what I'm most excited about..

I'm literally counting down the days now until my first day of classes.  I'm still terrified but I am getting really excited now, it finally feels real.  So here are the top few things that I am super psyched for:

1.  Finally knowing what I am talking about (sooner or later).
It seems like as soon as I said I was going to go to school to be a baker, everybody just assumed I had somehow magically become the world's best pastry chef overnight.  I have a lot to learn!  If I already knew how to make every recipe you've every heard of, I wouldn't be taking the time to go to school.  But knowing that doesn't help when someone asks me if I know how to make some crazy French dessert or something I've never heard of and I feel like a failure already when I have to say no.  So I can't wait till I actually have enough knowledge to now what a friandise is (one of my second semester classes is Cookies, Tarts, and Friandises.  No clue what it is but if it's a friend of cookies and tarts, then it's a friend of mine!  Don't worry, I'll google it before I go to that class.)

2. Baking for my friends and family.
Since we have decided to stay in Florida, we know that we will have less time with friends and family.  That just means even more excuses to make tasty treats for them when I do get to see them!  Holidays will be especially tough, because part of Trevor's job is that he has to work every single holiday.  Every year.  No matter what.  So we are going to have work extra hard to come up with our traditions and ways of making the time we do get together extra special.  Growing up, my favorite part of Thanksgiving was the pies, and the best part of Christmas was the cookies.  I guess we'll just have to continue that trend for our own family!
And hopefully being ten minutes from Disney World will mean lots of visitors! And visitors get lots of yummy baked goods.  

3.  Planning and designing my own bakery.
One day, hopefully soon, I fully intend to open my own small bake shop.  Obviously I'm excited about the baking part of that, but I am also really excited for all the other aspects.  I can't wait to design the space, plus getting to come up with my own logos, mailers, flyers, menus, etc.  And I will have a place to display my paintings.  Who knows, maybe I'll get brave enough to put up price tags and sell one like Trev thinks I should.

4.  Being a special part of other people's lives.
There is no better feeling than when someone trusts you to create an important part of their special day.  So far, I have made a few special request birthday cakes and even one baby shower cake.  It was nerve-wracking to have all that trust put in me, but it was also really exciting.  And it felt great when people loved it.  So when I get my bakery open, I fully intend to offer custom cakes, and hopefully even wedding cakes.  I have a long way to go as far as the decorations, but I'm hoping that's one of the things I will learn in school.  But until then, I hope people will continue to ask me to make cakes for their special occasions!
And to answer the question I am getting asked at least once a day, No! I am not making our wedding cake!  That would just be crazy.  As much as I love to bake,  I do not need that extra stress.  So we are getting our cake from Pawley's Island Bakery, and if the tasting is any indication, it is going to be amazing. 

Jalen's Baby Shower Cake - Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse Filling and Cream Cheese Frosting

Again, I definitely need some work on the decorating, but this was four recipes worth of cake and three of frosting, and the entire thing was gone by the end of the shower, so I was a happy camper.

Chocolate Kahlua Cheesecake for my friend Liz's birthday

German Chocolate Cake and Cupcakes for Lynn's Birthday (and no, he's not really 80 for those that know him...I just had to get in one last laugh)

changes are afoot

So recent events have led to some pretty life-changing decisions around here, so I thought I would start this blog to keep everyone updated with my journey through this quarter-life crisis, and so that I can look back in a few years and see if it went how I planned (probably not, but that's ok, it'll be an adventure).  I hope people start to read it, but you'll have to bear with me - this is my first attempt and I haven't done any creative writing since tenth grade english class.

For anybody that hasn't heard the news (or the convoluted explanation) yet, I have decided to leave my job in industrial construction after three years and pursue a career in baking.  Long story short, Trevor and I came to a crossroads earlier this year where we had to make some pretty big decisions about our future and our careers.  We went into the decision-making process thinking one of us was going to make a huge sacrifice, and the good news is we surprised ourselves by coming to a compromise we didn't expect and that we are both really excited about.  And just so you know, we didn't see this coming anymore than anybody else, so don't feel left out!

So a little background on the decision.. part of my current job is moving every year or two to different projects.  At first, we though this was super exciting - getting to see new places, never staying in one place too long.  Well at first it was!  But after just two moves, we are ready to settle down, buy a house, etc.  Combine that with Trev loving his job here and doing really well at it and it was just really hard for us to think about picking up and starting over again somewhere else. 

Once we figured that part out, I had to start thinking about what I would do for work if we stayed here.  I could find another similar job in the area, but I just wasn't excited.  So I started thinking about things I have always dreamed of doing - what would I do if I could do anything in the world?  And obviously I found the answer... start my own bakery!  But so far I only bake as a hobby - and I want to do this the right way.  I really felt like I needed to take the time and learn the techniques, etc to have a strong enough foundation before going out and starting my own business.  But that meant the added expense of school, and a lack of income at the same time.  So we sat down, made some lists, and did the math, and realized maybe this wasn't such a crazy idea after all!  I started getting more and more excited, and after a lot of long talks with my super supportive fiance, decided to go for it.

Next Wednesday, August 24th is going to be my last day at my current job.  After three years of long hours in front of the computer screen pouring over spreadsheets (with the occasional break to check out the actual construction), I'm packing up my things and saying good-bye. 

To be honest, it's still bittersweet - as excited as I am about the future, it is hard to say goodbye to people I have worked so closely with on this project.  And I plan on trying to keep in touch, but with the nature of the industry, it's possible I'll never get to see some of them again.  But I have to say, the best part about leaving is the good wishes I have gotten from everybody.  While everybody has told me they wish I wouldn't leave, when I tell them my plans, every single person has been excited for me - some have even told me they're jealous.  And I'm so grateful for these reactions because it makes me feel a little bit braver and more confident in my choice, and I'm glad there's no ill will for me leaving the company.  I've been really lucky to get to work with and spend time with such awesome people. 

But I'm never sad for long, because I start thinking about what's next and realize it is only ten days until my first day of classes! On August 29th, I start classes in Baking & Pastry Arts at Valencia College in Orlando.  I've got my uniform all ready to go, two of my three textbooks (turns out baking textbooks are just as expensive and heavy as any others - who woulda thunk it?), and Trev even surprised me with a new bookbag. 

It's a program that should take me about a year and a half, and has everything I was looking for.  I looked in to a couple of other culinary schools in the area, but they just weren't as good of a fit for what I am looking for.  The program at Valencia is actually part of the Walt Disney World Center for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, so that's exciting.

Sooo... I know that was quite a ramble but I wanted to start with a thorough update for everybody that has been asking.  I'll have some more details next week, and I'll let you know how my last day at work goes (it's also the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the plant we built!)  And yes, I plan on posting lots of recipes and pictures of all my baking experiments! 

Oh yeah... and amidst all the craziness of career changes, we are also shopping for our first house and getting married in exactly 50 days - gonna be a wild few months!