I love the 80s...it's all in the details!

Where, oh, where do I begin to explain how much preparation went into Brett's birthday party? Wait...that's not what I meant to say...where do I begin to explain how much FUN I had helping plan Brett's birthday party?!

It was such a freaking blast! Gen made all of these amazing plans and I am so honored that I got to help her execute it all...that's why they call me "the executor." Not the most flattering nickname, but whatever. It works.

Anyway, we had so much fun! We made tablecloths and photo booth backdrops by spray painting "gnarly," "rad" 80s words on drop cloths and then splattering paint all over the place. At one point in time, it looked like I had been splatter painted myself.

Richard Simmons!

Look at these awesome costumes! :)
The photo booth was a hit!!

We also made "Brett Says Relax" floppy disc coasters by gluing cork board to the back of rainbow colored floppy discs. By the way, do you know how expensive floppy discs are these days? I think they might be more expensive than they were when they originally came out. Shocker! But we found them for a pretty good price!

Next we decided some beautiful signs were necessary. We made a whole bunch of them...my favorite is the cocktail sign. :)

Pretty sure that Evan and I were the only ones who played this game...
but with all the couples (and the few singles) it might have been awkward
if more people had played...

Throw in some antique store finds and some super creativity on Gen's part (she did the poster collages all by herself!) and you've got some fun!

Then we come to the chalkboard signs. I found a bunch of metal platters at Goodwill and we covered them in chalkboard paint. Gen found these awesome chalk paint markers. Doesn't it look AWESOME?!

Note that there is only one thing on the scavenger hunt list...

Yes...that's an original Hulk Hogan doll!

Now we come to the part you've all been waiting for: The inside of the cake...

It's NEON TIE-DYE! How oh how did I do that? Simple, I divided the batter up into 4 parts and used neon food coloring to make it super vibrant. Then I poured in about 3/4 of a cup in each pan of alternating colors. That's it. That's all there is to it. :) Here are some additional pics of the cake taken by Rachel and Lauren. Thanks for remembering your cameras, ladies! I can't believe I forgot mine!!

The Rainbow Cake-nection

One of my favorite movies growing up was "The Muppets Take Manhattan" and my favorite song was "The Rainbow Connection." I can't explain why, but during one of the craziest, suckiest weeks of my life, this song kept playing in my head. This hard week just so happened to coincide with my birthday and that of a very dear friend of mine. Before any of the negative stuff happened, we had all planned to go up to the lake for the weekend and I had planned to make a cake to celebrate our joint birthdays.

I went back to my childhood and decided to go with the rainbow theme. All it took was a quick glance at google to find this amazing website: Whisk Kid. Not only are her baking and photography skills exquisite, but her writing is phenomenal. I find myself in awe of her. She is years younger than me and has already achieved my life goal of meeting Martha Stewart. She truly is amazing and I can only hope that I did her justice in recreating her cake, kind of.

Anyway, I used her techniques, but skipped some of the hard work that she put into it. I cheated a bit by using a box mix for the actual cake, but I did follow her directions for the yummy buttercream frosting. Check it out here. Delicious! This cake was perfect because, like me, it looks pristine and calm and average on the outside, but on the inside, it's a rainbow of complex emotions, experiences and events. The end result is actually quite stunning and I'm so happy it turned out the way it did.

On this tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, I find myself remembering the shock I felt that day. I remember feeling like I was so small and insignificant and that the world was crazy and falling apart in front of me. I felt that the world lost its innocence. Listening to this song, reading the lyrics...it brings me back to a time when I felt safe and secure and full of possibilities for the future. That's why I decided to publish this post today. The song speaks to the kid in me. The innocence. The hope. The tomorrows I can't wait to experience.

Rather than bore you with all of the details, I'm going to simply show you some pictures of my cake with the lyrics of "The Rainbow Connection." Enjoy!

Why are there so many songs about rainbows
And what's on the other side?
Rainbows are visions, but only illusions,
And rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it
I know they're wrong, wait and see.
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
The lovers, the dreamers and me.

Who said that every wish would be heard and answered
when wished on the morning star?
Somebody thought of that
and someone believed it,
and look what it's done so far.

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing?
And what do we think we might see?
Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.

All of us under its spell,
we know that it's probably magic....

Have you been half asleep
and have you heard voices?
I've heard them calling my name.
Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?
The voice might be one and the same.
I've heard it too many times to ignore it.It's something that I'm supposed to be.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection,
the lovers, the dreamers and me.
La, la la, La, la la la, La Laa, la la, La, La la laaaaaaa