar for something to nibble on. Creamy salsa and chips soon appeared and we were human-like again.

Still no internet. I missed my Skype call home. Bummer. Hopefully they will call if anything is the matter.

Dinner was massive. We started with Green Squash soup. Delicious. The salad was a sour cream cucumber salad. Pretty good. Main course was stewed chicken with a honey mustard sauce, baked potato, vegetables and our mackeral! We had enough for all the guests to have a steak cut portion. I don't know what he did to our fish but it was wonderful. The seasoning was perfect. I could eat like a third of my main entree portions so Josh had to help. Everyone loved the fish and chicken. Dessert was my favorite! Upside down pineapple cake. The pineapple here is to die for.

We were going to have an after dinner round of Balderdash but one bottle of wine and we were all ready for bed. I think we were asleep by 9. Tomorrow is a big day so we need to be rested!

We seemed to all sleep pretty well. Josh and I woke up at 6:00 am to the howler monkeys. They were so loud. Once they had moved on the birds started. It was quite peaceful. We were so suprised with how cool it was at night. We were actually cold and had to get down the blanket to add onto us during the night. Suprising since its about 90 during the day. We laid in bed for a while just enjoying the sounds and then headed over to the main lodge for an early breakfast around 7.

Breakfast was pretty yummy. Eggs, bacon, muffins, biscuits, homemade jelly, fresh fruit, cereal and watermelon juice. Never had watermelon juice. Very different.

Talk about service. Last night around 9pm after dinner, we asked the folks at the lodge if we could go horseback riding in the morning. Sure enough, at 9:30 am they had four horses at the lodge for us. We thought they only had time for a an hour and a half ride. We got to the hourses at 9:30 and the guide, Jose, tells us that he wants to take us to Armando's (gardener) land. It's an hour and a half ride each way. We told him we had to be back by 12:30 to eat before our massages. He said we had plenty of time.

These horses were a little funny. My horse, Penelope, was pregnant. Very fitting. It didn't occur to me that pregnant meant wider and my legs would be put into a strange position. I sure know now. The horses were really well trained. My horse listened completely to my voice. Josh was a trooper since he's not a big horse person. It took us quite a while to get to Armando's land. We went through Santa Ana village which was very cool. The kids were out front for recess at the school playing soccer. They all waved and said hi. We saw a ton of farm animals and folks in the streets. Jose showed us a lot of trees and plants. The sun started getting hotter and we regretted having no water. By the time we got to Armando's land I thought I would die. Jose asked if we wanted to get down. I had no clue where we were going but said yes. He took us back to the river and then showed us this area full of stones where they Mayans buried their treasures. Then we headed over the river and got to the bar. Luckily Randy had money so he bought us each a Belikin. It was $10 US bought the bar had no change - in either US or BZ. What else could we do but buy four more beers. The boys drank theirs, Becky and I managed to ride with ours all the way home and hand them off to the kitchen staff. The ride back was brutal. We got the horses to run a lot because we had been gone so long. It was a very cool (not temperature wise though) trip.

We made it back right in time for lunch. Rice with shrimp and fruit. I was still hungry but oh well. Time for massages!

The masseuse arrived and we were all exhausted. Josh ended up going first while the three of us changed into our suits and headed to the river. Becky and I were horrible at the rope swing and ended up dragging our bodies through the water. Randy was like a little Tom Sawyer. Becky and I traded in our rope for the kayaks and headed around the bend a bit. Going with the current is definitely easier.

After Josh, I was up. The masseuse somehow turned Josh's one hour massage into an hour and a half. Oops. She was supposed to be here from 1:30 to 5:30 (1 hour each). It's just now after 7 and Randy just finishes. It was like no massage I've ever experienced. I'd say it was a cross between a trip to the chiropractor, masseuse and spiritual healer. She talked to me about studying with the elders and medicine men here in Belize. She also studied the Chinese ancient practices and her Native American traditions. Whatever it was it was pretty good. She told Josh he would have a lot of dreams tonight. Not sure why...

Josh and I were very excited to get the Skype to work with Mom and Dad before dinner. A little bit of a delay but it was a lot cheaper than paying for international phone. Very cool. And we could see them. Now we are just waiting for our 4 course meal. Josh keeps drinking girly fruity drinks. He's a bit obsessed. Dinner is ready. Talk to everyone tomorrow!