My Birthday!

So between yesterday and today, I've unwrapped most of my presents (I believe). So, for everyone who's been dying of curiosity--along with me--on what is hidden in all those packages sitting in the living room, here are a few pictures:

Alissa's gift to me:

Yes, I collect Nancy Drew!

Dad's gift to me:

now I can hear my favorite music the loudest possible!

Becky's gift to me:
The best Bollywood-English movie ever!
Perhaps the best movie ever?!

Marie-Louise's gift to me:

Including two cards that equal 26!

Birthday Surprise

So last night before church, Deb asked me if I wanted to get up this morning and join her for a little time at Tim Horton's after she dropped off the girls at school. It sounded good, and I knew she was planning to leave about noon with her friends to go to a conference she's doing in OH, so I said sure. I'd get up for a cute date-breakfast like that.

So, this morning I got up, threw something on and went with her to drop of the girls at school. Then we hit Walmart. I noticed the little gift-bag she had with her in the van and thought maybe she was thinking of having a little private birthday party for me since she wasn't going to be around tomorrow. But when we left Walmart and started driving towards Tim Horton's she detoured and went to Perkins instead, insisting she'd changed her mind. We met her mom, Grandma Ada, in the parking lot and I still figured we might be having a little private get-together, breakfast date as we've had various and random times before. Yet when we walked in, Deb kept walking and we walked right to a table were Ange, my Dad, and his new wife Merrilee were waiting!

It had two birthday balloons floating above the center of the table, making it seem all festive and ready and well prepared. After we sat down, Grandma & Grandpa Davis came and joined us. It was a lot bigger of an event then I thought, and a surprise to me!

Happy Birthday, self!

JOIN IN: Alissa's birthday game

When we were younger and all lived together, my sisters and I used to have fun with the presents we wrapped for each other's birthdays. We'd stuff them with crumpled tissues, or add cardboard to make them an odd shape, and then make them guess what it was. Or we would over-use the tape and see how long it took for them to get into it. So, since I can't see my sister's reactions, or how hard it might be to get into a gift, or whatever, I've decided to invent a new game. We'll see how well it goes, but it'll work long distance! Plus, anyone who wants to can join in by posting comments/guesses! After the birthday, I'll then post a full picture of the object with the part circled, too, so you'll know how on or off your guesses are!

So, for Alissa's birthday: each picture below is close-up/odd-angles/etc of completely different items from the other pictures (except the last picture, which is of two items side-by-side)

GUESS WHAT THESE 21 ITEMS ARE and/or FROM:

(Sadly, my camera doesn't get up as close as I would like for this, so it was a combo of super-macro and cropping; hopefully everything will come out clear enough & large enough, yet not to obvious what the items are, at the same time. I guess we're about to find out how good a photographer/cropper I am, eh?)

Also, as it would happen, there are two items that are too small to figure out how to get extra-super-close-up and hide what they are, so I'll post them here as best I can (though I think they are really obvious); take a guess!

Alissa, I really hope you'll take a wild guess now before your birthday, but I'm really looking forward to when you unwrap the gifts and then have fun sitting at a computer trying to see what lines up from your gifts. I hope you have a wonderful time doing it! And don't forget, you have to tell me about it! Half the fun will be retelling it! And don't worry, you don't have to try and match it up on your own; you can get Mom or our cousins or anyone else in the fun too! Love ya! And hope ya have a wonderful birthday! 12 days and counting!

Everyone else, it might be a bit trickier for y'all, simply because y'all don't know what Alissa even put on her birthday/Christmas list or what I might have randomly picked up for her just under the knowledge of what she would like. But don't let that hinder you! Have fun with it, anyway! Take a wild guess, if all else fails!

Packages

So we did a quick run to Walmart & Joann's and on the way, we stopped by the post office. My package, which my sister had e-mailed me about, was finally here! So as we were driving to Walmart, I'm sitting there struggling with the package; someone is taking after Aunt Theresa with the tape! I could not rip the tape off, or cut it; some places it was about three stripes of masking tape thick, and without scissors, in the end I just had to find the ends and keep unraveling! I was going to send an e-mail out when I got home and rag about the use of tape, when it suddenly occurred to me that the same e-mail letting me know my gift was in the mail had also stated that I wasn't supposed to open it till my birthday. But by then the tape was half-hanging of the package, who can leave something half-way?! So between Walmart and Joann's I finished opening it, deciding I was going to still rag my sister about the tape and joke that I didn't really know what I was talking about since I was still sitting here looking at a brown package-box. Sadly, when I opened the package, I found the gift inside wrapped in lime green wrapping paper, rolled in bubble-wrap. So while I'm not sitting here staring at a brown package, I am sitting here staring at a lime-green present and trying to decide if I should open it and just not tell till my birthday? Or maybe, at the least, I could sneak a peak at the card?

8 DAYS AND COUNTING till my birthday. We shall see how long the package and/or card makes it!

Love ya, girls!

<>< HJ