Today is Nichole’s birthday!! Everyone should go over to her blog and wish her a happy birthday.

**EDIT: Everyone needs to go wish Nichole happy birthday, even if you don’t know her! :-) /EDIT**

I have a few minutes right now since our servers at work are down, so I’d thought I’d share a birthday memory. When I was in high school, my best friend was named Andrea, and her birthday was Septmeber 25th (yesterday). One big thing that was done in my high school was people would decorate their friends’ lockers on their birthdays. So, as Andrea’s birthday approached during our senior year, she dropped some hints to me that she wanted her locker decorated.

I pointed out to her that since she always arrived at school before me, I couldn’t surprise her and decorate her locker. (I rode the bus, so my arrival time could not be changed.) Andrea seemed disappointed, but she understood. I told her that if she disappeared after I arrived at school the morning of her birthday, then I would decorate her locker and she could come back and pretend to be surprised. She seemed satisfied with that.

What Andrea didn’t realize is that I don’t really like to let my friends’ birthdays slide as easy as that. :-) I like it when people make a big deal about my birthday, so I try to do the same for my friends. Sometimes it’s hard, especially when I’m living in a different place as my friends, or if I’m especially busy around the time of the birthday. But the point is, I try.

So I concocted a plan. Andrea’s birthday fell on a Monday that year, so I decided to go to school on Saturday to decorate her locker. I was soo excited! I tracked down Andrea’s sister (also a friend of mine) and got the combination for the lock on Andrea’s locker. Then I bought tons of balloons and streamers and other fun stuff. On Saturday, I took a combi (a Peruvian van that was part of the bus system) to school – 1 hour combi ride, then a 15 minute walk. Fortunately, I had thought to wait and blow up the balloons after I got to school! :-)

Some of my classmates saw me decorating Andrea’s locker and came over and helped. We put streamers all through it, and then stuffed it so full of balloons that no more could fit! Then I closed the locker. From the outside, it looked like nothing had been touched.

It was sooo hard to keep it a secret from Andrea!! When I was in high school, I was the type to talk on the phone to my friends 2 hours each day even though I saw them at school every day. :-) I kept reminding her that when I got to school Monday morning, she needed to disappear so I could decorate her locker. I managed to not let the truth out of the bag, and Monday morning rolled around soon enough.

I got off the bus right as Andrea approached her locker. I think that was my favorite moment of the whole process – watching her face as she opened her locker! Pure surprise and happiness.

There you go, a memory from high school. Good times. I love doing things like that for people. :-)