What’s Goin’ On?

It’s been pretty quiet around here for the last few…okay nine months, hasn’t it? I would apologize for my lack of activity but endless articles have lamented bloggers apologizing for their absences.  So instead, I shall catch you up on my adventures and share with you my new vision for this space and my biggest adventure of all.

So what exactly has kept me away from blogging for so long? Well, in November, the Boy and I headed to Curacao for a little bit of rest and relaxation.  He played with a shark and I was felt up by a dolphin.  We both may have fallen in love with room service (our resort was almost an hour’s drive away from the main city area).  And I got quite possibly the worst pedicure of my life, all while listening to the spa employee’s convoluted love life (at one point she took out paper and pen to draw me a diagram of her relationships…I DIAGRAM, people!).

After living in DC for well over three years, I FINALLY was lucky enough to get my hands on a National Tree Lighting ticket.  It involved bartering a box of cookies for my co-worker’s extra ticket (she’s lived in DC less than a YEAR and she won the lottery for FIVE tickets).  And I must say, it truly put me in the Christmas spirit. There were carolers, free hot chocolate (we learned about this AFTER they ran out though) and smiling faces. Not to mention, it was the most efficiently run event I’ve ever been to in DC.  We moved through the line at lightning speed and were in our seats before you could say, “Have a holly, jolly Christmas”.

Most of my time, however, has been spent improving my baking skills.  And by improving my baking skills, I mean many, many hours of learning the science of baking and the art of decorating.  The results have been me purchasing a pink pair of Crocs (don’t you dare judge me) to allow my feet to keep up with the demands of my baking; me learning that Brawny can play a significant role in cake decorating; me learning that Williams-Sonoma is great for the casual cook but not very helpful for someone who is trying to bake at a more professional level; me learning that modeling chocolate is way cooler than fondant; and me discovering a true passion in my life.  I’ve also been pretty damn proud of what’s come out of my kitchen over the last few months:

I’ve had many, many laughs with friends and shared unbelievable sorrow and sadness with family.  I’ve witnessed the power of love and the heartache of saying goodbye.  I’ve watched the triumph of my sister’s successful fight against cancer (for the second time, mind you) and had the love of my life look me in the eye and ask me to spend the rest of my life with him.  Which leads me to where I am now.  In the middle of planning a wedding AND trying my hand at becoming a professional baker.  The wedding part has been easy…and actually kind of funny. So much so, I started (and then forgot about) a blog mocking the wedding industry.

This morning, as I was staring down at my Hello Kitty slippers (an awesome gift from an amazing friend), it hit me that all of the things that have happened over the last nine months would make a great story.  A story I wanted to share with the community I’ve grown to love here.  Sure it’s not a recipe or even strictly about food, but it’s about my adventures.  So why was I hiding away my observations about the ridiculousness of buying a wedding dress that looked like a duvet cover? Why was I not sharing my first disastrous attempts at making modeling chocolate or the rush I feel when I finish a successful cake?  Or how The Boy and I plan to celebrate our upcoming nuptials in high 1940s fashion?

This blog may have started out as a chronicle of my love of food but there are so many other stories I’d like to tell.  So these are the New Adventures…of Shaw Girl.