Love Letter To My Coffee Pot

Dear Coffee Pot,

I know something is wrong.  I really needed you this morning in my quasi sleep-deprived state, and you just made horrible noises and shot hot water all over the counter, never actually into the pot.

What's wrong, baby?  Talk to me.  We can make this better and go back to our normal, happy relationship.

Is it because I've been using the Keurig at work?  I swear, it means nothing to me!  It's just a work colleague.  Sometimes I need a little help to make it through the day.

Don't be like this.  You're still my number one, and I love you.  You're the one I come home to every night, and the first thing I want to see in the morning.  I love the intoxicating smell of your coffee in my cup first thing in the morning, the warmth as I hold the cup in my hands, the strong, rich taste that hits my tongue.

We can work this out -- I know we can.

When I get home tonight I am going to draw you a nice, hot sink full of dishwater and get you all sparkly clean and good as new.  I'll run hot water through you.  You don't have to brew anything -- just relax and let the nice, hot water flow through you and let go of whatever is bottled up inside.

Please forgive me and promise to give us another shot.  Promise to try and brew that rich nectar of the gods for me in the morning.

I don't know what I would do without you.

If not for me, think of my coworkers, and the poor members of the general public that will have to deal with me in my sorry state without your decadent brew.  Those  poor people don't deserve to suffer.

I love you.  Please don't leave me.

XOXO,
Me

Don't Hate Me, Dear Book Group

Tomorrow night my book group is discussing A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, about the sinking of the Titanic. 

I always make treats/snacks for our group and try to somehow tie it in to the book we will be discussing.  

I tried to keep it classy.  I really did!  I had big plans for recreating the fancy desserts they surely must have served the first-class passengers. 

Then came Monday night. 

A coworker and I were looking up the menus of what had been served, plotting what I should attempt to make, and we were not that thrilled with the results.  Lots of variations on bread pudding and fresh fruit.  I was not very thrilled by either idea. 

And then we kind of dropped the plan, and just Goggled ideas.  

And we kind of wound up on Pinterest  -- where interesting ideas are found, and often where they should stay without ever being recreated in actuality. 

We kind of fell in love with one idea. It was so cute!  Classy?  Definitely not a word that would be used for it, but I was smitten.  After seeing it there was no way I could pass up the opportunity to make them. 

So I did it. I made them. 

Tomorrow night when we are discussing a book about a terrible tragedy where so many people died, I will be serving these:

Cupcakes topped with little sinking Titanics, made out of Twinkies and KitKat bars. 

I might be a horrible person. 

Because I Want to Be the Coolest Aunt EVER!

Friends, I know I have been a horrible slacker about updating this lately.  I apologize.  I have lots that I have meant to post, but things have been a bit hectic lately, and this little blog took the hit in terms of time management.  Now, after almost a month of nothing I'm back, and I'm going to be asking for your help with brainstorming ideas for a surprise for my niece.

Don't worry -- it won't impact the surprise, as she doesn't know this little blog exists.  Any ideas you can give me will only make the surprise that much better.

So, little bit of back story...

See the little green circle down there in Texas?  That's where my niece lives. I'm at the black circle up in New York.

So, my niece and her family live way down in Texas,  and I live way up in New York, in the Hudson Valley.  Every summer my niece and nephew come up to visit for about a month, and stay with my parents.  I love it when they are here, and I spend as much time as possible with them when I am not working (which is why they can't stay at my house, except maybe for a night here or there).  

Last summer a series of events left my niece out of a couple cool events.  My best friend and I had gone to an all-day concert here, and my niece was pretty bummed that she hadn't been here to go as well since she really liked all of the groups that had been performing.  While she was up here, my sister-in-law won tickets to a cool concert back in Texas, so my niece missed out on both ends.  She didn't ever really complain, but I could tell she was really bummed out about the way things had played out.

I decided right then that I was going to find a concert to take her to this summer that would be awesome and make her forget what she missed out on last summer. 

I had been searching around for months, looking for concerts that were coming to the area when she should be up here visiting.  Sadly, concert announcements don't come out nearly as far in advance as I was looking.

Then, one day, it happened.  It was kismet, fate, destiny -- whatever name you want to give it.  The perfect concert that would blow her mind, and it was happening when she should be up here visiting, and I already had vacation time from work that day so I didn't need to worry about getting the day off. The stars aligned and it all was too perfect to ignore.

TAYLOR SWIFT

METLIFE STADIUM

JULY 10

Yes!!  Hell yeah, this was perfect!  Who wouldn't want to see T-Swift live?  I was practically bouncing in my seat with delight at what a perfect surprise this was going to be.

Which brings us to the present, and why I need your help.

Obviously I checked with my brother to make sure she would be here to go.  I got tickets for my niece, myself, and my best friend -- you do not go to see Taylor Swift without taking your best friend.  At least not in my opinion.

We have tickets.  Since I work in a public library and I am not independently wealthy, they are not remotely close to the stage.  Like we are probably up in the nosebleed section somewhere.  I've had that experience before -- going to a huge concert and sitting far up and away from the action.  It was still a good show, but having to look down at the stage kind of through the light rigging made it a little less than awesome.  I really don't want my niece to be bummed out when she realizes we are not going to be right down front-and-center of the action.

So, to counteract any possible disappointment at our seats (at least as much as possible), I want to make it all into a huge surprise so she has no idea where we are going.  This, friends, is where I need your help coming up with ideas.

My niece is very cool.  If I just told her to pack a bag and get in the car because the two of us were going on an adventure?  She'd be down for that, no questions asked.  Well...probably some questions out of excitement, but she would totally go.

I want to make this epic in its awesomeness!  It's killing me not to just tell her about this because I know how happy and excited she is going to be.  

I NEED A PLAN TO MAKE THIS THE BEST THING IN THE WORLD!!

A friend suggested making a scrapbook for her, filled with different pictures of Taylor Swift, and giving it to her with the tickets stuck in the back.  It's a good idea.  I could also see my niece thinking, "That's great, Aunt Tammy.  You made me like a creepy-stalker book about Taylor Swift.  Thanks!" before she ever made it to the last page.

Another friend really liked the scrapbook idea, but she suggested tweaking it slightly and leaving a few blank spaces (Ha!  Blank Space, get it?) in the back for pictures we take at the concert, the concert ticket, etc.  Another person added that it shouldn't just be pictures of Taylor Swift, but random ones of my niece and I mixed in as well, to try and get her wondering what was going on.

Help me out here, folks.  What would be the most epic, awesome, special way to surprise a 12 year old with the fact that she was going to a Taylor Swift concert?  

The only part of the plan I have right now is to get video of the moment I spring the surprise on her, and post it to Instagram.  She and her friends are all on there, and I love Instagram...some might say a little too much.  (Feel free to add me!)

Hit me up with your ideas, please!  I don't care how crazy, insane, boring, weird you might think that they are.  I've got a few months to put this plan into action.  I'm hoping that the collective brain power here will help me make this a truly magical experience for her.

Thanks in advance for your help.  You all rock!