Happy Fishday, Wheat!

This weekend, we celebrated one of the best days of the year. No, not the release of Magic Mike XXL. That's today, silly. The other best day of the year...

Sunday was Wheat's birthday and he wanted to spend it in Cincinnati with my family...because don't all guys want to spend their birthday with the in-laws? He's a dream, folks. A dream that deserves to be celebrated 365 days a year. That's my personal goal, anyway. Make Wheat feel special and loved every single day.

Thanks to a Fever game on Friday night, we had a very short weekend at home, but we definitely made the most of it. We slept in, enjoyed the culinary workings of my dad, played Scattergories, and spent time with my parents, my brother, and his girlfriend. Wheat finally got his eyes tested and picked out a couple pairs of glasses, we nabbed a couple bikes from my dad, and we ate embarrassing amounts of Oreo ice cream cake.

On his actual birthday, I took Wheat to the Newport Aquarium for some fish-gazing. It was pretty crowded, but we loved some of the unique exhibits. We saw two white alligators, Mighty Mike (at 14 feet and 800 pounds, he's the largest alligator outside of Florida), several shark rays, an otter, penguins, panther chameleons, and Thunder, a snapping turtle over 100 years old. We pet some sharks and turtles in the touch pool and enjoyed the overhead view in the Surrounded by Sharks exhibit.

Our favorite part, however, was the Shark Bridge, a 75-foot rope bridge that lets you walk inches above the open-air shark tank. I'm pretty terrified of sharks (and once bit my dad so hard on the Jaws ride at Universal Studios that he bled), so this was definitely more exhilaration than I'm used to on a Sunday afternoon. I loved looking down and seeing the hammerheads, shark rays, sting rays, and other sharks swim right below me. We may or may not have done the walk twice. Okay, we did.

After the aquarium, we walked around Newport for a bit, wandering in and out of shops and people-watching. The city is currently decorated for the All-Star Game that will be hosted by the Reds later this month, so I was a little trigger happy with my camera. Since we can't make it to the All-Star Game, Home Run Derby, or the FanFest, I will count this as checking out the festivities on my bucket list.

Eventually, we made our way across the bridge to check out the Cincinnati side and Smale Riverfront Park. I can't believe how much renovation has been done to the riverfront area in the last couple years. As a kid, I remember going to Reds and Bengals games and wondering why our downtown area was so much emptier than other cities, but that is no longer a problem. Between the bars and restaurants at the Banks, the riverfront park, and the other new additions between the two stadiums, the entire area has been revitalized - just in time for the national spotlight to be on the city. I used to make fun of the downtown area, but now I'm so unbelievably proud to call this my hometown.

Reds-themed mustache statues and signs have been strategically set up around town in preparation for the All-Star Game. The Scripps Center has been decorated to look like Mr. Redlegs (the mascot) with a pillbox hat and mustache. Aside from the adorable decorations, the park was filled with gorgeous flowers, a splash pad, very modern playgrounds, and even a carousel. You could easily spend an entire day lounging in the grass, watching the boats pass by on the Ohio River, and listening to the musicians play for spare change. On this beautiful afternoon, it was pretty freaking dreamy.

...and just like that, it was over. We ate dinner at home, watched True Detective, strapped our new bikes to the back of my car, and headed back to Indy. Fortunately, Wheat's birthday presents from me (dinner reservations and concert tickets) will span the entire month of July, so we'll be celebrating for weeks to come. Not that we needed much of an excuse...