It’s hard to believe, but I just turned 50.

I mean, I don’t feel 50. Whatever that means. I still feel like I did in college. OK, so maybe with a few more aches and pains, but hey, I’m still upright, so that’s saying something, right?

Anyway, before I hit this magical number, I decided that it was a pretty big milestone so I thought it should be celebrated with gusto. Turning half a century is nothing to sneeze at.

But I really didn’t want my husband or kids to feel like they had to throw a grandiose party that included gifts-a-plenty of over-the-hill memorabilia, so I thought about what I REALLY wanted to do. After all, it was MY day.

Girls just wanna have fun

After much thought and consideration, I decided I wanted to take a trip with a bunch of girlfriends to a faraway land to eat, drink, be merry and just “chill.” No kids, no husbands, no laundry, just a whole lot of girl power.

After discussions with my sister, I ended up choosing Charleston, SC and it turned out to be a very wise decision. Accompanied by her and three great friends, we rented a condo on Folly Beach right outside of Charleston and ate, drank, and shopped our way through that city like you might expect a bunch of middle-aged women would do.

Three-Hour Tour Goes Terribly Wrong

To avoid rolling home to our spouses after consuming hearty and delicious low country fare and libations, we managed to do some exercising, too. We walked the beach and the streets, but our biggest adventure was kayaking.

However, what was supposed to be a “3-hour tour” of the waters and wildlife in the area, turned out to be a 1.5 hour paddle for your life excursion through a drenching rain complete with ear-splitting thunder and blinding lightning.

The good news … we survived to talk about it, and my goal of having a 50th birthday celebration full of fun, laughter, and memorable experiences was accomplished.

60! Bring it on!

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