There is a Hole in my Stomach

It is gaping. I have a stomach ache of emotions. It feels icky.

I knew it wouldn't be all fun and games when I decided to move away. I mean, come on, I have a good life going on here and it is ALL changing. Let me remind you that I have a strained and terrible relationship with change. We are pretty much enemies. I hate change, always have. So needless to say, this is a huge challenge for me. I really feel deep down that I am making the right decision and I know I have to remind myself of that and try to stay positive and motivated but it is difficult sometimes. Not everyone is on board, there are stressful decisions to make, emotions are high.

Truth is, I sometimes feel like people are mocking me. That they think this is all a joke, some fluke decision to do something exciting. It is disappointing and pretty hard not to take it personally. I am trying to harness that into more motivation to kick major ass over there and prove to people that this is real and I will be successful.

Looking at the next two months, it makes me sick to see how fast they will fly by. I have to consciously  tell myself not to over think things. I am the girl who will freak out about all the "lasts". Last trip to the bay with Taylor, last late night Frostie's run for ice cream, last night in the apartment...blah blah. The list could go on forever.

Bottom line is, I have to stay positive and motivated and take everything in stride. One year will fly by and I will be back and armed with some wicked pastry skills before I know it.

US Navy Cake

With Veteran's day just recently passing, it made me think about all the men, women and families who make some of the biggest sacrifices to serve and protect our country. The self-sacrifice is startling. You can't help but respect these people. Remember to thank them when you see them and remain humble because freedom sometimes comes at a price. Be thankful.

A co-worker of mine asked me to make her a cake for her husband. He serves in the Navy and his ship is half way through their deployment. The wives and families celebrate with a "halfway home" party. I hope they enjoyed it and had a great time celebrating this halfway marker.

All Packed Up & Ready to go!

Taylor is ready for the trip!!

Everyone Deserves a Lifetime

There are so many lives that are cut short by cancer. It is a trying, terrible and unmerciful disease. I have the privilege of being able to stand up and do something about it. This past weekend I completed my second Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure. 60 miles in 3 days for 1 goal - a cure to cancer.

I take a stand for those who can't. I walk for those who can't. I do what I can to help those who need it most. San Diego alone raised over 9 million dollars that will go to finding a cure, supporting people who are suffering from cancer, raising awareness, giving out free mammograms and other preventative measures. Because of this money and the efforts of foundations like Susan G. Komen, the survival rate of people who catch the cancer in it's early stages is an astonishing 98%. That is progress.

We might not have a cure just yet, but each step and each dollar raised helps us get just that much closer. Closer to a world without breast cancer. Everyone deserves a full life with more birthdays, more milestones and more moments. This experience is one of a kind. Not only is it moving and inspiring, it is also always a weekend of fun with my friends and family. I am so proud to be a part of this program and can't encourage you enough to look into it. There are 14 walks throughout the country. Is there one in your city? What about a city you have always wanted to see? It is a great way to tour the city. If you are thinking about it and have questions, let me know! I am happy to answer questions and support you on your 3 day journey.

Stand for something. Make a difference.

And have fun doing it :)

3 Days!

There are three days left before the 3 day breast cancer walk starts on Friday morning. It came so fast, I hope I am ready. Today my mom and I are hosting a fundraiser in OC at one of our favorite pizza restaurants. If you are in the area (ha!) stop on in for some good food! 20% of your bill will go to our breast cancer walk!

Remember, everyone deserves a lifetime.

Chocolate Banana Cream Pie

MMM, is your mouth watering? It should be. I had to recover from a food coma from Mike's dad's birthday dinner the other night. I brought this incredibly delicious pie for dessert but first, we had Thanksgiving come early. Mike's mom made us an incredible feast for dinner! Everything from honey ham to stuffing and mashed potatoes. It was so good and I am already excited for more next week. (fat kid at heart).

The weekends always go by so quickly.  I savor the weekends with my family and friends. It is as carefree as it gets these days. Sunday, I spent most of my day constructing a chocolate banana cream pie. It takes more effort than I thought.

I started with making pie crust. Let it rest, then baked it.

Made the pastry cream. Let it cool.

Made the chocolate moose. Let it cool.

Made the whipped cream.

Made the chocolate curls. (they looked more like rough shavings oops).

Sliced the bananas and put it all together.  See, step by step.

Last but not least, we devoured it.

All of it.

yum.




RECIPE:


Crust. I used a different recipe but don't have it with me at the moment (sorry!) but dearest Martha has a great and similar recipe. Get it here. 


Cream.

3 cups whole milk

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 egg yolks, slightly beaten

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Scald (medium heat until it barely begins to bubble) the milk in a medium saucepan. 

In another saucepan, combine sugar, flour and salt. Slowly, add the scaled milk into the flour mixture. Turn the burner to medium heat and stir constantly until it gets thick (about 5 minutes). Once it is thickened, cover the mixture with a lid and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, have the 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten, ready; stir a small amount of the hot mixture into beaten yolks; when thoroughly combined, stir yolks into hot mixture. Take off the heat and mis in the butter and vanilla until smooth. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Moose.

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

1 1/2 cups whipping (heavy) cream

Beat egg yolks in your stand mixer until fluffy and has a "lemon" yellow color. This take about 3 minutes. Gradually beat the sugar into the egg yolks. Heat 1 cup whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat until hot. Gradually stir at least half of the hot whipping cream into egg yolk mixture; stir back into hot cream in saucepan. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (do not boil). Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, just until chilled. Once you are ready to build you pie, whipped up the remaining whipping cream and gently fold the whipped cream into your chocolate mixture. 

Build it. 

Bake your crust and let it cool completely.


Slice 3 bananas up and place around the bottom of the pie crust.


Spread your pastry cream over the bananas.


Spread your chocolate moose over your pastry cream.


Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings (if you like!)

Took my Iphone for a walk

Everything is so beautiful and fresh around these parts lately. The air is crisp, the sun is still shinning and everything is showing off their pretty colors. I went walking a few days ago in OC (my 3 day breast cancer walk is in 9 days!!) and decided to take some pictures along the way. I find it really easy to overlook the beauty of everything around you on a daily basis but when you really stop (cliche, I know) and take a minute to look around at the details - you will be amazed.

I love my cities. San Diego and Orange County for different reasons but they are both gorgeous places that I am lucky enough to call "home". I can't ever complain about living here. Where would you all live if you could pick anywhere?? I think in the end, I would still pick San Diego.

Fall = Pumpkin Spice

This is completely off topic but have you ever watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition? Did you cry? This show is so ridiculously amazing and sad at the same time. I am watching it right now and these people really put it in perspective. They have it tough, and they continue to shine everyday. They deserve these beautiful homes!

Anyway, this is my post about my love for pumpkin spice anything. I made some pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese filling and also baked it in a loaf of bread with the cream cheese spread. I brought them to work and they seemed to vanish almost immediately. I love when people love my treats. 

Check out the blog where I found the recipe! Super cool San Diego food blog.

Fill in the Blank Friday

I love linking up with Lauren at The Little Things for her Friday fill-in's. I wish I remembered to do it more often but, I do what I can. Today it is p-o-u-r-i-n-g rain here in San Diego. Not normal for us, so naturally we all freak out, drive terribly, get sick because we wear rainbow sandals in spite of the downpour, and decide the only thing to do in the rain is put on sweats and watch a Harry Potter marathon with some hot cocoa. We survive.

I have the privelege of having to work for the next 5 hours in the dark, outside and in the rain. Strep throat, here is your golden opportunity to strike! Eek, not excited in the least.

Here are the fun fill ins. You should join the movement :)

1.   My favorite thing about this week was/is     having time to have breakfast with Mike 3 times this week before we went to work. Corner Bakery probably thinks we are stalking them   .

2.   Colder weather makes me   awkward. i don't have the close for it. my hair goes to frizztown, and i start shivering at about 57 degrees. not cool      .

3.  Three things that make me terribly happy as of late are    1. the pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling i made. yum! 2. my flight to Paris is officially booked! AH! 3. my two fav co-workers in history - chantel and manda...i would die without them   .

4. If I could only wear one kind of shoe for the rest of my life, I'd choose    rainbow sandals. hands down.   .

5.  My personality type is    two complete opposites in a constant battle. I literally am half extrovert, social, fun, ambisious as can be, explorer and then half timid, shy, awkward, quite, unsure. it is an epic battle and it drives me insane! ugh, maybe one day one will shine through and stay that way..

6.  I have a serious problem resisting     chocolate and any form of ice cream. i have no chance against them  .

7.  My favorite color to wear is    blues, teals and browns  .

PS - the forcast for tomorrow is... SUNNY! ah, the world will be right once again.

UPDATE: Paris

My flight is booked. I will be boarding a plane at LAX on February 2nd at 3:30pm with my momma. Thank goodness for my mom coming with me. I would probably lose it if I was flying alone. I flew by myself when I studied abroad in Spain and it was the most nerve racking experience ever. I was a h.o.t.m.e.s.s. for sure. My mom is coming with me for a whole MONTH! Amazing, right? She has never been to Europe so I think she will just LOVE it. I am really excited for her to get this experience just as much as me. Thanks for coming, mom! I love you!!

Back at home, my incredible superman of a father will be taking care of my siblings and extended family while my mom (who is usually running around like crazy helping everyone) is gone on holiday. I can NOT thank my dad enough for everything is has done for me. He is so incredibly supportive and I love him more than I could ever express. He is hands down the best dad in this world. Thank you for everything!

For today, I am going to work (I am writing this to procrastinate going there) and then coming home to hang out with Miguel and wrestle with Taylor who has an unimaginable amount of energy. I took her on a 5 mile walk yesterday - the girl was still running around like a maniac afterwards. Ridiculous.

I got a lot of quality pinning done last night. Here are some photos from my Pinterest binge.

Enjoy your day! :)