Turning 30 is kinda a big deal I’m told.  Yet this birthday is more than just ushering in a new decade of life, but bringing with it an entirely new season for me.  I’m a few months into life in a new country and continent, as well as a few months away from welcoming my first child into this world.  This birthday symbolized a lot for me, so we put some birthday money into a two night getaway and safari adventure!

We haven’t bought a car yet, so our friends loaned us their sedan to get us up to our destination.  A little over half way into our 3 hours drive, the car began to lose power and I noticed the temperature gauge was nearly maxed out.  We pulled over and popped the hood to see what the trouble was.  Our first major drive in Uganda and we already had a breakdown.  Our fears of being stranded were calmed once we realized the car was just a bit thirsty as the radiator had almost no water.  We filled it with our water bottles, let the engine cool, and got back on the road.  It ran fine after that.

We stayed at a small loge with few huts on the shore of Lake George.  It was a beautiful location and only 30 minutes from the park.

We woke up early on my birthday to see a hippo chomping on our grass right outside our hut!  Our guide drove us through the park with beautiful morning light and over the next few hours we saw wild lions, elephants, warthogs, and tons of different antelope and birds.  It’s hard to describe how amazing it is to see these animals in their wild natural habitat.

We had an amazing time, and I will forever remember my 30th birthday!