Sunday, July 17, 2016

That boy's got my heart in a silver cage

Galaxy Cupcakes
I am deeply conflicted by this city. Deeply conflicted as only I can be. As the months pass, and I become more enmeshed in it's tapestry, I find it harder and harder to leave DC.

I have lived in cities that were far more vibrant, raucous, and cosmopolitan than our fair nation's capital. And yet, this place, beyond all odds, has captured my heart.

This city and I, what's our relationship status? We just can't seem to decide what we want from each other. We adore each other, we have so much in common, heck we probably even love each other! But once I admit that, we will actually have to try and make it work. We will have to let down our walls, agree to work on our ugly parts, and find a way to compromise.

D.C why you can't you just step up to the plate and dazzle me like all the other cities? "Why can't you want me like the other boys do? They stare at me, while I stare at you." 1

By choosing to stay here, I voluntarily recuse myself from all the adventure and harried fever that comes from never establishing roots. I suppose it's the paradox of too many options. A problem, I fear, is one exclusively delegated to your youth.

Youth is a curse, for when you are young you are burdened with purpose and ideas. So many things you could do, so many things you should do. I've always longed for the clarity of old age. Close enough to the end to enjoy the scene you spent your entire life painting.

Or maybe, as I've always suspected, I belong somewhere else in the wide expanses of the universe. Directing the ship to the "second star on the right, and straight on till morning".

Or possibly, the universe has some sort of round about plan for me. Which brings me to our next love profile about a girl who the universe had all sorts of big plans for.

********

Lauren and I work together and she is one of the most delightful creatures I have ever come across. She is my eternal cheerleader, encourages my passion, and like most of my other co-workers, she is extremely protective of her lively Petite Epicure. She has been known to go up to Directors of our office only to tell them, "You better take care of our Hina while she is on your team!". For this, and for many other things I am grateful to her. And so, her love profile....

A Profile of Love: Lauren A


Phil and Lauren
How did you meet Phil?

Fate definitely intervened for us. I became friends with a girl who works in the same building as me. Jamie and I used to work out together in the gym downstairs, and she eventually became one of my best friends. When Jamie got engaged I was invited to her engagement party and wedding. It was at her engagement party where Phil and I first met, but we just sort of crossed paths. Phil was one of John's best friends. Eventually the wedding weekend came around, and we drove down to Newport together with John. We like to say that our first date was an 8 hour car ride!

What did you think of him when you first met him?

I was like, wow Phil is such a great guy! I need to find a guy like him. I didn't necessarily know right off the bat that he was the one, I just knew that he was a good guy.


After the wedding how or why did you guys keep in touch?

We exchanged numbers because we wanted to play a practical joke on his friend (Lauren asked that I keep this joke CLASSIFIED. It's a good story though, so seek me out in person and get me a god damn drink for the full tale.) We just kept talking and texting all the time after that. Overtime, he became my best friend. He's the first person I call with good news and my biggest champion. He now leaves me the sweetest voice mails to tell me how much he loves me on a constant basis. I love listening to them!

How did you know he was the one?

He can make me laugh harder than anyone I know. I knew he was special because we have so much fun together, everyday is an adventure.  He knows how to have fun in any situation and other fun people are drawn to him because of his energy. He's the life of the party. In addition to making me laugh, he also gives the best advice and is someone I can always talk to about a challenging work situation or if something is weighing on my heart. I think it's important to be aligned in a relationship. I mean he is so different than I am but we complement each other.  What is really important to me is that Phil is just so open, so honest, and so real. He's not afraid to show me or tell me how he feels.Honestly, before we met we both had such full and vibrant lives. Us getting together has just been twice the fun. We have twice the friends, twice the laughter, and twice the family!


What kind of adventures have you had so far in your relationship?

Phil is great about doing the things I want to do. One of my passions is traveling and when we first met he didn't even have a passport! We recently went on a trekking adventure to Machu Pichu. It was a tough trip but it really brought us closer together. I think one of the key things you need to be able to do well in a relationship is travel together. There were some really tough days on the trip, we were tired, cranky, and sweaty but we were a team. 

So when is the big day?

Hahahhahha! One day at a time lady. Although at a wedding this past weekend I caught the bouquet and he caught the garter, completely unplanned!


**********

For this wonderful couple, and for myself, I decided to make galaxy cupcakes. My ship would be a little different from all the other hypothetical space ships out there...

Captain's Log, Stardate 4153.3: Today we made...... GALAXY CUPCAKES!

Galaxy Cupcakes
Serves 2
Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Cupcakes
1 Egg
2 Tbsp White Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil or Melted Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
1/4 Tsp Baking Power
1 Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp Milk

Frosting
1 Can of Vanilla Frosting (I was lazy, so sue me!)
Red and Blue Gel Food Colors
Gold Pearl Dust
Gold Sugar Pearls

Pre heat oven to 350 F

1. Whisk together egg and sugar


3. Add vanilla and vegetable oil, whisk into egg mixture


4. Incorporate flour, baking powder, and salt


5. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp Milk


 6. Divide batter equally between two cupcake liners


7. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 F. Allow to cool completely


13. Mix four different colors using your gel food colors; dark purple, dark blue, light blue, and pink


14. I used a 1M tip from Wilton for the piping bag. Draw a stripe of pink across the piping bag


15. Add the rest of the colors in each section of the bag so that they are touching but not mixed


16. Pipe a swirl onto the cupcakes. Sprinkle on the pearl dust and top with a few gold sugar pearls

Send them floating off into space!



1 Crave by Flight Facilities