Ding-Dong-Ditching

While I am not officially labeled a disturber of the peace, nor am I a Marauder with access to the Marauder's map, I did successfully pull off a prank. A nice prank, of course.

A friend of mine have a long-running joke about giving cupcakes as a sign of how much one cares for another. Up until now, it was just a joke that we teased each other with, but Saturday night I took it to another level.

Fortunately there is a fantastic cupcake shop nearby in downtown Tacoma called Hello, Cupcake. I picked up a few of my friend's favorite cupcakes and drove to his house and - you guessed it - left the cupcake box, rang the doorbell, and ran away!

Just around the corner, I hopped back in my car and waited to see his reaction. He walked out, looked around, looked down, and smiled.

Mischief managed!

Resourcefulness + Creativity = Surprise!

Don't judge me. I've never been very creative.
Plus, I didn't have any poster paper. Or many markers.
Or someplace completely dry to shelter it from the rain.

Today my aunt returned from a very long, arduous business trip. Having been away from home quite awhile, my aunt deserved a proper homecoming.  With the skills resulting from many years of procrastination and mischief, I made it my mission to provide a nice, if not amusing, reception.

It was surprising how easy it was to track her flight information down without her knowing. Long story short, I utilized her check-ins on Facebook and crossed the information with flight details from the departing and arriving airports.

Once I had her flight information, I sent her a few text messages to throw her off my scent. (Not really, I just figured I would check up on her while I could without seeming conspicuous.) Then I looked up streetcar and Max line schedules and formulated a plan to get to the airport at the appropriate time. After constructing my plans and setting the necessary timers, I proceeded to design a beautiful poster to present to my aunt upon arrival (or wave fanatically as I ran toward the escalator my aunt was descending, squealing). It turned out better than I expected. I even gathered a supply of Halloween candy for her, complete with a festive decorative bag!

My plan was foolproof! Despite the drizzle, I made it to the airport with just enough time to settle in at the designated baggage claim carousel for her flight. Instead of waiting to see her, I texted her to come to the carousel. Honestly, it would have been better if I had not texted her, but I was so afraid I had missed her arrival despite having check the arrivals compulsively on my journey to the airport.

Sesame bananas are ridiculously satisfying with tea...

Anyway, my aunt was pleasantly surprised by my presence and I was satisfied with her reaction - and with having her home, of course! Getting to walk around Portland in search of coffee and ending up at a Chinese restaurant at 10pm, catching up with my aunt over tea and fried bananas made all my efforts worth it.

Also, we both got the same fortune from the fortune cookies we gave each other... Coincidence? I think not.