What I've Been Up To

It's been a long time since I've posted anything to this blog. A really, really long time. I've missed blogging about the cakes I've made but for about 2 1/2 years, there were no cakes that I made! So what was I up to for that time? Let's see... I quit my full time job with a health insurance company to take another full time job with a medical clinic. It's been great - I've met a lot of really cool people and learned a lot of really valuable skills. I credential doctors now, which is kind of awesome and has kept me in a constant state of stress and learning. I know that, to most people, that sounds terrible but I seriously love what I do and the people that I work for. They're all awesome. But - with a constant state of stress and learning comes a constant state of anxiety and insomnia. Sometimes it's seriously hard to deal with every day life when you're running on two or three hours of sleep. Despite how fulfilling and challenging and great my new daytime gig is, in addition to being a wife and mom, there was just something missing. I got into a rut of getting up, taking the kids to school, going to work, picking the kids up, coming home, feeding said kids and going to bed without ever feeling like I was really doing anything. That's a seriously sucky feeling. So fast forward to January of this year when I got a Facebook message from my friend, Greg. He said, "So I understand you can make awesome cakes. At least that's what Ricky (my hubs) has said. How much for this one?" In the next second a huge, four-tiered super hero monstrosity of a cake appeared in the message window and my heart stopped. I told him I'd retired. I told him I'd gone into retirement and gotten rid of most of my stuff. I told him I didn't think I'd be able to make it. Then I told him I'd dig around in the attic and see if I could find some of the things I'd need and make it for him. After all, his birthday wasn't until April. Surely I could pull something together by then, right? Well.... I did. He chose a Justice League meets Avengers style cake and asked for Batman, Superman, Captain America and Thor on his cake. So I dusted off the pans, dug out my favorite hat to bake in, found an apron and went to work. It took me somewhere between 30 and 50 hours to do it from start to finish... I was pretty rusty, after all. But I pulled it off. Of course I can see the flaws in it. Anyone who has ever watched CakeBoss or Ace of Cakes can probably see the flaws in it. Overall, though, I was really happy with the end result. What I'm even more happy with is that it was the boost I needed to come out of retirement and start taking cake orders again. Since then I've made about a dozen cakes for people, not counting the two that I'm working on this week. I go to bed tired. I go to bed sore. I go to bed much later than anyone with a full time day job should. But I go to bed happy and feeling like I've accomplished something. I'd forgotten how much baking truly is the best therapy for me. And man, it's great to be back! I've also adopted a kitchen assistant, Amanda, in the process and I'm sure you'll hear a lot more about her as my blog grows. She's fun and witty and creative and has the cutest baby boy, Lucas. He doesn't know it yet, but I'll be putting him to work some day, too. So - without further ado - here is the cake that brought me out of retirement. I'll always love Greg for giving me the boost I needed to come out of retirement and pick back up the hobby I love so much!