May and June--Cake Decorating

Originally, cake decorating was only going to be May, and June was to "go see a play/musical." Well, there wasn't any plays or musicals I was interested in seeing, so I continued cake decorating in June. I took the class through Michael's, which only teaches the Wilton method (I didn't even know there were other methods, but apparently there are). There are a total of four courses, each one is a once a week, 2 hour class for a month.

May, the first course, was mainly an introductory class where we learned a few borders, some figure piping, and the final culminating class was the "Wilton rose."

This was my first cake I made.

This was my second cake. I made this for my mom and dad's anniversary.

This was my final cake for the class.

After I finished my first class, the mom of one of my sister's friends called me up at 10 0'clock on a Friday night and asked me to make a graduation cake for her niece... for the next day! I accepted the job and then proceded to freak out. I ran to Walmart (only store open that late to buy cake mix, frosting, etc. I actually ended up having to make 2 cakes. I had thought that the first one I had made was cool enough. But, it was too big, for one, and not cool enough, for another, and it completely fell apart as I turned it over. Hence baking a second cake. The important thing is, I got it done.


The second class was basically flowers galore.


I plan on taking the last two classes, but I needed a break. The next one starts in August. I have since made other cakes. If you would like me to make you a cake, let me know! The last cake I made was for a "Threadcakes" competition. Here's the final result:
It's based off of a design titled "Eclipse!"

I'm planning on making another one for the Threadless contest before the end of the week. I'll post pics when I'm done.

High School Reunion

A few months back, I received a Facebook message from a person I don't know but who apparently went to my high school and graduated with me. They were inviting me to attend the 5 year reunion in December. Ummmmm... 5 year reunion? Who has a 5 year reunion?

I doubt very many people in my class have really accomplished much in five years accept maybe graduate from college. Then I started thinking, would it really be worth it to me if I went? Apart from being facebook friends with them, I don't really keep up with anyone from high school. If I want to know what they're up to, I check their Facebook. Of the people that would go to this reunion, a) would I even know any of them (my class was 1,237) and b) would I even care to see them?

After much debate (not really, I think I thought about it for five minutes), I decided I'm not going. I joined the Facebook group for it in case I change my mind as it gets closer (I probably won't) and can see when and where it is.

High school reunion: not worth it. But, if there was a high school band reunion, I might seriously consider attending that one.

In the Meantime...

So I'm currently crafting a few excellent blog posts, but they are not entirely finished, and some parts I have at home and some I have at work, so I got to bring them all together. However, since it's been a while since I posted, I figured I'd share something with you.

Below is a video I stole from my friend Megan's blog, and I loved it so much, that I wanted to show it to you guys. It is kind of long (16 minutes), but it so worth it. It just makes your day better and makes you smile. I did share this on my facebook, so if you've already seen it, I apologize.

Enjoy!

It Is Not Death That A Man Should Fear...

A few days ago, I went to a funeral of someone at church who was a family friend. I didn’t know him that well, but for some reason while I was there, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t expecting to cry so much, but boy did I. It was a wonderful service with very many touching and tender moments. I’ve only been to two other funerals in my life. One was my great grandfather’s when I was about 6, so I don’t remember it at all. The other was my great grandmother when I was a little older, and while I do remember crying and seeing her, I don’t remember the service.

Ok, back to the story. What I loved most about the funeral (believe me, I know how odd and awkward that is to say) was feeling the spirit and feeling a sense of hope. What am I talking about? I mean that although we were honoring someone that lived a good life and unfortunately was no longer with us, we were still here to carry on and live. My favorite belief that I have through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the knowledge that death is not the end. That after this life we continue on to the spirit world where we give service to others there.

But while we can take comfort in the fact that our loved ones who have passed on just happen to be somewhere else, it still leaves us in the lives we are living now. Attending the funeral helped me get a perspective and a different take on my own life. I heard all of the friends and family of the one who passed saying all of these wonderful things he accomplished and how he impacted the lives of everyone in attendance and then some, and it made me wonder what people would say about me and my life and more of what would I want them to say. Am I living the life that would have people say what I would want them to say when I passed?

Are we living the kind of life that has an impact (hopefully positively) on our friends, family, and others around us? I think we try to avoid thinking about death, mainly because we are so scared of things we don’t know about. But I think sometimes it’s good to remember (not dwell on it, mind you) to remind us every now and again that we need to live our lives the best we can because we might not be here for as long as we think.

It was a good chance for me to reevaluate my life. When I pass (and I’m hoping it will be many many years down the road), I want people to say good things about me, that I was a positive influence in their life, and that my life was something meaningful. Well, if that’s how I want it to be, I need to make sure that I’m living that way for that to happen.

So, my question for you is, what do you want people to say about you at your funeral? Are you living your life so people will say that? If not, change it so they will.

OH, and in case you were wondering, the partial quote that is the blog post title is from Marcus Aurelius: "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."