So it is once again that time of year again… The Steff‘s birthday is coming up.  Traditionally, I get her flowers and a bear from The Vermont Teddy Bear Company.  For her birthday last year she got the Birthday Suit Bear.  The year before I think was the Bear with the party hat and cake.  I know I’ve gotten her a bunch of other bears… since she gets them for both her birthday and Valentine’s Day.

So this year… I am left with a dilemma.  Normally, I would look and see what they have, and know instantly which bear to get her.  This year… I’m having trouble.  So I am turning to you to aid in my decision.  Here are the candidates for The Steff’s Birthday Bear 2008…

Superstar Bear

One of the things I do is try to pick a bear that in some way shape or form is representative of her and her personality.  This bear, specifically with the glasses and the belly shirt, may as well be her summer time twin.  Seriously.  If the bear was wearing khaki shorts and a pair of flip flops… it would be damn hard to tell them apart.

I also like the whole ”SuperStar” on the t-shirt design.  She has a serious infatuation with self portraits in the flavor of the MySpace Period of photography.  It isn’t because she’s vain or narcissistic, because she really isn’t… but she does photograph very well.  Of course, I tell her this on a constant basis so maybe I’m causing her to become film dependent.  In fact, she is by far one of my favorite people to photograph.

The drawback to this bear is… I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.  I don’t want her to warp it in her mind that I’m trying to tell her that she’s as “fat as a bear” or something.  Seriously… that’s the kind of thing she might get from seeing this bear dressed like her… and although she constantly says that she needs to go on a diet because she’s fat, she really isn’t and that kind of thinking worries me about her.  I don’t want her starving herself because I sent her a bear, ya know?

American Pie Bear

Now this is a really wholesome and cute looking bear… more themed for the summer time during Independence Day I would think, but it does have the pie.  It’s no big secret that I have a severe addiction to The Steff‘s cherry pie.  When I get one of those pies I’m like Ralphy at the end of A Christmas Story… everything is right with the world.

One small problem… The Steff‘s cherry pie isn’t actually made by her.  Let’s be honest… she can make spaghetti and on a good day fry up some pork chops or chicken cutlets.  She isn’t a baker or (contrary to her own belief since experiencing a craft kit her sister Zooted and Polluted got from a store) a candlestick maker.  The pie actually comes from a bakery called Grimaldi‘s where she has connections.  So is a bear, although patriotic and bearing my most beloved dessert, with an oven mitt really a good representation of her?  Maybe if the mitt was scorched and there was a fire extinguisher in the other hand it would be more realistic and symbolic of her.

Still… I kinda like this bear.  Maybe it’s the poofy like skirt (although The Steff NEVER wears skirts) or the bow in the ears… but I just really like this bear.

Coco Bear

Can you say Gucci?  Allow me to share a short story for some insight into The Steff‘s personality.  We went to Atlantic City for a bachelorette soirĂ©e she was invited to (she brought me I think because a) she didn’t want to be alone with the girls she went with b) she didn’t want me to be alone at home and c) I’m just awesome) for one night. 

The next morning, although she had planned on laying out on the beach she slept in while I walked on the boardwalk drinking ice coffee.  Once she got up, she hit the shower, and we were off with one small stop that needed to be made.  The Atlantic City outlets.  Now, they aren’t REAL outlets… but that’s what they’re calling them.  What was the first store we hit?  Yep… Gucci.  We walked right past Borders, Yankee Candles, Nike, Harley Davidson (a dealer, not really an outlet), and countless other stores to go to Gucci.  Then of course there was the GAP, American Apparel, Tommy Hillfiger, and every other designer name you could think of.  Is she a fashionista?  While she may deny and deny and deny it… she is without a doubt label oriented.

I think this bear reflects her personality… not so much where it is… but more to where its going.  Of course, I could be wrong, and she may take it that I’m calling her stuck up when she totally isn’t… I mean, if she was, would she be friends with me much less my best friend?  Of course not!

So those are the three bears I’ve narrowed it down to.  Her birthday is September 24, so the bear needs to be ordered one week from today to get it there on time.  Let me know which one you think I should get her in the comments, and we will once again track the bear’s progress to see just how far it goes before getting to her.