My favorite things

So, I like to bake. That has been well established. But I also like to dance. Good thing, because with all the baking, I'd be a lot bigger if I didn't. :) It also helps that I can't eat much of what I bake due to my lactose intolerance. I've recently been informed that I should go gluten free for a couple of weeks to see if that helps with my migraines. Those will be some cranky weeks. I love me some bread. Anyway...

The kids I help teach at D&G Dance Company in Columbia City had their recital last Saturday, and the instructor, Jeffie Lou, asked her adult class to dance as well. Her class has men, women, mothers, grandmothers, and teens, which is so much fun. Only some of the "regulars," as we're called, performed. One of the husbands video taped our performance.



It was great fun. I missed dance, and even performing, when it wasn't in my life for all those years during law school and a couple of years thereafter. I especially love dancing and performing it in a low-key setting such as this where it's really just for fun (well, and to burn off a few extra vegan cake calories). Of course, once I got off stage I had 26 kids waiting for help tying bandannas on their head. No rest for the weary, as they say!

Yep. I have to do it.

Ok, I've been consciously and subconsciously thinking about wedding stuff for...well, years probably, but I have been giving it extra consideration since my engagement almost 5 weeks ago. I want this wedding to be a reflection of me and Chris as a couple. I already know that Chris isn't terribly into the vintage things I love, but he's happy if I'm happy (I actually believe that when it comes to wedding decor). I want to find a way to incorporate the things he loves as well, and I'm working on that. But, I want to include the things I love, and I love two things the most: baking and dancing. It's been a foregone conclusion since the day after my engagement that my dance girls and I are going to do some ridiculous dance thing, so that decision is made. :) But, people have been asking me if I am going to bake the dessert for my own wedding. Usually the question is posed like this: "YOU'RE not going to bake for the wedding, are you!?" You know what, darn it!? How could it really be MY wedding if I don't bake at least some of the desserts? I'm thinking a dessert bar with candies, cupcakes (some for my vegan/lactose intolerant friends), rice krispie treats (I'm sorry, I LOVE them), and perhaps some bakery bought mini-tartlets. I just realized that I feel strongly that I wouldn't be truly sharing the things I love with the people I love without some homemade baked goods. So, yes, yes I AM going to bake for the wedding. So there!

And I love blue and brown together, so how much do I love this blue and brown cupcake I made for a baby shower (it's a boy - duh):