Faith. Family. Friends. Fun.
Welcome to my life. I am laughing as I write this because I have no idea how to sum it all up but to say it’s crazy, busy, fun, hectic, and sometimes difficult, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
The beginning is the best place to start. I am one of 6 kids and I have 5 brothers. Yes, you read that correctly 5. I am the only girl. I was born in West Covina, California. For those of you who aren’t aware, East LA isn’t the best spot for a kid to grow up, at least not when we were there so when I was 8 my parents relocated us to Reno, NV. With the exception of a few moves, I have lived here ever since.
In 2004 I met my husband Michael in a chat room. Does anyone remember those? For you young ones, chat rooms are how we talked to boys on the internet pre-Tinder era! WOW, that made me feel ancient. He lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We quickly figured out 2 things: 1. We wanted to spend our lives together and 2. Long distance relationships are for the birds! We did the only logical thing: we got engaged, he moved to Reno, and we got married in August of 2005. It was fast but when you know, you know!
About 3 years later, after a slight (MAJOR) obsession with everything on the Food Network about making cakes, I decided I wanted to quit my amazing job, move across the country to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, move in with my in-laws and go to culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu. I know, I don’t know what I was thinking either. It was a crazy change and I feel strongly that you should be required to have a passport to go to Pittsburgh. The culture shock was immense.
After getting settled in I started attending the pastry program at Le Cordon Bleu. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. You know, all except for those student loans. EEK! I made amazing friends and learned a lot! Once I completed my classroom education I finished up my degree with an externship at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort. It’s a beautiful and astounding place. If you ever get the chance to stop by, do it! Even if it’s just for Sunday Brunch, you won’t regret it. I went on to work at Heinz field until we relocated back to the west coast.
First stop was Sacramento, California. Michael was transferred there for work and I was very happy to be a lot closer to home. Fast-forward to 2011 we had our first baby, Mackenzie, and another girl, Madison in 2014. We moved back and forth between Reno and Sacramento a few times for Michael’s job. We have been settled in Reno for a while now and I continue to make cakes and other sweet treats for friends and family. Much of my time is occupied by homeschooling our girls and we are very involved in our church. I love Jesus and this life He has blessed us with.
This blog began because I want to share what I’ve learned at school and in my experiences since then and show everyone how easy baking and decorating really is. Demystify it. It really boils down to a handful of techniques that, when applied in the right situations, give perfect results nearly every time. When you browse this blog you’ll find recipes that are simple to make but will WOW your family and friends. Remember, baking is fun. Enjoy the ride!