Teaspoon of Vanilla

Well, here we are.  It’s January (almost MID-January) and Chicago is in the midst of being coated with a beautiful, cushy blanket of thick, white snow.  The roads, on the other hand, are being coated with a disgusting layer of grime, dirt, and rock salt.  Sidewalks, coated with giant UGG bootprints and people’s butts.

So, while I’m hunkered down inside my warm little casa, I think it’s time (no no, it’s far past time) for me to share some uber-exciting news with you all!

As of last Monday, I am officially a student in the L’Art de la Pâtisserie program at The French Pastry School!  I am beyond excited.  Like, can’t put it into words, jumping up and down, my-heart-would-pop-out-of-my-chest-and-ooze-pastry-cream-if-it-could…that kind of excited.

Most of you know this has been my dream for pretty much forever, and  I am so thrilled to dig my hands in and get started!  I have been mulling this idea over in my head for quite some time now, waiting for the chance to jump.  In December, I finally decided that it was time.  I faced my fears, and decided that if not now, then when?  So, I pastry suited up, and set sail on my new adventure.  And so far, I’m loving every minute of it.

The downer in the story is that I had to make a choice between a job that I really liked, and a job that I knew would make me happy for the rest of my life.  I was so lucky to have support from my colleagues at my real job, and they were lucky to be the first on my list to receive my fresh baked goods delivered weekly, fresh out of the kitchen.

All in all, this is really good news for you, dear readers.  You can expect more frequent posts from me (more than once every four months), as I have little to do after my program ends in the afternoons.  Obviously I get to bake and experiment and test new recipes, but that only leaves you with more opportunities for new and exciting (and more educational) posts!

So here’s to conquering our fears in 2011!  Let’s throw caution to the wind–bake, love, eat, dream, laugh, run, jump, leap, create.  Whatever you do, be happy.