Birfday Surprise

Anyone who says they don't like surprises is lying. There is something about unexpected acts of kindness and love that make a girl happy. Who doesn't love the fact that someone took time out of their day to make you smile?

Well, my 23rd birthday was recently, ( I know, I'm SO old) and the night before, I came home to an exciting surprise waiting for me.

A scavenger hunt!!!

Once the brief moment of panic for fear that someone had broken into my house had subsided, I was nothing but smiles!

And it led to the ultimate yummy surprise!

OVER 50 CUPCAKES!!

(I think my coworkers may love Caroline more than me.)

Did I mention she also did my dishes!?!

Thank you Caroline (and Joseph)! I love you!

Caroline, the brains behind the surprise blogged about her experience here. I had full intentions of blogging before she did, mostly because she asked me to, but I failed. Miserably.

Side note: Don't forget to clean up ALL clues before cooking. This afternoon, I slightly toasted a clue inside my oven.

Cloud Nine

A few months ago I decided it was time to upgrade my sleeping quarters. I've slept on many mattresses throughout my life so far (twin, full, dorm room, park bench) and I think I'm ready to settle down and commit to a grown-up bed. It's been a few weeks in the making, but I am now sleeping in luxury, and it wasn't even that pricey!

Step one: buy mattress. Probably the easiest step physically but the roughest mentally. I HATE spending money. Thanks Mom. I just heave to remember that we spend an average of 1/3 of our lives asleep so a bed should be a strong investment.

Step two: Find bed plans. I found my plans here Now, I can't say I recommend these plans. They're pretty, but full of errors, LOTS of errors.

• shopping list is missing items
• 4.5 inch screws are not sold a large lumber stores like Lowes or Home Depot. In fact, I'm not sure they exist at all.
• The dimensions of a queen size bed are 60'' by 80''. The plans are to make a bed that is 58'' by 80''.
• There are no instructions on how to fasten the headboard and foot board to the bed frame.

Step three: Build Bed. I would have quit about 10 minutes in once I found all the mistakes with the plans, but I had the positive encouragement from my sister-in-law and the helpful problem solving skills of Caroline and my brother Stephen.



It took a day and a half to construct. Rain hindered the plans a little, but it was also a good excuse to take a break before I went crazy.

Step four: Transport bed to my apartment. I don't have much to say about this except that it went off without a hitch! Stephen rented a truck from Lowes to transport some building materials for a new floor, and I got to bring my bed back to my place!

Yes, it was frustrating. Sometimes beyond words....BUT, it was totally worth it for a snazzy bed like this:

Paint to come in the future.

I LOVE my new bed, and I'm so HAPPY!
Thanks to my lovely siblings for their hard work and free food!