Truthful Tuesday

 

I was going to chat all about Al and how challenging he makes my life, but instead I have much grosser thing to confess today. The real confession is that I generally try to carry too many things at once because i hate making multiple trips. I really love efficiency. Like I plan my errands around a big circle so I don't waste time driving back and forth to get places. 

Which brings us to this evening. I had ordered some Poppi soda because my grocery store doesn't carry the ones that taste good. It was delivered while I was riding my first horse, so I brought it back to the barn so it wouldn't be sitting in the sun. But then, when I was leaving the barn to go back to my house at dinner time, I needed to carry this awkward size and weight box, along with my purse and tote bag and keys. Which was completely doable, except that I also wanted to close the barn doors so it would stay warm enough in there to keep the horses naked until night check time. 

So there I am, holding all these things and trying to slide the barn doors closed. They're pretty heavy since they're HUGE and made entirely of wood. You may recall that my knee is missing an attachment point... Well. Apparently, I must have tried to pivot on that defective knee. Which... it doesn't really do that anymore. So I felt something slide out of place with a little popping sound in case I didn't feel it. Which didn't hurt, but was like... gross feeling. And the worst part, was that it then had to pop back when i straightened my leg. Ew. Guys. I honestly don't have words to describe how disgusting that was. It wasn't painful, just like... ew. 

So that's my confession. Maybe this will teach me that sometimes making two trips is better than one.

Thursday's Threads

 

OUTFIT DAY!  I know I hinted that I would have ridiculous outfits upon my return home, but I did not get too crazy this week. For several reasons, but mostly because I wanted to wear something comfortable in case of any newly home antics from the horses. I needn't have worried though. Everyone has been on their best behavior. Anyway, in lieu of something crazy, I decided to don the farm colors for my first outfit back. And also, the horses are wearing a recent outfit because it was just out of the laundry and matched the decor. Also, this is the outfit I forgot to get pics of a couple weeks ago, so I felt I needed to right that wrong. Eros is our model today because this outfit was made for him. Here's what he had on:

Ugh. I know. The dad bod. We're working on it. It was a long winter with basically no work. I'd look the same. And in fact, I have also added some pounds this winter. Hopefully we'll both be fit and trim in no time! 

Bridle: Pinnacle
Browband: Boy O'Boy Bridleworks

In our effort to get that belly lifted we've switched back to a bit with a little more leverage. I hate to have to pull on his face to get him to come together, and this bit allows me to ask and give back a little more quickly than the D ring does. I know some people think leverage bits are cheating, but I think if I can get the same result with less brute force, then that seems softer and nicer to me. But what do I know? I'm just an amateur. 

Saddle: Butet
Half Pad: Mattes
Baby Pad: Ogilvy

Over the winter one of the tack stores had a nice discount available on custom items, so I ordered this pad. I really love the tan color, and it looks good on both horses. 

Wraps: Eskadron

Okay, I know you're probably tired of seeing these, but we only have this set and one with brown over wraps at the moment. I hope to expand on his wrap wardrobe at some point, but you know... the truck bill. Oof. We love these anyway, and they're our favorite colors, so who cares if we don't have variety? 

That's Eros is wearing this week, and here's what I had on:

I just love this color scheme. I will wear it forever and ever. 

Helmet: One K

I think it's really fun how you can change the look of these helmets so easily. I'm pretty content with this combo for right now though.

Top: FitEq

I'm generally pretty cheap, and I get my seamless shirts from Amazon normally because they're so inexpensive. But then FitEq used some of my barn friends as models and I was then mildly intrigued by these tops. I just think the horse shoe is cute, and the shirts are lovely. And THEN about a month ago, they put these shirts on sale for $10 each. So obviously I stocked up on them. They're back to a higher price again on the site, but still pretty reasonable (I think around $20 give or take) if you're interested, but inventory is pretty limited after that big discount. 

Belt: Zazzle

I wear these belts all the time now. They're so inexpensive and you can literally put anything you want on them. Plus you can print both sides, so it's two in one. Total win.

Breeches: RJ Classics Gulf

I like my Gulf breeches. I prefer the Harper style, but these are fine too. I think the Harpers get pilly faster than the Gulf though, so there's that. 

Boots: Mountain Horse Sovereign Luxe

Yay, fun boots! I know they aren't as fun as my Celeris boots, but these matched my outfit. I'll likely bust out something from Celeris next week though. So funny thing about these boots. They always seem comfortable when I put them on. They're comfy to ride in too. But after I've ridden one horse in them, they are less comfortable. I think the way they're creasing maybe? I'm not sure. But they dig into the back of my heels after I ride. It's too bad, because I like them, but I can't wear them multiple days in a row without them wounding me nearly mortally. (Ok, that's a mild exaggeration.) 

That's it for today! I'm excited for lots of fun outfits this summer! Anything you want to see? Have a theme in mind? An article of clothing? Suggestions welcome!

What's Up Wednesday

 

Phew! What a week! Things have been busy getting ready to bring the horses home and then readjusting to having them here. And now? ALL THE LAUNDRY. The horses have a separate wardrobe for the other barn, and I like to pack everything away clean so it's all set to go when fall comes. But they each have eight items of apparel for over there... (Stable clothes:sheet, heavy sheet, 100 gram, 300 gram, 450 gram, turnout clothes: Sheet, heavy, fly) They didn't wear their turnout fly sheets this year, but that's literally the only thing I don't have to wash. My washer is big enough for the blankets, but with how twisted up they get in the dryer, they never come out ready to pack away. They always need to hang to finish drying for a day or two (depending on humidity...) So it's slow going. But we're plugging along. So far there are 6 clean ones drying. 18 to go! Lol. Oy. 

Anyway, prior to moving home and starting on all the laundry, I got to have a last lesson at the other barn with both Al and Shiny on Saturday. Our favorite instructor was back from vacation too, so it was a great last day. Al went first. And let me tell you about the chaos that ensued. 

We decided to lesson indoors because my lesson mate hasn't had her horse out to jump yet. Her horse is also a Casall (so a half brother to Al!) and well... you know how Casalls can be. So I didn't blame her. Of course, Al would have been better OUTSIDE, but also there was a lot more traffic out there, and it was nice to have the ring to ourselves inside. Plus, the doors were open which makes for a happier Al too. So things started out great. We were flatting pretty well with minimal snorting. He was forward and happy. And then some very confused delivery driver drove past the end of the ring... TWICE. (We don't drive around this ring, the parking lot is on one side, but the roadway does continue out to the outdoor and also around the indoor. But generally, we don't allow cars over there because the horses can't see them and it's spooky.) So the horses aren't used to that. Al did spook a little at the car, but just because he didn't expect it. He went right back to being a good boy. So anyway, we're flatting. And then barn owner decides it's time to bring in the mare and new baby who were out in the paddock just outside the scary doors. Now, I know very little about baby horses. So I have no idea when they are typically taught to lead. This baby is just a few weeks old, and has not learned that skill yet. So they just lead the mom through the indoor and the baby is supposed to follow. But this baby is spunky. So we're flatting in our lesson, and they start bringing the horses in. So we halt. (Also not sure why no one told us they were bringing them in.) Baby gets the zoomies all around the indoor. Mom could care less. Al is like WHOA! BABY! IS IT MINE?? Al's brother was sure the baby was a demon. 

Something to know about Al, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, is that he's very good about horses running around him loose. I know this because it's happened quite a lot to him. He's like a loose horse magnet. They just want to run at him. If he was a human child, he'd get beat up a lot. Anyway, thankfully, Al was pretty fine about the baby running around after the initial excitement wore off a bit. And his brother, slightly less okay, but he held himself together thankfully. No amateurs were harmed in the running of the baby. 

Eventually the lil guy finally followed his mom back to his stall. Al and the other horse in our lesson took a few minutes at the walk and then both went back to work nicely. We even jumped ALL the fences in the ring! Not only that, but we jumped down the lines heading toward the scary doors! Both sides! I was so proud. It was the very best last lesson we could have asked for. Now, did we jump big jumps? NOPE. Maybe they were 2'3". But with Al, the height is never the issue. So that concerns me zero. I thought this was a fabulous lesson. (Running babies aside.) 

Shiny's lesson was next. I opted again to stay indoors because barn owner was doing training rides outside and I was again, very happy to just have the indoor to myself. The horses had gotten their second round of vaccines on Tuesday, and Shiny had a bit of a harder time with this round. So even on Saturday, she was still a little stiff and sluggish. I had said to my instructor that it might just be a cross rail day, but we'll see what Shiny has to say as we go. The flat was... slow. So slow. Lots of Shiny Shuffle. She also was tripping a bunch. But once we cantered a couple cross rails she seemed to perk up and wanted to do more. I guess the flat was just too boring for her? I dunno. Mares! Anyway, she ended up jumping around a couple of courses. I think the fences were 2' ish. She ended up great. I was also very happy with this last lesson. We're going to be unsupervised for the next few weeks until our other trainer gets back from Florida. So glad we finished on a great note!

Eros obviously hasn't lessoned, but he's doing just fine, plugging along, adding on trot minutes each week. More on him in a bit.

I didn't ride Sunday since it was moving day. It was supposed to rain later in the day, so I wanted to get the move done on the earlier side. Plus, the barn was also packing up for a horse show, and it was such chaos there, I really just wanted to wrap things up. I had to make two trips. I can stuff all three horses in my trailer, but I wouldn't have room for all of their stuff if I did that. (Yes, my trailer has a tack room, but it's full of show stuff, so there wasn't room for all the other stuff.) So I figured two trips was the way to go. I only live 7 minutes from the barn, so it's not like it's a lot of driving. Anyway, I spent the morning getting everything packed, and then brought Eros and Shiny home first. It was so nice having the side ramp because I didn't have to get someone to help me unload. I like being self sufficient, but none of these horses know how to load and unload themselves. I probably should teach them. Anyway, the first load went well. I got them settled in and unpacked the few things I brought home on that trip with them. Then I went back and loaded ALL THE STUFF plus Al. He also shipped great and unloaded nicely. I think they were all happy to be back home. I spent the rest of the day unpacking everything. The horses all had turnout before coming home, so I just let them settle in inside. 

I was happy with myself because not only did I get them all home pretty easily, but I got the trailer unpacked, cleaned out, AND put away all in the same day. I have to hype myself up a little to put it away because I have to pull it out onto the road and then back it into its spot. I live on the corner of two state roads, so it can be busy. But Sundays are generally pretty quiet so I told myself if I didn't do it right away, I wouldn't do it until next weekend. And I need to keep driving the truck so the mice stay out. <<Pats self on back>> Got it done! 

I still gave them Monday off because the farrier was coming but I wasn't sure when. And I had a lot of stuff to do aside from that. They were all idiots in turnout that morning so I knew they got plenty of exercise anyway. It was a nice productive day, and the horses were content. 

Yesterday was our first day riding at home. I gave them all fairly light rides. My footing is just sand and the ring isn't completely flat, so they have to work a lot harder here at home than they do at the boarding barn with its flat rings and fancy GGT footing. I like to take it easy the first week to let their bodies adjust and hopefully avoid any pulled muscles or strained tendons. Also, I was a little worried Eros might have done a number on himself being an absolute fool in turnout the day before. Thankfully he felt just fine. Phew. He's supposed to technically canter this week (which he certainly did on his own...) but I'm waiting until the weekend to add that. We're not in a rush, I'd rather be careful. 

Al has been oddly quiet. And like, relatively not spooky. I mean he's Al, so he looks at things, but he's kind of looking to me for the answer when he's not sure, and then accepting my reassurance. I'm not sure if this will last, but it's lovely. Yesterday was gorgeous when I rode him, but today was cooler and pretty windy. (We had very heavy rain and thunder move through in the morning, so the ring was really wet, and the wind was still blowing the storm out when I rode him.) The footing wasn't ideal so I wasn't even sure we'd canter, and he felt like he was being a little careful with the footing. But he was great. A little lazy, and randomly tried to walk a bunch of times, but I don't mind that so much. That I can fix. I'm just really thankful he's feeling relaxed. 

Oddly, Shiny has been the most interested in her surroundings back at home. I think the difference is that the boys both have their turnout in the ring, but Shiny has her own paddock. So the boys have explored on their own, but Shiny hasn't. She's not spooky or anything, she's just looking around more than the boys are when we ride. She hated the footing today, and was especially pokey, but she's been overall just fine too. I'm hoping the ring will be dry enough to pop over some cavaletti tomorrow, but we'll see. 

But that's catches you guys up with all we've been up to! Busy times, but things look calm from here on out. Hopefully it will stop with the rain and I can bust out Pivo next week. 

Truthful Tuesday: The one where we're HOME!

 

We're HOME!!! I'm so happy to get home this year, you guys have no idea. I was feeling very stressed about the move, but mostly just because I hate change and love routine. But we're finding our groove here, and the horses really settled in easily this year. 

I have two confessions this week to share and both pertain to my being back home. I'll save the silly one for last to lighten the mood. So the first one is that I'm having some kind of weird feeling of peace being at home this year (so far anyway). The horses seem to feel it too. (Though, they did all act like fools in their first turnouts here Monday morning. I was sure they'd all be crippled after all the carrying on they did. I like to think it was celebratory antics, but who knows with this group...) 

Anyway, let me blabber on more about this peaceful feeling. I try very hard not to let others, especially those that I don't think are correct, get into my head nor dictate my emotions. But I am human. And sometimes it happens. I hadn't realized just how bothered I'd been feeling until I got home, and the feelings just lifted away. No one here at home can talk about me or my horses in a negative light. No one here is judging every decision I make or don't make. And no one is passing judgement on the quality or usefulness of my horses. Or me for that matter. And it's SUCH a calming feeling to just be free of that. 

I have a barn full of quirky, bargain priced horses. But they are MY horses. And I love them and all their quirks. (Okay maybe not all of the quirks, looking at you Al.) But I think each of them is talented in their own way. They're worthy of the best care. They're useful to me and they bring me so much joy. And you know? That's enough. That's all that really matters for me and my horses. And I'm so excited to just relish in that this summer. 

Um, but confession two? Heh. I haven't moved the jumps since last fall. I still have the same course set up. I just couldn't find the motivation in between all the rain earlier this spring. I figure we'll pop around what's out there this week and then maybe next I'll change it up. I mean, it's not like the horses remember the course. It probably feels new to them. Maybe. Ha. Oops.

Thursday's Threads: The one with some bonus material

 

Outfit Day! I will admit that the usual suspects are repeat photos, but I do have two bonus (non riding) outfits to share because it's my birthday week and therefore I can. We'll save those for the end though. Shiny wanted to model for us this week, so here's what she wore today:

Bridle: Joseph Sterling

I dunno about you, but I'm getting pretty excited to have some more bridle variety on Thursday's Threads soon. For now though, this bridle photo is a little cuter than normal thanks to Cinch photobombing. 

Saddle: Custom Saddlery
Saddle Pad: Mattes

Anyone else really sad about the Hufglocken/Mattes depairing? I've found a few other source, but nowhere with as good pricing. Thankfully, we're pretty well stocked for now. Especially given my shopping freeze. I do love these pads though! Worth whatever I have to pay in the future.

Boots: Premier Equine

We brought back the PEI boots for this last week at the boarding barn. Figured we might as well wrap up with a navy outfit. And I like these boots once the weather turns warmer since they're fairly lightweight. 

That's what Shiny had on, and here's what I was wearing today:

But then actually, I had to wear a sweatshirt over this because it was a lot cooler than the weatherman promised. Oh well. What can you do? 

Helmet: Samshield

I'm happy to report my face is nearly healed and I will do my best to share a fresh photo next week. Plus, I'll hopefully be wearing a different helmet. You know. For VARIETY!

Top: Luyaa

This is the Amazon knock off of the Lululemon shirts. It is also identical to the ones that TKEQ sells. Big fan.

Belt: Designer inspired

I scored this belt from Ebay many years ago. Still going strong!

Breeches: Tailored Sportsman

These are the color Charcoal. They look nearly black in real life. Kind of like what your black breeches eventually look like after you've had them awhile. 

Boots and Half Chaps: HKM Killarney

Yes. Recycled. They still look the same though! Promise! Haha! I'm still liking these a lot and I think you'll probably see them some this summer too.

So that's what I rode in today. But here are some funny outfits I wanted to share also. First is my Birthday Outfit!

That's right. I wore a cupcake for my birthday. Both on my sweater AND on my belt! Been awhile since I've worn this sweater. It wasn't supposed to be a barn sweater back when I got it, but like... everything is barn clothes now! Haha!

Okay, and now this outfit below is what I'm wearing post riding today. (It warmed up!)

It makes me giggle because it is new. (Yes, I admit I bought some clothes recently. However, it was BEFORE the truck happened. So please, allow me some slack there.) Anyway, I stopped in at Kohl's a few weeks ago to update my wardrobe a little bit. And I found this super cute outfit that I was pretty excited for. And then I realized why it was calling to me. Guys. I've already owned this exact outfit. I wore this regularly my senior of college and the summer after. I mean, back then I think I bought it at Express. But now it's at Kohl's. And pretty much exactly the same. Also, am I maybe too old to wear these trendy things? Possibly. But I've never been accused of acting my age, so I'm going with it. Plus it covers all the things that need covering, so I think it's okay. 

Alright. That's all I've got today. What do you think of the current trends? A lot of you are younger than me, so you might not remember them having already been around. But those that do recall, what do you think? Glad it's all back or should it have stayed in 2002?

What's Up Wednesday

 

Things are going well with the ponies this week! Still very low on media though. So sorry. 

Al is such a different horse now that we're back outside. I mean, he still snorts and side-eyes stuff on the regular, but he's a million times more relaxed. Funny little anecdote from the weekend. I had to ride very early Saturday so I did him indoors. It was barely 35 degrees outside which... no thanks. Lol! Anyway, I was riding Al inside, and one of my fellow ammy's was walking her pony bareback to keep us company. And she (unprovoked) said that Al's entire expression changed when he'd get to the end he didn't like. Like she could the stress on his face. She said you can tell he's afraid down there, not just regular spooky. So like, I know I've more or less gotten an understanding of this horse now. And I also know that I don't need validation, but also I am human and some validation feels nice. So it was nice that someone semi removed from Al and I's plight could see that there was a real "thing" there that he's been dealing with. And not just bad behavior. It also feels kinda nice that he's at a point where he can trust me now and not always let his emotions dictate his behaviors. He'll never be a perfectly behaved zero anxiety horse, but I think now that we have a better understanding of each other, things an come together a little more frequently. Or maybe not. But at least in this moment I'm feeling good about things with him. I can't wait to get back to lessons at home and hopefully to some little shows this summer. Fingers crossed things come together for that. We didn't get to lesson this week because Saturday I had a baby shower during both my lesson times (hence my riding so early). But we will get to lesson this Saturday so I'm excited for that. It will be our last one at the winter barn this year since WE MOVE HOME SUNDAY! Hopefully anyway. More on that in a minute. First we'll chat about the rest of the horses. 

Shiny's feeling good, but they got their second round of shots yesterday so her neck is a little sore. Not as bad as some years though, thankfully. Not a lot to report with her, she's been very good, and also really happy to be back outside. She missed her Saturday lesson too, but is very much looking forward to this weeks. I am too!

Eros is up to 16 minutes of trotting now. He's been just as well behaved outside as in which is nice. Sometimes he gets a little... torpedo-like when we first go outside. But not this year! So I'm happy for that. His leg doesn't need that drama. He still doesn't feel amazing to me, but he doesn't get worse as he goes which is what was happening before we rested him. Also, he never feels great until after he's had a warm up canter, and since we're not cantering yet, I'm hoping that's some of what we're dealing with. He's also coming due for maintenance soon. And none of them have seen the chiropractor since February I think? Maybe January? It's been awhile. So I'm hoping what I'm feeling is just the confluence of all these things. He gets to start cantering next week, so we'll see how that goes. After he's cantered for a couple weeks we'll schedule a recheck and see where we are at. I think all three will be due for spring maintenance by then anyway. 

So back to moving day! The reason our move is not definite is once again my truck. I mentioned last week that I had to have it towed in for its oil change. I was told once they checked it over that it just needed both batteries replaced, a fuel filter, and the oil change I had scheduled. Okay, that's not too bad! But then when they said it was ready, they also gave me a laundry list of things wrong with it. Things that make it unsafe to haul with. Oh and one thing that wasn't actually broken but I guess they figured they could try and get an additional $2200 out of me... Fortunately, I'm not as dumb as I look, and I knew how to fix that particular problem. (It was my automatic running boards. Dealership said they weren't working. They weren't. But the reason they weren't was that they were not turned on. Pretty simple fix.) I found it very weird that they wouldn't tell me about all these other problems initially. Normally when I've brought it in, they tell me everything they find when they look it over and then we discuss what needs to be done right away and what can wait. This time they told me after I was set to pick it up. And it really wasn't stuff that can wait. But I picked it up anyway and brought it to a trusted mechanic instead. Unfortunately, trusted mechanic found mostly the same problems. So I'm now VERY broke. (I will have spent nearly as much as I paid to purchase Shiny on this truck this month at this point.) So goodbye any hopes of a sleep-away horse show this summer. But also, I'm not positive I'll have the truck back Friday. Fingers crossed. They're trying their best to get it done. I basically need everything replaced underneath due to rust and corrosion. Steering, suspension, heat shields, brake lines, ALL the brake parts. Ugh. 

My braiding work has kind of dried up over here too. The local spring A show that everyone used to braid for has gotten very small and no one braided this year. So I didn't get any income when I kind of had expected to. I think the summer show at the same venue will go similarly. So I guess it's time I find a real job! I don't really want to go back to my former career. I did it because it was our family business, but it's nothing I was particularly passionate about. Which means I can kind of go any direction. Except for a few things... I'm not especially qualified for much. I have a BA in Psychology but no graduate work/degree. I have customer service and sales experience so I could go that direction, but not sure what industry. So... anyone have any good suggestions? I'm not sure I need to go back full time. I'm not sure I can go back to those 15 hour days between work and horses. I'm not as young as I once was! Since the horses will be home, and I don't have weekend help this year, my weekends aren't really free for a job either. Especially since I would like to be able to do some one day shows and those are on weekends. So I would need something that's weekdays only. Preferably mornings and part time if in person. But I could probably do full time if it's flexible on which hours I work. So I'm taking suggestions on what to explore! I browsed Indeed for things local to me, but it was mostly just retail jobs and healthcare workers. Neither are a fit for me. Maybe retail if I really had to, but again, I'd prefer to not work weekends. 

Maybe I could be like... an equestrian personal shopper? Is that a thing? Cause I love shopping for horse stuff. And it would be way more fun with someone else's money. 

Anyway. Back to less boring topics. I got to do some non horse things this week which was fun. As mentioned, I attended a baby shower on Saturday. So nice to see some friends and spoil the soon to arrive baby! It's a horse adjacent girl! I say adjacent because her mom (my friend) never really got into horses fully, but HER mom (the grandma who is sadly no longer here) was a big time horse girl. She had her own barn, the whole thing. So horses are in the blood. The big sister is already showing interest (She's turning 3, I think) so I'm excited for Shiny to give some pony rides this summer. And then this evening I got to attend an art show for both my nieces. 

Ellie, in second grade, made these beautiful beads herself!

This lovely print is by Keira, grade 5. She LOVES Mary Poppins

The art show was followed by a joint band and chorus concert. Which was cute. There are some talented kids there I think! Performers were in grades 3 and higher, so it was just my older niece for this one. She sings and plays in the band. She played like five different instruments. Very impressive. She gets that talent from her mom's side of the family. Us Seidmans are not musically talented. Not at all. Lol! It's fun to see her in her element. You can see her confidence grow each time she performs. 

And that's about it from here! One more week of sharing space, and then hopefully we'll be back to doing whatever we want WHENEVER we want! And more media! Pivo can come out and play once we're home too. Looking forward to it! Fingers crossed my stupid truck is back together in time.

Truthful Tuesday: Birthday Edition

 

It's my birthday today! I'm ridiculously old. So birthdays should terrify me at this point. But they don't really. I still love birthdays. A day you can eat all your favorite things with zero guilt! You get flowers! And maybe even some presents. But here's my confession for this birthday... This is something that probably only happens when you're really old like me.... 

Guys. I forgot to make plans. I didn't reach out to anyone to join me for birthday dinner. No one. Of course, I suppose I could also say no one reached out to me either... But it is a Tuesday which is kind of a lame day for a birthday. Tuesday and Wednesday birthdays typically require some planning. And I did not. So I'm kind of just hanging around like a loser by myself tonight. Which would be kind of sad, except that it's really not. I mean, the dog is here. Plus, it's not like my birthday was ignored. I got some cards and flowers.

And lots of texts and messages. I just didn't make dinner plans. I thought about taking myself downtown and having a nice dinner at the bar at one of my favorite restaurants. But then I was feeling kind of lazy so I didn't do that. I think I may pop over to the grocery store and buy myself some cake though. Cause you really can't have a birthday without cake. PLUS, Passover finally ends at sundown so I really deserve some cake. 

Any of you ever forget to prepare for your own birthday? No? Just me? Lol. Wait till you're my age. It will happen!