I generally always can come up with an idea for a cake through looking at the galleries here and across the internet...or just thinking of something on my own...but this time I am really stumped.

A friend of my daughter's husband is turning 30 and is also leaving the Army and is a huge fan of Oklahoma State University. She wants all of these incorporated somehow...but would like an emphasis on OSU and turning 30. I am at a total loss of how to put the army thing in with the OSU/30 deal. I'm throwing an idea out now and I need an opinion of it as well as maybe a better way to do it and OTHER ideas if possible. I thought of a spiral cake with the outside bottom tier being camo with a sandy road starting up the cake with maybe some dog tags, and a helmet and a boot along the trail...kind of like he's dropping everything off as he goes up the hill then it turns into a road and the top tier which is black and has orange OSU symbols on it and a paved road that leads to the top where I can have a figure standing...maybe Pistol Pete. I don't know. This is hard.

Any help out there? I"m not averse to a sheet cake either if I can get the right look. Any ideas are appreciated!! Thank you!!

A camo helmet in OSU colors sitting on a textbook. The "title" of the textbook: 30 years and marching on." Any of that help?

I like both of these ideas, but carmijok, you have hit it on the nail. Love your idea. go with it.

Thanks icer101. I have already done a spiral cake, so my main concern is all the other details involved.
And thanks cheatize for your idea... I like your phrase...and the OSU camo idea too.

Bottom tier covered with army stuff and camo OK.

Top with 2 green tiers and "OSU@30" banner and insignia. The black/orange cake will not look so positive as a green hill that can be sculpted as much as you feel like.