Presents!

It's hard for me to peg one gift as the absolute best that I've ever received. There are several that come to mind, but I think it's a tie between a few trips I've been on recently. Most years, my mom gives me a vacation of some sort as my main birthday gift. She is constantly trying to think of new places to go and new ways to surprise me. On my 17th birthday, she became particuarly creative. I went through the rest of my presents, saving her signature 5 foot tall bag, usually full of clothes, for last. Upon opening it, there was a large gift basket containing a variety of random items, which I am tempted to refer to as junk. Boxes and boxes of chocolates, cookies, suntan lotion, flipflops, various beach items, a beach bag organizer, Hawaii hats and tshirts, sunglasses, etc. I noticed a trend, but I was too confused by the weirdness to really analyze it. Well when I finally got to the bottom of the gift basket, there was a small rectangular strip of paper which I presumed was trash. My mother nonchalantly walked over, "You should probably pick that up." I flipped over the little flimsy strip of paper which ended up being a plane ticket to Honolulu. Hawaii was one of the most amazing places I've ever visited, and definitely a pretty amazing birthday gift.

I think the best gift I've ever given is probably up for debate by the recipient. Last year I gave my mom a limited edition Michael Kors watch, which was really gorgeous if I may say so. This year I bought her a sattelite radio system for her car in addition to a few smaller, but not necessarily cheaper, items. I'm not sure if either of those are really that great, but for the budget of an 18-year-old, it isn't too shabby!