What a wonderful Christmas Ross and I had in Mi. We loved our time spent with family and friends, although we both received a horrible cold (flu for Ross) as a welcome home present. Ross felt terrible from Dec. 24-26. Such a bummer.

I didn't take any pictures, of which I'm terribly disappointed in myself, but had just such a good time going for multiple runs and walks with my family, going to many many parties, and getting coffee with a few friends.

Now I'm really looking forward to New Years. I don't know why, but there is something so cleansing about this date for me. I love what it symbolizes, and I love the recommitment to working on myself. I also really love this new year's questionnaire and find myself filling it out year after year... onward 2011!

1. What did you do this year that you've never done before?

- Ran a marathon

- Took classes for fun (cake decorating)

- Been turned down for jobs. I'm thankful for this; it opened my eyes a little bit.

- Created a working budget and KEY - Following it

2. Did you keep your New Year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I had to go into my journal to check what my actual resolutions were - a pretty good sign that I probably did not fulfill them.

- Stop exaggerating: I don't know if I even consciously worked on this one, but I know I did work on watching what I said. I remember writing this because I had a nasty habit of doing this, and it really is a type of lie even though it does make for a much better story.

- Stop being critical of others: I did work on this one! I found that the less critical I was of others, the more happier I was with myself. I read a fantastic book this fall called "The Happiness Project" (more about this later as I will be creating my own happiness project this year) that really emphasizes that one way of being okay with yourself was being okay with others. Helped a lot in this area for me.

- One date a week: Nope, but we need to reinstate this, because dates are fun.

- Find a hobby/organization for 1 night a week: While in Grand Rapids, we were volunteering at Guiding Light Missions 1 Wednesday a month. We loved serving dinner there. I would love to find something like that in Cincinnati; so yes, we sorta did that resolution.

- Follow the Sonoma Diet: This lasted maybe 2 days.

- Exercise most days, including stretching: Yes, especially with that marathon this fall.

I will of course be making some resolutions for this year, but haven't really thought about them yet, other than creating my own happiness project. That will probably be enough, as this project covers multiple resolutions each month of the year. This is a completely different blog post though.

3. Any new births this year?
Yes. Many friends and cousins had children this year. It's hard to remember everyone because there was seriously that many.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My grandma died in April, but this was such a blessing. She was suffering.

5. What countries did you visit this year?
None :(

6. What would you like to have in the next year that you lacked this year?
This year was really developmental; we learned a ton. I'm thankful for the challenges, but wouldn't mind some stability. On top of that, perhaps a house? A dog? A kid? Possibilities are endless in 2011.

7. What dates from this year will remain etched upon your memory - and why?
Gosh, I have a certain love affair with dates, so there are many:

March 11: Ross got a call with a job offer

March 17: Ross left me for 13 weeks

Oct. 17: Marathon
Nov. 1: Started my new job

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting recognized as an educator. I was 1/15 finalist for the Excellence in Teaching Award in the middle school category from our company (67 schools worth)

9. What was your biggest failure of the year?

Moving to a new city and not being as outgoing as I had envisioned myself.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No. So thankful.

11. What was the best thing you bought this year?
Our new car. I didn't realize how important it really was until I got a job in Toledo and needed serious transportation reliability.

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Even if I could pinpoint a specific person, this would not be the place to disclose this.

13. Where did most of your money go this year?
Ross's student loans.

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about this year?
Moving to Cincinnati!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? Happier
- richer or poorer? Richer
- thinner or fatter? Probably thinner

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
This is an ongoing battle with myself, but not being afraid to do things, meet people, be uncomfortable.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Being afraid to do things, meet people, be uncomfortable

20. How did you spend the holidays?
In Grand Rapids, with our families

21. Did you fall in love this year?
I fall in love every year. I am a lucky woman.

22. How many one-night stands did you have this year?
15, er... I mean, none.

23. What was your favorite TV program for the year?
We had a brief love affair with "Curb your Enthusiasm", but my favorite was "The Tudors"

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate is a strong word; however, now that my circle of 'people I happen to know' has expanded, there are a select few I don't particularly care to spend time with.

25. What was the best book you read this year?
Best? I couldn't possibly choose, but here are my recommendations from 2010:

-A Walk in the Woods

-Help

-Breakfast at Tiffanys

-The Bonesetter's Daughter

-1,000 White Women

-The 13th Tale

-The Boleyn Inheritance

-The Constant Princess

-The Life of Pi

-The Happiness Project

-Born to Run

-A Reliable Wife

-The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

26. What was your favorite film of the year?
I'm not a huge "go to the movies" buff, but I suppose I dragged Ross out to see Eclipse

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept this year?
Casual Office?

28. Whom did you miss this year?
I miss my parents every day, I miss a lot of my friends from Knapp, I miss Shelly, Kerin, my college girlfriends...

29. Who was the best new person you met this year?
I really love my small group at church - I get excited to see them on Sundays

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned for this year.
God does not work in our timetables, but he does work for our good. He is faithful even when we feel faithless.

Last Saturday, Ross and I discovered yet another hidden treasure of Cincinnati: Trader's World.

We started out the day by going to Cincinnati's Premium Outlet for some good Christmas deals... and it certainly didn't disappoint. We cashed in with some dress shirts for Ross for only 15 dollars each (and of course he is a weird size - too skinny for "Big and Tall" so this was a real treat to find shirts that fit him), and 3 pairs of 110 dollar dress shoes for a grand total of 60 dollars. A-mazing. We also scored for other people - but I'm certainly not going to divulge about those purchases here.

THEN - we serendipitously came across Trader's World. Okay, let me back up by saying that I've known about this place for awhile. It's hard not to; I drive I-75 every week and this eye sore is right off the highway, complete with fake palm trees and 15 foot giraffes. I never knew any details about it though because I honestly never thought we'd go, but... like I said, we stumbled upon it on our way home taking the back roads.

Okay, we thought, why not. It's snowing, we're bored, let's go. So indeed, this is what we did. The picture is an example of what Trader's World would look like from an aerial view... Basically you are looking at 14+ storehouses of.... stuff. So we rolled in, not quite sure what we were getting into, paid our 2 dollars and entered.

Within 3 minutes of walking through building 1, Ross commented that this was like an alternate universe. Within those short moments, we realized that we were in a huge, antique, junk, knock off, and some useful items garage sale where one was free to eat ice cream, drink beer, and barter with salespeople. Rules simply did not apply in Trader's World; it was awesome.

Another successful road trip with an outcome that can only be described as, my dad's dream Saturday afternoon. We missed out, Dad, next time... next time.

The Day My Family Came to Town...

So my family graciously came down to Cincinnati (which was really nice of them because I am SICK of traveling!) for Thanksgiving weekend. We had a great time; ate a lot for Thanksgiving dinner, played some good games and explored Cincinnati a little bit. On Black Friday (of which we did not participate) we decided to go to Eden Park.

We started at the conservatory (seriously one of my favorite places). It was pretty cold out, so this was appreciated.

Derek and I in the orchid room. By the way, Derek, I think you took my scarf home...

Dad was missing his greenhouse days. I

really think he should create something like this... you'd be good at it, Dad! Huizinga Floral recreated.

This is at the overlook. As you can see, it was a gorgeous day, but I had some under prepared people on my hand because everyone was complaining about how cold it was. After a brief walk, we wandered into the Art Museum(also at Eden Park) and spent some time looking at...well, art.

Ross was working this day, in case you wondered where he was in these photos... We picked him up at lunch time and had some happy hours deals at McCormicks.

After dinner, we went to the Tree Lighting Ceremony downtown. It was suppose to start at 7, so by 7:20, my again - under prepared family, was complaining of the cold, so we decided to leave. Wouldn't you know it? The tree was lite by 7:24 and fireworks right after. Bummer!

Saturday, we began the day by going for a Christmas Walk in Bellevue, KY. They had a really cute little shopping area and we just had fun scanning the shops. We even met Santa and Mrs. Claus, although they were less than enthusiastic to take their picture with us.

Afterwards, we picked up some lunch and headed to the zoo. I was really excited because I've been wanting to go for awhile now, but just never had a good reason to go. It was pretty neat, but a lot of exhibits were down, which was disappointing. I usually love going to the zoo when it's cold because the animals are much more active then (example - the tigers were hilarious; stalking every other and such) but apparently this means that Cincinnati Zoo closes some animal viewings. Oh well.

PNC was hosting a Festival of Lights there, so once it got dark, there was thousands of lights all over the zoo. It was really beautiful.

Ross tried to high five this gingerbread lady, and she missed, so insisted on getting a picture with Ross. Ross was concerned about her eagerness to be with him... He claims she is patting his rear here, but I don't believe him...

Overall, it was a really fun weekend and I'm thankful that they took the time off of work to come down and hang out with us. We really enjoyed having you, Mom, Dad, and Derek!

Thanksgiving

I cannot believe it's December 1 and it's snowing... I love the seasons, I'm just shocked at how quickly they change!

Ross and I really enjoyed having my family down to Cincinnati over the long weekend. We ate a lot and did a lot of activities that we wouldn't necessarily do (the tourist spots and whatnot). I have some pictures to share from that weekend, but not the time to do so, so here is just a shot of something I love: food!

Remember that day we went camping? It was fun...

Ross conned me into backpacking. Let me backup by saying - I really love hiking. I love it. I love being outdoors, I love feeling my blood pump through my veins, I love thinking about how vast and beautiful creation is - but, I do not like hiking in the dark and I do not like being lost. So when Ross commented that he wanted to go backpacking the following weekend, as it would be sunny and 70s, I said, "Sure! But I want to camp in a campground (even if it's a backpacking one) and I don't want to hike in the dark." I thought those 2 stipulations were pretty clear - so we planned our trip. It started out great - just the perfect day. Ross had found a state park lovingly referred to as 'The Little Smokey Mountains'.

Here's my hubby. He is just so cute here! Totally in his element - he loves backpacking.

I'm still feeling good here. However, I am starting to realize why this park had its little nickname - the trail is either going up or going down. It's a constant mountain climb. Which is fun for the most part - but difficult packing.

Then came the meltdown. I admit it; after hiking for 3 hours and the sun totally down and no campsite near, I was freaking out. In retrospect, it's not the worse thing in the world to just camp where ever, but due to it being dark out (as we set up our tent with a flashlight), we didn't have a fire, therefore no dinner = Not a happy Megan. Once we got in the tent though, things looked up.

Cool things during the night. 1) I slept most of the night. I usually wake up at like 2 in the morning and then listen to the noises outside my tent and visualize being torn a part by a bear (have seen way too many 'When Nature Attacks" shows). 2) When I did wake up, it was 5:45 and I heard a pretty big trotting sound coming through the forest. I'm pretty sure it had to be a fox or coyote by the way it was running, but anyways - it ran right up to our tent and sniffed around the perimeter twice. Look at our tent... I could feel his nose on my feet! It was crazy!

In the morning, I felt so much better and was so happy that we had gone hiking.

Ross making coffee with our stove.

We decided to bypass the way we had come (too many hills) and took the horse trail for a couple of miles. It was so beautiful at 8 in the morning.

So we really did have a great trip.

I learned that I need to relax a little bit and be more spontaneous, and Ross learned to schedule our hikes better so that we're not walking in the dark. :)

God is Good

Lately I've been feeling a little overwhelmed with how good God is. How good he is with the little things that come up in day to day life - beauty and contentment, but even more amazed at the way that God universally 'holds the world in his palm' and how good the ultimate plan is.

I've been thinking of this on the small and grand scale of things.

In small terms, my immediate life. If I could turn back time to last year at this point, I could have never imagined we'd be where we're at. A year ago we were tired, and we were really scared. Law school loans started cashing in at 1,000 dollars a month and there was still no job in sight for Ross. He had driven out to several states at this point for interviews, just to be told months later (sometimes never) that they'd gone with another candidate. Ross was getting depressed and deeply rethinking his decision to go back to school, even when at the time, he felt confident that it was what God wanted him to do. I was tired of teaching. My third year was a mess - I was burned out and checked out. Even though my fourth year was better, that 3rd year still loomed in my mind and I felt just plain - negative. I felt like I was constantly living in future thoughts, upset that Ross wasn't working ("just get ANY job!"), and starting to give up on things. So we were a pretty pitiful couple - our marriage was never in jeopardy, if anything we clung to each other more - but we were sad and starting to lose interest in hope. When you lose hope, you just start to lose everything that might drive you to keep going.

BUT - I feel so blessed that when we started to give up, God didn't. I remember telling people that we just kept trusting in God for a job, but in the back of my mind, I was really questioning God - "I think I still trust in you - but it's getting harder to keep doing so!" When we got that call on March 11 about Ross's job, I felt like this huge hole had opened up in a dark sky and light was finally shining in. It was weird - I actually felt optimistic for the first time in a long, long time. Since March, we've moved into another state - which has been amazing. I didn't know how the whole move would go, but God has placed such comfort in our hearts that this is where we're suppose to be. Cincinnati feels like home. We've finally found a church family - 4 years of looking in Grand Rapids and the first Sunday we're down in Ohio we find the perfect church? What are the chances? Last month, I was looking for a job. I wasn't too upset about not finding one, although I had been close on several interviews and had even been offered one at a bank, but didn't feel it was right. I got a call from a former co-worker about a position in Toledo for an instructional coach/assessment writer for the same company I had worked for before. I didn't seek this position out, I didn't prepare rigorously for the interview - I just felt like this was right. Again - God goes opening up a door. This honestly is my perfect teaching job for this period in my life. Thanks, God, for giving Ross and I the perfect jobs! I am amazed that He has brought us here to do this work, and that he even cares about our everyday occupations.

On the larger scale, I've been reading Jeremiah for my devotions. Jeremiah is really scattered because a lot of the chapters aren't in chronological order, but since I've read Kings and Chronicles and the books leading up to Jeremiah, it's easier to see the chapters in context, but basically - Israel and Judah split up. God chosen people split, and although they each have okay kings at different times in the text, overall - they've completly forgotten the Exodus and how God delivered them from slavery and strife. Even if they do remember, and sometimes they do, they just don't care. As long as life is good - seemingly - they rely on themselves and what they want to do. We give Israel a lot of crap for this, but I see this in myself. When life is easy - I tend to not rely on God as much. Right now in my reading, Babylon is taking over the empire and taking the people into exile; the people have gone a 360 from slavery, freedom and power; back into slavery. At this point - Israel will never possess Jerusalem again. This is it. Jews today are still waiting, fighting, what have you about the holy land and emphasize that they should have possession of it. Their Messiah can't come until they do (which is why they don't accept Jesus as Christ. Literally - Jesus was suppose to be their King and take back Jerusalem for them).

What I guess I'm thinking about is THE story... and how when I look at it as a whole, it flows, it's alive, and God is the director of the movement. Israel was split up, conquered - time and time again until, under Roman rule, Jesus was born and fulfilled the prophesies that God had breathed into normal humans hundreds of years before. Jesus started a new development and Gentiles were accepted into God's plan for his people. Because of the emphasis put on evangelism, Christianity spread - into Europe. Like Israel, Christians split in the 1500s, leading the way for another diaspora into the new world, where people could live without persecution of faith. Which down the line, is where my relatives, coming from the Netherlands could pratice their reformed faith.... So through the hardships - which I shudder when I think about what ancient Israel, Jesus, early Christians, and reformers went through for their beliefs - God had a working plan and the coolest thing is that we are apart of that plan. We exist in that history.

So - I'm amazed. I'm amazed at what God does for me everyday; how he shows me that he has a plan for my life BUT I'm amazed even more at how he has a plan for this world and how I get to be apart of that plan. It's just very humbling to understand how mighty, how majestic, how good God really is.

A Good Saturday

Ross and I don't make a big commitment to house work for rental property. So even though I hate the "blah" color our apartment is painted or the disgusting carpet or the fact that the tub is nasty, in the back of my head I think "this is only temporary". However, we did come to the conclusion on Saturday that it was necessary to do a little house work because we were so cold getting out of bed that long underwear and gloves were a given outfit. The cause - old leaky windows; the solution - plastic wrap that shrink wraps the entire pane; the decision - it's only getting colder! So off we went to ACE Hardware for this project. I was highly skeptical that plastic wrap would really help the house retain heat and honestly? We have to use a hair dryer? Seemed a little too easy - but I'm a believer. It was fairly easy and now I sit at the computer able to type this morning because my fingers aren't blue.

After this ordeal, we decided to go to the conservatory and Eden Park. I wanted to take my friends there last week, but we just kinda ran out of the time. It was beautiful though and Ross and I really enjoyed it.

First room was the desert... Ross was in a "I don't feel like smiling" mood.




























They were having an orchid display. The room smelled amazing.



























They also had a bonsai exhibit - which I thought was really neat. Look at those plants - I love that they look like hundreds of year old trees. Amazing.




















Other pictures of interest were:

Dead Man's Fingers - ewwwwww!


























Various fruit trees - these are papayas and oranges.





















The waterfall. These reminding me of Fredrick Meijer Gardens in Michigan.




















After the conservatory, we walked to Mount Adams, which is the cutest little neighbor ever. At the top of the "Mount" was a good view of Cincinnati. After this, we were getting hungry, so went to a cute Italian restaurant and then drove around looking at houses (we are starting to house hunt - which is exciting). We ended the night watching a movie with homemade lattes (amazing). A good Saturday.

Girls Weekend and Food

I guess these 2 categories go together nicely because what is better than good friends and good food? Anyways, had the annual girls weekend in Cincinnati this year, which was so great to see everyone (although we really missed Laura). I feel like the lousy friend this year because did I take any pictures? No - I took one of Heidi stirring a huge bowl of chili and that's it. But regardless, we had a fun weekend in absolutely perfect fall weather. Festivities started Friday night when Ross and I picked up Heids from Dayton. We drove home, made chili and homemade bread bowls, and then walked to a local pub for a beer. Side note - I've decided that Ross and I need to start hanging out at local establishments more often. Good community feeling right there.

By late Friday night, Sarah and Lindsey had arrived and we enjoyed hot mulled wine and some good catching up. Saturday, Ross made apple pancakes (complete with homemade apple butter) and then we trekked off to Coffee Emporium... cute coffee shop. We then made the mandatory trip to Jungle Jim's because it's really just that cool and headed home for a bruschetta lunch. Afterwards we rested a bit, took a walk up to Alms Park, and then headed out for dinner. Dinner was "interesting". We experienced the worst customer service ever (which reminds me that I'll be writing a review of that place afterwards) but handled it well and got to laugh about it all night. Sometimes needless situations create the most humor in the aftermath. After dinner, we walked across the river into Kentucky and sat in Newport. Sunday was church and fall dinner. Although we did the Cincinnati activities, it was really great to see everyone and catch up on people's lives. Even though it's difficult sometimes, I'm so glad that we've been able to keep up the tradition of getting together once a year. Thanks, ladies - I had a great weekend with you all.

Other than that, it's been quiet in Cincinnati. I cooked a lot this summer and fall and am continuing to enjoy cake decorating. I made a great cake to celebrate my brother, Derek, and my birthdays last week when we were in town. Here's just a taste of what we've been enjoying the last few months:

Sourdough bread. I readily admit that Ross is the better baker between the two, but I liked how this loaf looked.

Everything Guac we made this summer in Ludington. Good thing we liked it because we had it for about 4 meals straight.











One pot wonder. Amazing pasta dish with buchamel (horribly wrong spelling) sauce.












Light summer bean salad with fresh corn cakes on the side.











Awesome enchilidas with adobe/chipotle peppers.










Mulder's homemade pizza.












My recipe for carrot cake muffins.













Birthday cake.

Marathon Recap

Sunday I ran a marathon, and it was an incredible experience. Not easy, not fun at times; but I wouldn't have changed a thing. Such an amazing 5 hours. True to Megan form, I'll make a list with a mile to mile recap of the event.

Mile 1: Crowded and Cold! (The start included the half marathoners and it was 36 degrees out!)

Mile 2: Had a cup of yellow gatorade on a completely empty stomach - not a good idea, see mile 5 and 6

Mile 3-4: Discovered that from now on, only grape gatorade would be offered. Stopped drinking gatorade all together.

Mile 5-6: Horrible side ache. Thought about "walking it out" but decided that only bad could come from stopping. Starting praying that it would go away.

Mile 7: Started feeling better - could it have been the gummy bears given out?

Mile 8: Had a GU and felt extremely relieved.

Mile 9-13: Feel euphoric. Flying through the woods. "Soul Meets Body" by Deathcab and "Making Movies" album by Dire Straits gives an extreme amount of pleasure, and I find that I'm -yes- having the time of my life. Charge up the hill at mile 12.


Mile 14-15: Pickle juice? Really?
Mile 16-17: Beautiful scenary along the Grand River. Perfect running weather. Starting to get bored though once noticing that this was going to be a really long section (think 8-9 miles on the same straightaway)


Mile 18-20: Turn into a small, sniffling baby. "My feet hurt! My legs hurt! I'm chaffing on my arm!" Even convinced myself that I deserved to walk. Walked about 6-7 times for a minute each. See my parents and remark with a quiver in my voice that "I don't think I can do this! I hit my wall!" Passing runner tells me not to 'hit the wall' but to give the wall a high five and say - Let's Go! Random stranger gives me a cherry jolly rancher (yes, yes - I took candy from a stranger) and suddenly, the world looks a little brighter. I decide to grow up and stop bitching. Make a decision that it's time to finish this race.


Mile 21: Orange wedges delight me.


Mile 22-24: Have gone into a somewhat yoga-like mentality. I don't feel anything anymore. Miles pass slowly, but this doesn't seem to matter nor register. I just keep chugging along.


Mile 24.5-25.5: Brother in law sees me and asks if I want company. "Okay" - sounds distracting - this could work. He talks, I listen. He runs in church clothes, I drag my feet along... I know he's making me run faster, and I know it's a good thing - I'll get done faster. At 25.5, he convinces me that I'll finish before 12:45. I've got that number in my head.


Mile 26: I see the mile marker. I think I may be imagining it.


Mile 26.1: My brother runs out of the crowd and starts video taping me. Thought it was cool for 2.4 seconds until he started asking me questions. I tell him to stop pacing me and go away.


Mile 26.2: I see the finish line. I see the timer - 4:44:50... I've got to hit the mark in 10 seconds. Victory! Come through at 4:44:58. I thought I was going to cry at this point, but was just too proud of not walking the last 6 miles to break down again. Hug Don Kern (race director) and get really too excited about the yellow gatorade in the finish chute. Drink 2 cups full, ate half a pickle and some culver's frozen custard. Received my finisher's medal and found Ross.


So that's about it. My official time was 4:42:19, which is like a 10:40 mile. I'm proud of that. And so thankful for the people that came out; Mom and Dad Mulder for making posters, screaming loud, and making it to like 7 different locations. Gregg Mulder for running with me for a mile. Mom and Dad Huizinga for beaming everytime I saw them. For Derek Huizinga, Shelly Funk, and my grandparents for coming out and cheering me on. For the 32 friends and family that wrote me encouraging notecards and got me through the race mentally, and especially for my husband, who road a bike all around Grand Rapids to capture pictures, video tapes, and encourage me from the sidelines. He also gets an extra thanks for hauling me on my feet everytime I need to get up, giving me a lot of massages this weekend, and for telling me over and over again that he's proud of me. Hearing that makes the pain so worth it.

Cake Decorating

Yeah, Yeah... it's been awhile. Contrary to what some of you may think, I haven't been sitting around reading and watching Ellen all month, I've actually been pretty busy. Marathon training got really hard in September (35-45 mile weeks) which takes literally like 2 hours out of your day on average, and I also did a temp job for a city zoning and development company for 3 weeks, which was interesting to learn about a new area. Additionally, Ross and I have really enjoyed getting involved at our Church with new member classes, community group, and Financial Peace University.

All those things are fine and good, but not really the point of this post. Another thing that has consumed my Thursday nights are cake decorating classes. I love these classes! I've learned so much about cake decorating. Here are some techniques I've been honing the past month:

Class #1: We learned how to transfer pictures from a template (or just the internet) to a cake using clear gel and then filling in the design with the star pattern. Here's my underdeveloped fish...

That weekend, I made a cake and tried to transfer this sun flower that I drew on it with honey... note to self - honey doesn't work! I had to free hand this... looks okay, but not professional.

Class #2 and #3: Megan forgets her camera... way to go. We worked on roses, rose buds, clowns, sea shells, rosettes, animals, borders, etc. I pulled out my phone and took some pictures, but because I'm not technically gifted nor willing to shell the money to be so, I transfered my phone pics by taking pictures of my actual phone... nice.

Class #4: Decorate an entire cake. This was the best class because we got to do the whole process, from baking the cake to icing it (yes, my icing on my cake sucks... but I have a reason - cream cheese icing doesn't crust so you can't smooth it out. Since this was a red velvet cake -Ross's favorite - using cream cheese was not an option).

Here's the basic lattice and sea shell border. I thought my icing skills were pretty good at this point!

Here's the final product. Honestly - I think it turned out really well! A pretty good investment and use of time - I would highly recommend taking these classes.