Mystery Birthday Surprise!

As many of you know from personal experience, I have a very creative and imaginative husband.  It works out pretty well since I'm the logical, analytical one.  He thinks it up, I make it practical.  It's pretty great.  So when given the opportunity to have me guess what he was doing for my birthday in November, he went all out.  It started with me thinking I already knew what he was going to do (I was wrong... GASP!  WHAT?!) and led into an adventurous scavenger hunt/puzzle/mystery game.  Enjoy!!!

My mission began with a mysterious manila envelope:

Who could it be from?!?!

Inside the envelope was a piece of paper with instructions and items on it:

I made this game so that you can solve the Mystery Birthday Trip.  You can get as many clues as you want but for every clue you must draw a 'Chance Card'.  The 'Chance Card' may be something for you or something for your husband or both.  Good Luck!!!! (love the mystery font)

10 items listed on the back of the card

Since it was getting late, he told me to do this one first:

And let me tell you.... I screamed when I found it.... in an "I'm scared" way, not an excited way.  You'll see why:

All I saw was eyes at first

Quite the sight (good thing Adnan wasn't there, he would've fainted)

Once I got the fabulous creature down I found THIS inside!

Looks like something's written on it!

Off to collect more items!!

SO, after looking through HALF my shoes I got a little tired and was introduced to the CHANCE CARD BAG:

If I get stuck I can get a hint BUT I have to draw a Chance Card task.  It might be something for me or it might be something for the husband.  Here's my first one:

I'm lucky!!  New clothes for me when I present this card!  :)

My hint is "I'm all the colors and I'm none of the colors"...  WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?!  Wait, the absence of color is black and the combination of colors is white (depending on whether it's subtractive mixing or additive mixing) so that means the shoes are black & white?!

It took me a long time to find this one.  It was actually taped to the inside of the tongue with the color side covered so it  blended in with the white of the shoe. Sneaky devil.

NEXT!

Seriously?  TO THE CHANCE CARD BAG!

This is definitely working out in my favor  :)

My hint is "The color red, watered down".
Good thing I don't have a lot of pink shirts <--sarcasm

Had to turn the shirt inside out BUT I FOUND IT!!!

Yay!  An easy one!!

Nice!  Under the first one I checked!

Another easy one!  I only have like 5 or 6 lamps.  :)

Luck is my lady tonight... another "first one I checked"!

..............HA HA HA HA!  Chance Card Bag.

Finally one for the Husband.  So apparently this means he gets sole control of our listening selection.  :/
I can deal with that.

My hint is "I'm brown".  What?  "I'm brown"?  Really?  Ok.  So after looking through 4 of my many purses that could be considered brown I ask, "You're not color blind right? Like, you wouldn't label 'cream' as 'brown' would you?"  Husband says no.  But he give me a free hint "Look in the mirror" which confirms to me that he actually IS color blind because my gray purse is by my mirror.  :)

It's not brown. It's gray. Just take my word for it.

Onward!!

We might have a FEW games in our collection between the xbox, ps3, gamecube, pc, wii, super nintendo, and nes sooooo I'm going straight for the draw.

Appropriate?

My hint:  "She solves clues, just like you!"  OH OH I KNOW!  My answer: "...and her name is Nancy Drew!!"

Thankfully I let my bestest borrow all of my Nancy Drew games and I only have one at my house.  :)

Yeaaaaah, CHANCE CARD!

Ha ha

HINT: "KA-CHOW!!!!"

Cars of course!  :)

We have but one desk.

Last one!

o.O

WOOT!!  So even if we've had La Fiesta 5 nights in a row!  That's right.  ;)
(located in West Point on Hwy 45alt)

Hint: "I'm in a skirt"  It's a miracle I got this one on the first try.  :)

That's it!!  That's all the pieces!

Now to... ASSEMBLE!

SPELL ME
8665269
????????????

TO THE CELL PHONE!  It spells "toolbox"!!

TO THE TOOLBOX!!

What's this?  A diploma?!

My first response: "You spelled bored wrong... and expose"
Husband: "Diiiid IIIII???"  He knows me too well.

Hmmm, Board, Wall, Calendar?, Expo?.... Ah HA!

Please ignore that my calendar still says February.

But I see nothing!  Wait, maybe it's behind it!  GASP!

So here is the last and final clue.
It's not on a shirt and it's not in a shoe.
If you need a hint, draw from "Chance Cards 2"
But be forewarned there is nothing in it for you.
It's all for your awesome handsome husband Drew.

The back:

Some of these were a little on the difficult (and weird) side so....

What's this?!?!?!  A SECOND Chance Card Bag?!  Stop the madness!!

All in this bag is for the husband... what trickery is this... I draw....

GASP!!  IT... CAN'T... BE...  What is this feeling?!  I... my vision is blurry.... cough cough.....
Well played, Mr. Lowrimore.  Well played.

I had to draw a few times from the Chance Card 2 bag.  There were a couple "Take a Vacation" cards, a "Going Fishing" card, a "Romantic getaway" card and so on.

AND FINALLY the Mystery Birthday Trip is REVEALED!!

SO EXCITED!  We're going to visit my friends Julie & John for my birthday!  And we're doing this:
http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/  (Dolphins!  EEE!!)

AND THIS:
http://www.medievaltimes.com/atlanta/abouttheshow.aspx

AND most wonderfully THIS:



I'M SO EXCITED!  :)

Have You So Quickly Forgotten?

"And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."

1 Corinthians 6:11

Don't dwell on your past, but don't forget it either lest you find yourself with the mind of a pharisee... thanking God you're "not like them".

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Luke 18:10-14

Now I'm not of the "you're okay, I'm okay, we're all going to Heaven no matter what, rainbows and butterflies" movement, so please don't misunderstand me.  But I'm also not for bashing someone who has obviously fallen as humans do.  Yes, you should stand for what is right and not condone sinful acts.  But that does not mean you should shun the one who has fallen.  Is cutting them out of your life the answer?  Of course not, now is the time they need you the most.  Isn't that what we are called to?  To be a light to them?  A help?  A shining portrayal of the love of Jesus?  Isn't what they need most your prayers and love?  Not gossip sessions that are weakly labeled as "prayer requests".  I don't mean to be harsh, but please... be the Christian that God so desires and knows you can be.  That person is in your life for a reason.  And their sin is no greater than yours.  Your unrepentant lie will keep you out of Heaven just the same as their unrepentant murder.  Both actions need repentance.

In conclusion, Murderer, don't hate the person telling you what you did was wrong and that there is a God who can wash it away.  They love you, otherwise they wouldn't take the time or have the desire to help you.  And Liar, don't so quickly forget your own past that you start handing out sentences... (as in John 8:1-11) if but for the Grace of God you could very possibly be in a worse situation than the person you turn your nose up at in disgust.  Be a light not a snuffer.  I guarantee your current actions will not bring them any closer to God.  And bringing them closer to God is the whole goal, is it not?

Lingefelt Family Reunion 2012

(if you weren't there you will not get most of my seemingly random references)

 That’s right.  It’s Family Reunion time.  A time for stuffing your face with more food than Raaandy, Raaandy, Raaandy can hold.  A time for swimming until your redder than a 1^st place red velvet cupcake.  A time for dancing until your aunts start “rollin’ down the river”.  A time for bed sack.  Let us begin.

We lost some on the first day.  It’s a tough crowd to hang with.

(that's a tootsie pop)

Had time for a little shopping.

We had a late birthday celebration while we were all together!  And I actually got pictures of my Aunt Betty smiling instead of talking!  LOVE YOU MOM BEA!  :)

Aunt Betty and her big brother, Uncle Man

Beautiful cake from Ambrosia "Hapy 70th Birthday, Betty"

The Lingefelt siblings (6 out of 13 anyway) left to right:  My mom, Aunt Shirley, Aunt Liz, Uncle Man, Aunt Betty, Aunt Normie

Poo and Mom Bea

And off to the pool!!

I was out of it.  Putt Putt in the 90°s is intense.

No caption needed

Sunday was the actual Family Reunion day.  The cake was amazing.  This one was also from Ambrosia.

Top row left to right: Aunt Betty, Uncle Man, Aunt Shirley (hiding), Aunt Louise, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Doodle (being held). Bottom row: Uncle James, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Mary (face turned away), Aunt Barbara, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Liz (squinting), Aunt Normie (crying), Mom (Grandma's belly :) )

And bring on the desserts!!

Tonya's Cupcakes:  Lemon with lemon curd filling and a lemon drop on top, Strawberry with a brownie bottom, Red Velvet, Peanut butter with homemade peanut butter icing and a Reese's cup on top, and Chocolate with Kit Kat pieces and a Rolo on top.

The Bake Off entries!!

Strawberry Cheesecake

I can't remember what this was called but it was really good!!

Brownies and Strawberry cake with cream cheese icing

Chocolate Cake

Cupcakes

This was more than a chocolate cake but I can't remember what all was in it.  I went into a sugar coma somewhere around here.

Strawberry Pie

Dirt Cake!!!  How awesome is that presentation?!  :)

Love the icing!  Lol!  White chocolate cheese cake with white chocolate curls and white chocolate covered strawberries!

The judges had their work cut out for them.  (sorry I didn't get pictures of two of the desserts seen on this table.  One was coconut and another looked like a strawberry topped something)

And the winners ARE.......

1st place Tonya's Cupcakes!  2nd place Cathy's Dirt Cake!

All the contestants (minus one)

It was a wonderful time and can't wait for next year!!
Now for shots of Batman performing everyday activities:

Batman.

Batman smiling.

Batman drinking coffee.

Batman being creepy.

Batman being nosey.

Batman breaking his one rule.

Batman eating strawberry cake with a cream cheese filling on his favorite princess plate.

Batman being bed sack.