Mess...or Masterpiece?

Every year, for the past 23 years, my mom has made a special birthday cake for my dad. A made-from-scratch, double-layer German Chocolate Cake. Every year. And for the majority of those years, I have asked my mom to make me this very same cake for my birthday. And every year, she has refused to make it more than once a year. Because it's made from scratch, it is an all-day baking process that she will only commit to once a year. And for some reason, my dad takes precidence over mine. I have pulled out all the arguments...I'm her daughter and she loves me and says she will make whatever cake I want (unless I ask for German Chocolate cake), my birthday is 6 months after my dad's...all to no avail.  So I only get this blessed cake once a year on my dad's birthday.

This year was the first year I did not get to enjoy my most favorite cake. Growing up and moving away from home stinks sometimes. So I have had an intense craving for this glorious cake. And today, I woke up in a baking mood and decided today was going to be the day I baked German Chocolate Cake for myself. From scratch. All by myself. Now, to those of you who know me, you have to be laughing at this point. Me? Bake? Ha. I definitely fair better when I get in that rare baking mood, but let's be honest...I have a lot of work before I come close to resembling Susie Homemaker. I usually end up making more of a mess than anything else. Haha. It's very sad. But at least I am honest with myself. Baking is just not my gift. And for that reason, I decided to document this "first." Details and pictures follow. You can determine whether I ended up with a mess...or a masterpiece.

First, I gathered all the necessary ingredients. Good start. And then I commenced to create this sucker...lots of mixing, pouring, melting, folding, etc. It's like a science project.

And no baking adventure would be complete without the necessary outfit! (Lady bug ruffled apron courtesy of a former roommate...it's from Spain!) You know you're jealous you can't bake in such style...

Remember when I said I usually end up making more of a mess than anything else? Poor Sasha was my first victim. The coffeemaker, toaster, floor, and blender followed.

"Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form." ?!?!? Eggs are not supposed to form peaks. That's unnatural. And it's a ridiculously long process.

My mess :)  Don't they say that messy cooks/bakers are the best?

My masterpiece!

It turned out to be a fun process. What else was I going to do on a Saturday? Haha. It looks good...it tastes good. And I get to enjoy my most favorite cake. Now I am off to go clean my mess....

It's 2:00 Somewhere

I’m sitting at my desk, clacking away at my computer. I am up to my eyeballs in contract negotiations, sales slips, deposit letters, and marketing materials. It has been a busy day. A good day, but a busy one nonetheless. And then comes that time…

 

Maybe you can relate. There comes a point in every work day when you just seem to hit a wall. You know what I mean? That mid-afternoon wall where the energy from lunch has worn off and you can’t seem to focus any more. You could fall asleep right where you are, and we all know that would just be bad for business. For me in my office, at about the same time every day my boss and I start checking our clocks. Just a peek here and there. And then we start noticing each other check out the clock. And we both have the same thing on our minds. Happy Hour.

 

You know what I’m talking about. That happy little time of day when Sonic offers half-price drinks. That’s right- that 2 to 4 o’clock window when you can take a break from the lull of the afternoon to go in search for a heavenly pick me-up. And with 168,894 possible drink combinations, how can you resist? Small, Medium Large, Route 44…Lemon-Berry, Limeade, Raspberry Iced Tea, Ocean Water, Dr Pepper…and who can forget all those add-ins? And I don’t even have to say it, but when the drink of your choice is half-price and it comes with the most amazing ice ever invented by man…no wonder it is a happy hour.

 

So me, my boss, and our lovely intern became addicted to Sonic drinks over the summer. We frequent Sonic Happy Hour a lot. It's almost a daily thing in our office. It's the perfect mid-afternoon pick-me up. And although there are 168,894 drink combinations, our order is always the same: 1 large Dr Pepper (me), 1 large Diet Coke with Vanilla (Boss Bear), and 1 Coke with Cherry (Baby Bear). Half price. Amazing.

Please Pray for My Cousin

Today I went to see my cousin Jessica in the hospital. She has been sick all week and the doctors cannot figure out what is wrong. We do know that she has Osteomyelitis, an infection in the bone. But they don't know where it came from. They are baffled because nothing seemed to precipitate the infection; it's almost as if it just appeared. They have been running all kinds of tests to try to figure out what is going on. When I went to see her today, she seemed in good spirits. She is still in a lot of pain and wants to go home, but she was smiling and joking and even said she was feeling better. She will be having surgery tonight where the doctors will go in to where the infection is to see if they can identify it. Hopefully they will have a better idea of how to treat her. Please pray that the surgery goes well, that her fears will be calmed, and that the doctors will be able to determine what is making her so sick.

Midnight Chat and an Ice Cream Cone

I got home from spending a week in Los Angeles for another program on Saturday. My flight got in at midnight, and since my brother now lives in Dallas (yay!!!), he was able to pick me up.

[Quick side note: My brother now lives in Dallas because he is going to be starting classes in the fall at Dallas Baptist University. I am so proud of him for taking the step to move out on his own and start heading toward his goals/dreams. He will be studying kinesiology, and he is super excited about what God has planned for him! It has been such a blessing to see how much he has grown and matured over the last year. God is working in his heart and is molding him every day into the man he was created to be. I am such a proud older sister!!!]

Ok. So back to before…because I hadn’t had much sleep and was somewhat delirious, I got us turned around after leaving the airport and I didn’t know how to get home. LOL. Sad, I know. Anyway, long story short, because we went the long way home, we were able to talk and catch up, which was really awesome. He got to tell me about the exciting new things that were going on in his life- about making the move to Dallas, finally being on his own for the first time and what that feels like, etc. We stopped at a McDonald’s for ice cream cones and had the best of conversations. I got to vent to him about all the frustrations I had pent up from the past week, mainly my disappointment in people. It’s something that he is able to relate to, since he has dealt with people disappointing him a lot in recent months. It’s hard, because some people who disappoint us, we really should expect it because we can’t hold them to the same standard that we hold ourselves. And yet, it’s still seems just as disappointing when they do something out of character or even just outside of common decency and moral ethic.

It has had me thinking in recent days about how far away from moral integrity we as a society really are. A white lie or a lie by omission is no big deal anymore. You are labeled as judgmental or harsh if you point it out as a lie, no matter how small. People sacrifice their morals and integrity and don’t blink twice. The mentality of “win at all costs” is prevalent, and I have seen it on a whole new level in recent months. Despite the fact that the people who have recently disappointed me are not held to the same standard of righteousness, it still leaves me floored and wondering what the heck is going on. The fact that people can get away with the things they do, and there is nothing we can do…it’s the most irritating thing in the world. And for a period of time, it seems as though the bad guys win. Of course, in the end, I know they won’t. But by the world’s standards they do, and that is still a frustrating thing to watch and endure.

My brother pointed out to me how important it is that I am different in a world that accepts such a disregard for ethics and morality. Do people really look at me and see something different? Because if they don’t, then I have some serious re-evaluating to do. I am called to a higher standard…which includes praying for my enemies. I can’t tell you how hard it was to pray for my enemies this past week. And yet, God still asks me to. And so I pray for them. I surrender my life to the sovereign God of the universe, because He is ultimately in control, and has the final say in this world (thank goodness!). I commit my life to His ways and work toward becoming righteous and holy in His sight. Because it’s not until I do that that people can really see a difference. The light of His Son is the only thing that sets us apart in such a dark world.

Airport toll to pick me up at the airport...$2.00

Extra gas because I got us lost...$10.00

McDonald's Ice Cream Cones...$1.50

Chatting with my brother and gleaning from his wisdom...priceless :)

I Don't Like Being Sick

So I have been sick for the past 3 days and it has been no fun. I finally went to the doctor today and found out I got hit twice: I have an upper respiratory infection and a stomach virus. Isn't that nice? Not only did I have to go off and get sick...I had to go off and get doubly sick. Haha. Blah.

 

My poor dog feels so neglected. She can't understand why I have been home the past 3 days and not wanted to play with her. She gives me the most pathetic looks, like "Mom, what's wrong? Why don't you want to play? Let me lick your face and make it all better." LOL. Gotta love her...

 

So, I have decided that being sick without my mom around is a bummer. I am 23 years old, sick, and just want my mommy. LOL. I can't help it. I have had a few people here offer to help...which I appreciate so much. But somehow, it's just not the same. Having mom 5 hours away made me realize that I am a real adult now. Why it took me this long (and me getting sick) to realize this, I don't know. Maybe I am just missing family. I am obviously completely capable of taking care of myself; it's just that I would rather mom take care of me when I am sick. There's just something about having mom around that seems to make you feel better.

 

So here's to you mom. For all you did when I was a kid to make me feel better. For staying up late with me, for rubbing my tummy, for holding my hair back, for knowing just the right things to make me feel better. Moms go unthanked for things like that...so thank you, mom.