keeping secrets from husbands and other tales of epic failures

i'm a bad liar.

ok, that's not entirely true.

once, during my first year of college, i convinced some guys who lived in my apartment building that i had a twin sister. see, there was this incident in the parking lot where i almost backed into their car and of course i was thoroughly embarrassed. probably because of the shortness of the shorts i was wearing (i had just come from the gym) the guys were quick to forgive me and invite me to hang out sometime. they walked to their apartment on the first floor and i took the elevator up to the third, mortified, thinking, phew, close one!

then a few weeks later, i ran into (not literally) the guys again.
"oh hey! it's that girl who almost hit us!" they said. "hey!"
i pretended not to recognize them. "sorry? have we met?"
"uh, don't you remember that time you almost hit us in the parking lot?" they looked confused.
i twisted my face into an expression of recognition. "ohhhh! my sister told me about you! yeah, she was so embarrassed!"

and so began the tale of my twin sister, the terrible driver. they ate it up. and the rest of the semester, whenever i saw the group of guys, i alternated between the twins' identities.

so yeah, i can tell a tall tale, but for the most part, i'm a bad liar, especially with travis. he just knows me too well for me to get away with anything. so when it came to planning his surprise party, i vowed to be a blank wall. he would never know what hit him. turns out he knew i had been acting funny from the moment i started planning. travis's dad helped me distract him and get him out of the house, and i literally texted him "we should be actors! we are amazing!" then later travis told me that he had been on to us the entire time. oh well.

i had a lot of fun planning, decorating, and hosting his party. here are a few pictures, pretty terrible pictures, but hey i was busy being a hostess right?

i promise they were having fun. that's just how travis's dad smiles. 

 soup bar, my dad's famous clam chowder and julie's broccoli cheese. 

my parents and brother zane

newly married derrick and grandma jackson

the luscious cake i whipped up. 

all lit up

blowing out his candles 

the decor. along with the rest of the pinterest world, 

i am obsessed with making banners. 

here is the recipe for the whip cream frosting:

cream cheese 

powdered sugar

vanilla extract 

heavy whipping cream

add the first three ingredients together and mix until moistened

then while the mixer is running, slowly add the cream 

mix until thick and fluffy

 also, i added some raspberry jam to the filling for tartness. 

it was fun to throw a party in our new house, even if the birthday boy wasn't surprised. i'll keep working on my deceptive abilities for next year's party. 

xo