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)