Tuesday, February 22, 2011

vingt-et-un

sometimes plans go as planned.
sometimes they do not.
i find that there are some situations where plans going awry can be quite enjoyable.
i find that there are some situations where plans going awry can be anything but enjoyable.
stressful is usually a good word for all situations where plans go awry.

today we formed a plan.
it was allison's birthday and we had a plan that couldn't go wrong.
she had class after us (jamie, emily and i) and so we would pretend like we were off to see the louis Vuitton exhibition while she was in class. but really we wouldn't go to any exhibition and would actually just go decorate her room back in Boulogne. a little later we would text her and tell her that the 'museum was closed' and she should just meet jamie back at home. quality plan.

quality plan until her class got out way earlier than expected and she texted us saying she was done before we had even changed metro lines to head to their house. we then had to split up into a carrefour shopping team and a decoration team and practically sprint all around the town with two cell phones for three girls and one allison who could get home at any moment. stressful would be a good word to momentarily describe the situation. i managed to use my acting skills to get her to believe that emily and i were headed to le ves, but we wanted to go grocery shopping so we would meet her back at her house to go shopping with her. nothing like a little birthday grocery shopping... right? well she went for it, and she decided to walk home which was perfect because then we would have ample time to decorate/shop. less stressful would be a good word to describe the new progression of the situation. we definitely had ample time. i decorated while jamie and emily got in a little brawl with a sassy passport-demanding cashier at carrefour. stressful would be a very good word to describe that part of the whole situation.

jamie and emily made it out with all the birthday goods (candles, cheap french brand martinellis, chocolate, nutella, etc.) and came home to a completely decked out room and no allison in sight. we got everything arranged just in time to hear her unlocking the door. stress-free would be a good word to describe the situation right about then. despite the stress, the carrefour brawl and the lack of communication, she was completely surprised. it was perfect. and a prime of example of plans gone awry being nonetheless enjoyable.

their sweet host-madame invited emily and i to stay for dinner and it was a treat to get to eat with a new family. (in fact, it was the family that britt stayed with last semester, they were excited to hear that i know her very well!) the evening was full of surprises for us all, and it turned out to be quite the fete. and i even got to use those third grade cursive skills that i was told i would need for the rest of my life, which was definitely a lie.

why hello there classy cursive.
french streamers are fun!
sign me up for basket weaving or something.
a birthday door today
it wouldn't be bodine birthday decor without a little chair decoration
an almost gluten free cake
the birthday goods.
these girls fought for their carrefour purchases
the cute birthday girl in a very french party hat.
best of friends
it wouldn't be a twenty first birthday without a picture where we pretend to be a little tipsy.

happy birthday allison, my dear. i hope it was the best durned one you ever dun had in yer whole durned life. and if it wurn't, then i'll be durned! (if you thought that you were going to get through your birthday post without a single durn, you were wrong. xoxo)

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