TTIC#22 ~ Bella's Birthday!

***edit: ok, so I scheduled this to post at 9PM today - ugh... DOOFUS alert!***

Welcome to Twilight Tuesday! Can you believe we are up to #22? Phew! This week's challenge comes to us from the molto bella e di talento (super lovely and talented!) Rebecca:


New Moon opens with Bella's 18th birthday and Alice in full party mode. Most people dread turning 30 or 40, but Bella dreaded turning 18 - mostly since that meant she was "older" than Edward. For the Cullens, they were excited - the last birthday they had ever "celebrated" was Emmett's many decades earlier. For the creative challenge part - create a birthday themed item - you're welcome to draw inspiration from the party or just go with "birthday". For the comment part - tell us if you've ever given or been the recipient of a surprise party or let me know if there was a birthday you dreaded. Or simply just let us know what your favorite birthday gift was.


Remember the scene? (Thanks for providing it, Rebecca - it's a perfect visual!!)

We were pulling up to the house now. Bright light shined from every window on the first two floors. A long line of glowing Japanese lanterns hung from the porch eaves, reflecting a soft radiance on the huge cedars that surrounded the house. Big bowls of flowers - pink roses - lined the wide stairs up to the front doors.

They were all waiting in the huge white living room; when I walked through the door, they greeted me with a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday, Bella!" while I blushed and looked down. Alice, I assumed, had covered every flat surface with pink candles and dozens of crystal bowls filled with hundreds of roses. There was a table with a white cloth draped over it next to Edward's grand piano, holding a pink birthday cake, more roses, a stack of glass plates and a small pile of silver-wrapped presents.

It was a hundred times worse than I'd imagined. ~New Moon

And, yes - turning 30 was physically painful... No sympathy for Bells, there! :)