It really is the thought that counts

A package arrived with specific instructions plastered on the front not to open until Saturday morning.  If there is any willpower I possess, it is the willpower not to open a gift until the actual day of my birthday.

I have pretty great friends.  (I should write about them more.  I don't think I ever did post the blog I wrote about the road trip cds they made me when I moved to Oregon, but if I had, you would know just how great truly they are!)  Take Katie for example.  She says to me the other day, "I'm the best at buying useless things for presents, but I know you don't want useless things, so..."  And she's right.  I don't want to consume anymore useless stuff.  Being the sweet friend that she is, she thought up really cute ideas instead, and even got her rhyme on.  I loved it!

First, she sent me to the Flavour Spot for waffles.  She was on the phone with me when I pulled up and my reaction was something like this, "Uh, Katie?  This isn't a restaurant.  It's like one of those drive-thru coffee huts, except you can't drive through...  I love this city!"  I told the guy at the counter why I was there and that I had specific instructions about coming here for waffles.  He was baffled that someone in Phoenix who had never been to the Flavour Spot found it and got me there.  "Freakin' Internet!" was his reaction.  And then he gave me free orange juice because it was my birthday!

While I was enjoying my breakfast I had a weird little phone conversation with some guy who said he was at my apartment with a delivery.  So, I returned home to find him waiting with this:

Aileen totally surprised me with this awesome fruit arrangement!  It was completely as yummy as it looks, too.  After the special delivery, I was headed out on my next set of instructions: Cupcake Jones.  They were so excited when I walked in and asked about an order for Katie.  They said they had been talking about me all morning!  They were so cute.

And I was pretty shocked at how fabulous these cupcakes were.  I had the Downtown Cupcake Brown on another occasion or two, so I knew I LOVED the chocolate.  In fact, I loved it so much, I never would have tried anything else.  Good thing I have friends to help me branch out!  The Pearl (vanilla) was absolutely phenomenal!  I text Katie and said I was no longer a racist cupcaker.  I have her to thank.  The Rootbeer Float was super good, too, and tasted exactly like a rootbeer float!

After all the running around PDX (hi, katie!) I drove down to Salem to have lunch with Sheila.  We had some yummy Mexican food and good conversation.  Then I headed over the Davis's to chill for a bit.  The kids picked these flowers for me.  Aren't they so sweet?!

To end the day I spent it baking in my cute itty-bitty kitchen while blasting Stampead.  I got a great voicemail from Andrea during all of this.  I can't understand what she's saying, but I can hear "Commotion" clear as day playing in the background!  I love that band.

A totally wonderful birthday, thanks to my generous friends.  I really can't say enough about how nice it was to get texts, calls and surprises throughout the day.

And I'm trying not to think about what it means that food was the theme everyone thought of when it came to me.  If only I had willpower for that!