Phill is 30: Let us eat cake!

Thank you to all of you who left comments in the hopes of helping me with a Black Forest cake recipe for Phill's birthday!! One of my Cedar friends called, and she happens to be an incredible baker--really incredible. So she helped me make his cake and some cupcakes for the kids. Now, when I say helped, what it really means is that I did maybe 2% of the work, while she did 98% of the work (without breaking a sweat), and then I feverishly took photos! And her husband happens to also be a photographer, and he had a lightbox, which we used to make our delectable treats look even better!! So thank you Mandy for an amazing cake that Phill (and everyone else) loved, and thank you Sam, for the use of your very effective lightbox and large kitchen window. (And lamp.)The barbecue was so much fun! We had lots of friends over and had hot dogs, hamburgers, empinadas (but not anything near as good as Abby and Eric's!), chicken, and of course, the incredible cake and cupcakes. (If anyone wants to know how to make the cake, email me or Mandy! You'll be surprised by the amount of effort that went into it.) We talked and played Rock Band and just enjoyed each other's company. I would have posted on this Saturday night, but we played Trivial Pursuit with two of our friends well into the night, so we weren't too keen on staying up any later after they left. :) Such a fun day! Thank you to everyone who came and made Phill's birthday the best. He hasn't even been home for the last three, so this was as much fun for me as it was for him, I think, to finally get to celebrate the way we'd like to.
This photo is deceiving. There was MUCH less than this left over by the end of the night. Like....zero. Zero pieces left. We inhaled that thing.

Smiling about (and wearing) his gift from his friend Austin, one of the basketball coaches at SUU.
I know this photo is out of focus, as are a couple of the ones in the bunch. Who cares. I had to show it--Reed is using our very patient friend, John, as his puppet--acting out Ratatouille. We have some very patient friends. :)
Mandy serving the cake. (Or at least Mandy's hand serving the cake.)
Blowing out the candles. (Which we stuck in the cupcakes, so as not to ruin the landscape of the beautiful cake.)
He's saying: "SOOOO GOOOOOD" with a mouth full of cake.
On May 2nd of 2001, Phill walked into the gym of our church in Hinesville, Georgia, and the minute I saw him, I had to know him. And although I was wearing what I thought was a very ugly princess dress--because we were practicing for the church roadshow--apparently it was in keeping with his tastes enough that he "had to know me" too! So, after inquiring of everyone around me as to who this guy was, and getting no better answer than "Phill. That's Phill.", I walked up to him when our activity was over and said, rather frustrated, "Who are you?!" He replied with his signature grin and good humor, "I'm Phill! Nice to meet you too!" And, a little sheepish, I said, "Sorry. I meant--I know you're Phill. That's all anyone will tell me. I meant, what are you doing here? Why haven't I seen you before? What do you do?" And thus the little seeds of our family were sewn. By (first) fascination and curiosity, (then) frustration and rudeness, (then) humor and interest, and (finally) love.

Happy Birthday, Phill! I'm happy you were born. :)