My birthday wish this year was to take Ellie to see the beach for the first time. It was honestly the most amazing experience for all of us…to get to see her indescribably free – no leash, wide open spaces to run as fast as she could, gallons of ocean to swim in. She was wide-eyed, freaked out, full of joy and pure abandon. It truly brought me to tears to see Ellie the happiest I’ve ever seen her in all her 5 years. And the icing on the cake was that we took her to St. Simons and stayed in the same place my family has been vacationing since I was a little kid. Best. Birthday. Ever.