Cake, Crud, Class & Comedy

Part one of this blog is a bit of a rewind.  Reese's birthday cake request was for me to make her the same cheesecake that I made for our Mardi Gras party.  We didn't end up digging in until a few days after her actual birthday.  I got the recipe out of a Woman's World magazine that my mom brought with her.  Holy moly is it good!  The crust is graham crackers, pecans, brown sugar and butter and over that is a layer of caramel.  And the cheesecake itself comes out tasting so divine!  It's probably 500 calories a slice but fortunately Reese doesn't have to count her calories.  Quite the opposite actually.  I made sure the swirl consisted of some of her favorite colors.

Of course Talan was stoked to get in on that action.

Kevin is a fan of the million calorie cheesecake as well.

Cake coma!

Talan and I have both been feeling under the weather this past week.  The nap we stole was part cake coma but also partially brought on by a bad cold that we've both been fighting.  

One thing I really appreciate about living here is that although it gets unbearably cold, most days the sun still shines.  We spent ten years in the Pacific Northwest where not only was it often cold and wet, but it was also dark and cloudy 90% of the time.  I don't really mind the cold if the sun is shining and I can look out at blue skies.  We had some wet and cold days this week but we also got a glimpse into springtime.  Talan and I took advantage and went out to meet Reese at the bus stop, something we haven't done in months.  Check it out....no bulky winter coat!

Did you notice his Nick Nolte hairdo?  I think I am going to have to break down and get it cut in the next few weeks.  I'm dreading it because I really like it.  However, most days it is pretty out of control and ends up looking like a rats nest.  Poor kids both have my hair.  

In other news, it's been a week of ups and downs for Kevin.  He was in class Monday through Thursday.  It was the last class required before he takes his certification test.  He'll find out if he passed in the next couple of weeks and at that point he'll move forward with the big test.  In addition to the pressure that comes along with class and a big test, he's had his grandmother on his mind.  Thank you for all of your heartfelt messages and for the prayers.  We are praying hard also but know that it's in God's hands.  

On top of class and his emotional turmoil, he has several appraisals to do.  This morning he was booked on a 7am flight to Detroit to do a site visit.  At 6:30 I rolled over and noticed that he was still there, sound asleep.  Obviously he wasn't going to make the flight.  We did get a good laugh later in the day when we thought back to the moment of panic when I woke him up.  He jumped up threw the covers off and was out of bed one second later.  He ran to the bathroom door, then turned and ran to the bedroom door, grabbed his clothes, pivoting back and forth between doors wondering what he was going to do.  He finally realized he was never going to make the flight and did the old slap-the-hands-on-the-forehead bit.  I'm still laughing as I type.  It wasn't funny right away but the replay is hilarious.  No worries, flight was rebooked for next week and he was able to play catch up today.  And....his alarm went off at 5 o'clock this afternoon.  Poor guy is just drained.  He has to give up his weekend to work around the clock to catch up.  One day all of his hard work will pay off.  Hoping that day is around the corner.