Thanksgiving..Day 1

I cannot say enough about how wonderful my Thanksgiving(s) were this year. The day started out perfect. I got off work and got a short nap before meeting Jared for coffee. We lingered at Starbucks for an hour or so before heading to his Grandma's house. It was nice soaking up that quiet time with the man that has stolen my heart.

Then the festivities began..

We stopped at his Grandma's house for a little bit and visited then it was off to Uncle Pete's house. We walked up to the door and were greeted by this sign:

For whatever reason I found this hilarious.

The table was set in the dining room and I swear, it was right out of a Martha Stewart magazine! :

It was beautiful.

Pete was slaving away in the kitchen while the rest of us relaxed outside on the patio. Once we sat down to dinner I was sure something disasterous would happen. I mean.. a table full of glass objects and open flame? That has potential written all over it. Much to my surprise (and Jared's) I didn't flub up. I didn't catch the table on fire by knocking over a candle. I didn't spill my wine and destroy the beautiful tablecloth. I didn't drop the bowl of mashed potatoes on the floor. There was one moment where I needed gravy but I didn't ask for it right away. You see, the gravy had already been passed and I had a little but I wanted some for my turkey. I actually waited an additional 5 minutes before asking Jared to pass it to me. I knew the first time had gone without mishap and I was afraid I wouldn't be so lucky the second time. I had an interior debate on how much I actually needed more gravy. In the end I asked for it, poured it and gave it back. Easy as that! Wow!

After dinner we sat around and chatted more, watched a little football and sipped on coffee. I shared my Caramel Apple Pie recipe with Aunt Allison. There was a ton of laughter and light-hearted chit chat. It was a beautiful day with people that I love like my own family. I am so thankful for each of them. They have opened their hearts and homes to me. I am truly blessed!

The Cutest Couple Ever:


Matt (Jareds brother) and his Girlfriend, Lisa

Kasey and Michael (Cousins)

Allison and Pete

Kara

Unfortunately I didn't get pictures of a few people :( Next time I will!

Coffee, Starbucks and Holiday Goodness

Over the years I've learned to enjoy a good cup of coffee. It started with breakfast at Denny's with my brother, Brian. I watched him add a packet or two of sugar and I asked if that made it taste better. His reply: "Not really. Now it just sort of tastes like dirt w/ a little bit of sugar in it". I'd venture a taste here and there but really started to dive into the real stuff when my best friend, Jessica, and I would go for occasional coffee dates or drink a "cup of joe" while hanging out at her house. I developed her philosophy of having a little bit of coffee with my creamer.

Coffee dates with Jessica have continued and I love them. It is priceless time with my best friend and her little ones. We frequent Big Apple Bagels because the Starbucks in ramona leave a little to be desired.. being in a grocery store and all.

I always found it amazing when someone walked into Starbucks and the Barista or Counter person would know their name and drink of choice. I mean really? You go to that particular Starbucks that often? So often that you get your very own Cheers-like "NORM!" greeting? Wow. Someone needs to get out more.

Jared and I frequent the same starbucks atleast twice a week. We meet there before date nights or church. A couple weeks ago it happened. The lady at the counter, Glenda, acknowledged us by name. Oh.Dear.God. She knows our names! Maybe it is time to find a new starbucks...

On a side note, if you don't live near a starbucks(is that possible these days?) or don't have the time to see your favorite Starbucks employee, check out this holiday goodness at your local grocery store:

Wow..

I just finished making, delivering and cutting the cake for the Grand Opening of the new Ramona Station 82. The cake was a huge success. On a whim I came back home, grabbed some business cards and set them on the desk in the stations' office. One of the slick firefighters decided to put them on the table by the cake. I probably took about 10-15 cards with me and there were none left when I came home. Crazy! One of the Battalion Chiefs asked me to make a couple cakes for their Union Hospitalty Night that is coming up December 5th.

I feel honored that people from work are hiring me to do these cakes. It is one thing to bake cookies and brownies for them but it is a whole other ball game when it comes to designing and making these cakes. I put my heart into each one and it is nice to get positive feedback.

I am definitely blessed.

I'm Struggling

16 lbs still to go.. I feel like I have been stuck at this forever. I'm on the verge of giving up. Never in my life have I been a quitter. But do I have the fight left in me? Do I have the drive to keep going? I'm not so sure anymore. I'm struggling with the having the time to work out. I'm ignoring the healthy choices on the menu and going for the good stuff. What has changed? Part of me just wants to take a week and work out like a mad woman like they do on the Biggest Loser. Maybe lose that 16 pounds in one week.

Now.. before you all start yelling at me about healthy weight loss.. I dont actually plan on losing 16 pounds in one week! That definitely wouldn't be smart. It would just be easy..

I'm not sure where my motivation has gone and I am disappointed in myself for slacking off. I still get in one, maybe two good workouts a week but that's not enough to bring off the pounds.
I don't want to hear the cliche's about "don't focus on the pounds, focus on the inches" or "focus on the healthy lifestyle and not the weight loss". Yah.. I get that. That doesn't change the goal I set 10 months ago that I have not achieved. Grrr

Balboa Park

I can't even remember the last time I went to this place. I've forgotten how truly beautiful the park is. Plus, being there with Jared made it even better!

First stop was the San Diego Railroad Museum. This place is amazing. The detail the put into the trains and "communities" they travel through is simply unbelieveable. We tried to get as many pictures of that detail as possible. From tiny little hikers on the sife of the mountain to people sitting on the train reading magazines to an itty bitty preacher standing in front of a pipe organ in the little white church.

Yes folks, that's a dinosaur...
This guy gets a cool button! He gets to play w/ toy trains all day long! How fun would that be!

From there we walked around looking at the gorgeous buildings, walkways etc. We stopped at the Koi pond and watching these little guys swim around. There was a young family near us and we were their captive audience for a good 10 minutes. Their little girl was adorable and asked some of the funniest questions.

As we made our way back to where we started, Jared uttered words that I had been dreading. "Let's go do some of the science stuff". My immediate thoughts: "awwwww man! It's my day off and I have to do something slightly educational? Boring!". But being the perfect good girlfriend that I am, I went along with the idea. We headed into the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center. Oh.my.goodness. That place there can be hours of fun! Jared and I were seriously like kids in there. We were especially captivated by the San Dunes Machine, Tornado Maker and the contraption that looked like a giant Pin Ball machine.

It was a fun afternoon indeed.

Changing it Up!

As much as I love my cake blog and how it shows off my many creations, it gets a tad boring. I haven't done many cakes recently but I bake constantly. Pretty much daily. So I decided to change it just a bit. I'm starting to add recipes and pictures of other treats I make.

I've always wanted to make up my own recipe. While at work last night (and watching the 12 hours tick v-e-r-y slowly by) a couple different ideas popped into my head. I'm hoping they work out so I can call them my very own. Stay tuned to the Candid Cake Lady blog to find out what those recipes are.