One of those days

Another month went by before I remembered to come back and make notes on my days. So much goes on each week that it is all getting a bit blurry.

Every October I babysit for a family that owns a costume shop. I adore their kids, and look forward to hanging out with them; I've been with them for five years now. I watch their kids growing up, and it is just so awesome to be able to see that. Since the economy sucks this year, I didn't start babysitting at the end of September, but rather the third week of October. I heard the kids were asking for me, too. I'm so glad they like me! It was strange to be out and about with free time to spare during this month.

We went to the Global Wildlife Center, and it was so fun much to see and feed the animals! My favorites were the llamas! They make the most pitiful sound, but they are pretty tame when it comes to eating right out of your hands! I cannot wait to come back!

SGNC's friends B & K got married at this wannabe plantation. I suppose it is a legitimate one on a very small scale. The outdoor ceremony started at 4pm, and the sun was at a bad angle in our faces. We sat on the groom's side, and luckily some trees covered the sun. The bride's side had to put their programs to their faces in order to see. I found it strange that the bride and groom didn't gravitate past their nook on the dance floor/table. If you didn't go up to them, you didn't get to interact with them. If people made the trip to come to my wedding, I would definitely make sure I thank each person who walked through that door. The food was okay, I suppose. There was free beer and wine with a cash bar for everything else. I must have consumed a whole bottle of wine. SGNC and I had our first dance together, and the moment was captured on camera. Unfortunately I can see the drunkenness on my face. Most people can't tell, but I can! The rest of the evening was unpredictable. We had to babysit one of his other friends who managed to spend too much at the cash bar. We wanted to go out that night, but he got us kicked out three different bars.

Blogging again

During the past year I tried to keep up with my cooking/baking and personal blogs, but I failed to maintain both. Perhaps with a fresh start of one blog, I will be more motivated to blog more often. The spring months were joyful, busy, and full of excitement. I suppose every 27 year old's definition of excitement is different, but whatever we make of it is all wonderful. Summer did not turn out as well.

I am still at my current job, and I've been there almost four years. That is the longest commitment I've made to a company. I still haven't gotten a raise in three years due to the economy. Some change is pending, but they are dragging it out and overworking me. I'm sure I'll have some lovely posts on that later. After my two undergrad business degrees and a few years of rest, I decided to take 20 hours of biology and related courses as a pre-nursing major. Becoming a nurse is something I still think about, but as soon as the courses were done thissummer, I got really busy and put everything on hold again. The question remains: In this working world, do I want to wipe ass or kiss ass?

Being stressed at work led me to focusing more on one of my favorite hobbies: baking. I started to make simple things like brownies and cupcakes years ago, but everything came from a box. Lately I'm more fascinated with food science and how ingredients work together to form these marvelous, delicious confections. I much prefer to bake from scratch. I take no credit for any of the basic recipes... I found some really good ones online; however, I do try to give things a personal touch to make it stand out. One of my favorite things to make is the sugar cookie. It is time consuming, but the end result makes me happy. I am able to focus my energies into a nontraditional "art" and love to share sweets with others. I'm also known to do cupcakes, and lately I'm venturing back into cakes. I did take two Wilton courses (and still need two more). I may start making more things outside the regular scheme though.

The baking volume has increased tremendously in the past half year as my level of stress increased at work. It is something productive and makes me clear my brain of the funk. I really am recharged after producing a batch of cookies. What really makes me even happier are the sprinkles on top of dessert. There can never be too much!