Two of my favorite people in Uruguay have birthdays right next to each other. These gentlemen are basically twins anyway so it is only fitting that they are both libras with birthdays days apart.  Happy Birthday, Mike and Brad! Happy Birthday to you!

One of the first stories Mike told me was his recognition that he and Brad were basically doppelgangers. Not only do they look shockingly alike but they also both share a power animal, the elephant. Something else they share? They are both really low key about their birthdays. In my world, birthdays are a big freaking deal. The people in my world have whole birthday weeks! So I set out to make the most epic elephant cupcake cake just to spice things up a little! #Pinterest.

Fun fact, Uruguay does not sell icing. Period. I went to three different stores and not one had a delicious can of Betty Crocker icing. #sadface  So I consulted my mom and learned the making your own icing was wicked easy. I consulted the internet and found out that blue, red, and a touch of yellow food coloring creates grey. And I consulted Pinterest for an elephant cupcake pattern. After two failed cupcake attempts #gasovenproblems and one frantic  trip to the gluten free bakery, this was the final product.

#pinterestfail

My elephant birthday cake turned out looking like a dinosaur with a mortal wound. #extinctforareason  By the way, the red thing was supposed to be its ear. Not even sure what happened there. Bless the poor little guy. The only way this turned into an elephant was if you drank a whole lot of whiskey and tilted your head to the perfect angle (which I totally did #onedrink,twodrinks,threedrinks,floor).

At the end of the day, it’s the thought that counts, right? I can’t even tell you if the cupcakes were good. All except for the gluten free ones. I bought one for myself to see what all the fuss was about. I actually feared eating the thing, like it was going to be sour or something. #flourbias I was pleasantly surprised to find out that gluten free really tastes the same as normal cupcakes. #equality  The big win is now I have a piping bag and a mixer to add to my kitchen supplies! #pinterestfailcakesforeveryone

So my epic cupcake adventure may have bet a bit of a fail, but we did have a great time celebrating two amazing men. Cheers to Brad and Mike!