Ahoy!

Oh my long lost baking blog. How long it has been.

Things have been absolutely CRAZY lately... Peter Pan is in 8 days!! It's been quite a taxing few months; growing pains and learning curves and all those lovely things that are excessively uncomfortable but yield that important stuff.... what's that called? Oh right, "life experience". Bah.

Highs and lows have become a commonality in my life as of late. It's very exhausting.

Amidst all of this.. I made time to create a little masterpiece for one of my very best friends: my Mom. She's been with me every step of the way.

We recently took a little excursion to Edmonton so I could attend my DMS interview. It was a quick 6 hour drive followed by an epic tale of woe... being lost in Central Alberta is NOT our idea of adventure. We finally made it to our hotel and, after getting lost on Kingsway Ave about 8 different times, managed to find NAIT and a Moxies!

We got to go to the Kingsway Mall before my interview and go meet my MAC counter girls and had a lovely breakfast. Then... it was time. My mom sat outside and read a paperback the whole time. Meanwhile I was sprinting station to station, racking my brain for the best way to approach each mini interview. (For those who don't know, NAIT has switched from panel interviews to MMI, or multiple mini interviews. They present you with 8 different scenarios and you have 5 minutes to respond to each one. Most of these questions have absolutely nothing to do with the profession at all.)

On our drive home, time flew by. Of course we always made sure our Double Gulps were full of Diet Pepsi... and then I had a hankering for an Oreo Cheesecake Blizzard. Oh yum.

We spent the time reminiscing about places we used to live, people we used to know, outdated perspectives.... It always amazes me how many stories one person can have. My mom was so wonderfully supportive the entire time. As I reflected on how grateful I was... I recalled other times in my life where she has been there for me. I realized what a blessing it was to have parents who will take time to be there for you. What a treat it was to spend that time with my mom!

This past mother's day was an especially happy occasion. If anyone knows Carmen, you know she has a borderline unhealthy love of caramel.... and so I set off to find the most caramelly dessert I could. I ended up with caramel cakes with a solid caramel filling, caramel cream cheese frosting and fresh praline.

It was my first time making praline, as well as using a candy thermometer. It was quite an adventure.



The cake turned out beautifully... and judging by my mom's reaction she loved it too.

This reminds me.... my ACTUAL present for Mother's Day (and her card) are still up in my room. Sheesh.

Anyways. I just wanted to say thank you to my mom, Carmen. You are a wonderful blessing to me. My burdens are lighter because of you, and I wouldn't be who I am today without you. Cheers to you mom, you're the best.

*cracks a Diet Pepsi*