On cake decorating and friendship

I absolutely love to bake. And decorate cakes. There will never be a birthday that Anabell won't have a cake made from me. I really pride myself on the love and warmth that I put into such a craft, it really is wonderful to see the shocked looks on people's faces. I taught myself how to decorate, because I had to. I was working at a Cold Stone Creamery, where we made ice cream cakes. We had to ganache and buttercream, spray paint, and of course write... since then I've taught myself how to fondent and do what Looks like fondent but it tastes a WHOLE lot better.

I'm so terribly excited, because I have the honor of making Marlee's first birthday cake EVER! (sort of... she had a smaller one last weekend, but I'm making her party cake! That counts, right?) Anyway, I've whipped up the first half of the cake, I am SO excited to make it! It's going to be a hoot! (It's an owl cake)

Anyway, I just love to make people smile, and food has a tendency to do that. Which brings me to my original reason of posting: My very best friend in the whole wide world ever, Michelle.

Truth be known, by rule or logic, we should hate each other. But we absolutely love each other and I'd have it no other way. We met over food. Well, after I ran away from her but that's a different story on a different day. We went to Zio's for dinner, which happens to be our "back up" restaraunt, these days when she's in the COUNTRY, but enough rambiling. She's my very best friend.

It's such a crazy friendship, and it's had it's ups and downs (mostly my fault), but we totally got through it, and really put our noses to the grind stone and forgave each other, and worked THROUGH things. To me, that is what a true friendship is. One where you cry until you laugh, or laugh until you cry. Where you can pick up over seas via skype and feel like it was just yesterday, where she comes home from Leeds the DAY before I deliver, just to say hello, jet lagged and all...

Gosh, I miss her. The past few years have been intense for Michelle. She's been traveling the world, you see. First she taught at a school here in Houston just to pay her way through her master's degree in Leeds. While she was there she traveled all over the place, came home for two weeks, traveled all over the US during that time, met Anabell, and went to go serve in the peace corps in the Ukraine! Man, oh man. I'm suffering some serious starbucks losses without her. 

I love you, Michelle. I'm proud of you. I miss you like hell, but I know that the peace corps is just totally right for you, right now. You're so happy, it'd be crazy for you not to be there! You deserve the most happiness in the world, and more. Thank you for being my rock, even if that meant sometimes getting me stuck in between that hard place at times. I love our crazy friendship, silly jokes, and nights of tears. You are absolutely wonderful. I really, really miss you, though. <3

XOXO