On Friday, my parents came to my dorm to stock me up on some food and stuff they brought from home before we headed to the hotel to eat dinner and hang out for the evening. What was originally going to be a very lighthearted night of catching up turned quickly into a night of deep thought, constant news-checking, and serious gratitude for our time together after we flipped on the TV and saw the news about the terrorist attacks in Paris. My thoughts keep turning to the atrocities of that night and my heart hurts.
When updates stopped coming in, we did end up grabbing Chipotle for dinner and talking a lot about the future. It was a good night to be with family.
Saturday morning, my mom and I headed to America’s Baking and Sweets Show.
We spent about an hour walking around to the different stalls and looking at the impressively-decorated cakes. The theme was Willy Wonka, so there were a lot of cakes decorated to reflect that. Also, a bunch of wedding cakes, a Barbie cake, and a Minion cake!
There was also a guy sculpting something out of chocolate. We think it was a very elaborate chocolate fountain.
Impressive as it was, we deemed it a tragic waste of chocolate.
After we wandered around, we had a couple hours to kill before Sally would be on stage, so we left for lunch at Noodles & Company and a trip to Target. We honestly had so much fun shopping that we almost didn’t go back to the show. But… I’m really glad we did.
Sally is the source for at least 50% of my baking recipes and a huge creative & business inspiration for me. I think she’s incredibly talented, I love her passion, and I’m so glad I was able to see her.
All that said, I have this problem when I meet people I look up to. Um… I freeze. I totally and completely freeze. It happened when I was about five and met Rick Nash. He signed a puck for me and I’m not sure I said two words. It also happened when I was about sixteen and met Michael Arace, a local sports columnist. I turned bright red and said maybe a sentence or something. And it also happened when I met Sally and basically said my name and froze. It’s okay. I’m just very awkward and get overwhelmed in the presence of people I find talented. Hopefully I’ll get over that someday.
Regardless, she was incredibly nice, and I’m pretty sure my mom spoke for me (see, I’m a child…), and I got my cookbook signed and a picture with her. My day was absolutely made – and it had been an amazing day before that.
After I almost cried out of general excitement, my mom and I drove to pick up my dad from his friend’s house before heading back to order pizza and watch the Baylor-Oklahoma football game.
Pizza and college football and family and Target and Sally. It was a really good day.
I saw my parents again for a couple hours on Sunday morning before they headed home. I then spent the rest of the day reading, since I hadn’t done any homework since before they arrived on Friday, and snacking, because I was too sleepy to stay awake otherwise. Also, I think I’m fighting off a cold and the only time my throat doesn’t hurt is when I’m eating.
Basically, this weekend was incredible. It was fast. But it was full of life conversations and food and experiences and family. I’m ending it exhausted, overwhelmed in the best way, and feeling so, so loved and blessed. The end.
How was your weekend?
Have you ever met a role model?
Heart melting. Love you!!!!!
Love you, too! Thanks for a lovely weekend!
That’s so fantastic! I saw it on IG and was like, NO way. Oh girl, freezing up happens to everyone 🙂 No shame! My weekend was great (Florida and no school? Sign me up!) and I’m super pumped for thanksgiving break at home. Loved seeing all your pictures too!
Your weekend looked like so much fun! Enjoy your time at home!
The baking event looks SO cool! And so awesome that you got to meet Sally- she’s incredible! I would’ve been geeking out, too 🙂 Sounds like a fun weekend with your parents!
She is awesome!
That is so awesome! Look at those cakes! Amazing!!!
Right? I have no decorating skill at all and people who put all that time into it so impress me!
I have an adoration for alliterations as well. 😉
How fun that you got to hang out with your parents for the weekend. I feel like it has been ages since I ha seen mine, so it is always nice to hear about someone getting that special quality time!
I LOVE those Willy Wonka cakes. That is one of my all-time favorite movies. Love love love love and I would never want to eat that beauty!
Aw, I hope you get some family time soon!
I love the movie, too! And yeah… I don’t think cake that pretty should be eaten 🙂
Sounds like such a fantastic weekend! And those cakes – more like sculptures!
Yes! Super colorful sculptures!
Glad you had a fun weekend! Those cakes were almost too pretty to eat 😉
Haha I don’t think I’d cut into one of those!
I love the minion cake! That is too funny! Glad you had a great weekend and got to meet Sally! I also had a great weekend full of family, friends and football ( I like alliteration too 😉 )
Glad you had a lovely weekend – those are some of my favorite things, too!
That is very cool that you got to meet your role model! I got to meet Sheena Easton after one of her concerts since my mom named me after her, does that count?
Oh my gosh, that’s such a cool story! That totally counts 😀
Those cakes are incredible! We watched a show once called ‘Ace of Cakes’- I think it is filmed in the US- and it is amazing to see the talents that people have for creating artwork out of sponge and icing. Glad you had a lovely weekend!
Yep, that’s a US show! That kind of talent totally amazes me.
Gosh, don’t feel bad, Ellen, because you sound very much like me when it comes to meeting people I am in awe of. Except you do better, because usually, I’m either struck absolutely completely dumb (as in can’t say even my name!), or else my mouth runneth over and I say a bajillion dumb things I regret instantly and sound like a kid on a first date or something! Pizza, though…always a good plan! ?
My family had an amazing dinner together on Saturday at the rehab center where my grandma is right now, and I agree: family is the best!! ?
Glad you had a good time with your family!