Nineteen!

Monday was my birthday, and I must say, it was probably the best I've had. Our family makes a big deal of birthdays, and I love that we do. Your birthday is your day, and you don't have to do anything that you don't want to do. Mom buys sugary cereal, you open presents at your leisure, and you spend the day doing what makes you happy. It's pretty nice.

So, what exactly makes a birthday the best ever?

1. An Adventure at Sam's Club

My birthday cereal is always Marshmallow Mateys. (the off brand of Lucky Charms.) They are delicious, but only when the Matey to Marshmallow ratio is satisfactory. This year, one of the three bags of cereal in the jumbo pack was 2/3 full of straight cereal Mateys with no compressed, colorful, sugary marshmallows. Mom and I decided that this was not okay for birthday cereal, so we went back to Sam's, laughing at what the customer service desk workers were going to think when we explained why we were bringing back a partially eaten box of Marshmallow Mateys.

We were fully refunded, and the employees held their mocking while we described our Matey to Marshmallow ratio discrepancies. This time, however, we were going to make sure our Marshmallow needs were met. This resulted in my slitting open jumbo packs of off brand cereal with my car key and examining the contents.

The second box met our birthday cereal requirements.

We liked the look of our groceries on the conveyor belt.

And what would be a birthday without a fountain drink? And Sam's Club has Coke Zero in their dispensers, which makes them superior to any gas station.

2. A Matching Outfit

I wore my poppy maxi dress, an early birthday present from Uncle Fred, matched with my new favorite chunky poppy beaded necklace, and the night before, I painted my fingernails with my new "Perfectly Poppy" Ulta nail polish. I love coordination. The universe was on my side, too, because the Red Box booth went right along with the poppy plan.


3. A Delicious and Adorable Cake

While she was here, Aunt Linda got me the Wilton giant cupcake pan, so Mom and Grandma and I tested it out for my birthday cake. We used the recipe that came with the pan, because it was more dense, and we figured it would hold up better than our lighter recipes. As it turns out, the cake was delicious, and after a scare when we thought the top was going to slide off the bottom, it ended up holding together! Mmmm. I really want a piece right now. I'm really excited to continue experimenting with the pan. Thank you, Linda!


4. The Best Family Ever!


The best part of the day was dinner. Mom made flank steak, salad, brown rice, and angel biscuits, and it was soooo good. There's nothing like being surrounded by people who love you to make a day awesome. I went to bed that night, officially nineteen and feeling so loved and happy. Thank you to everyone who helped kick off my nineteenth year so wonderfully!