Baking My First Wedding Cake.

Hello friends! Guess what? I baked my first wedding cake! OK, I'm sort of lying. Technically, this isn't my first wedding cake, per say. I have done one once before but that was alongside a friend (a.k.a I had someone to share all the stress and balance out the crazy emotions with).

Whereas this time around, it was all me, 100% me. (Note: I did have some help at the very end, but I'll get to that later!)
Plus, the first wedding cake I did was completely different from this one! It was an 8" round cake with fondant, sugar flowers, and cupcakes on the side. The wedding cake I did this time around was made up of TIERS, frosted with buttercream, and decorated with real greenery.

I wrote this blog entry so that I could share with you what this wedding cake journey was like for me, and perhaps encourage a fellow baker or two that you don't have to be a "professional cake designer" to execute a beautiful wedding cake. If I can do it, so can you!! So, let's start from the beginning, shall we?

Back in the Fall after our good friends got engaged, I received a pretty little card in the mail from the future-bride-to-be that said: will you do us the honour of baking our wedding cake for our wedding on April 1st, 2017?

Our Engagement Photos.

My fiancé and I got our engagement photos done at the end of February, and our photographer posted a blog entry featuring us! Her name is Leah and she honestly is extremely talented at what she does. Unfortunately--for me--she and her business moved down to South Carolina, so if any of you down south need a GREAT photographer, check out "Photography By Leah". Anyway, you can CLICK HERE to see the photographer's official blog entry of our engagement shoot. :)

Here are some of my favourite shots from the shoot:

Hope you like them! :)
XoXo Jenny

A Good Stress.

Wedding planning,
Maintaining a healthy long distance relationship by saving some face time for FaceTime,
Working 30+ hours a week,
Attending school and labs 15+ hours a week, not to mention the homework/exams/papers on top of that,
Organizing fiance-visa documents & appointments,
Attempting to try at having a social life,
And all of those other little things that like to sneak up on you such as fixing blown car tires...

All. At. The. Same. Time. All. Day. Every. Day. Never. Ever. Ending.

I wouldn't say I'm stressed...

Okay, yes, no, never mind, I would.

Normally my stress comes with a lot of tears and anxiety. I'm happy to say that I am well past that point--I mean, that waaaaaas last week after all, and I don't want to freak anyone out, but I actually had an anxiety attack while I was at school. That was fun. (What?) Of course my nerves planned it out well by timing it right before my baking lab! There is nothing more therapeutic than being in the kitchen baking up a storm, well...besides sleeping, getting massages, drinking white wine (or any shade of wine, really), or crying your eyes out in the car to old Taylor Swift break-up tunes.

But anyway, that was laaaast week (today is Sunday, so, technically that was more like yesterday...). THIS week, despite all of the above tasks, I am happy. Maybe it's because I still have that large 2-cream 1-sugar coffee running through my veins, or because I FINALLY get to sleep in tomorrow (I'm setting the alarm for 2 in the afternoon--try and stop me).

OR, it's because I have a new perspective on these so-called "tasks"...

Wedding planning; it's not everyday you have the opportunity to invite 250 people to a day that is all about YOU. I am honoured to even have that many people I want to celebrate marriage with!
Maintaining a healthy long distance relationship with my fiancé; Hands down, the best part of my day. Especially if we have one of those FaceTimes where we are just laughing the entire time. Sure, nothing at all productive gets done, but it's definitely a nice proverbial vacation from my nutso-life. I am thankful to even have a fiancé in the first place!

Working 30+ hours a week; I look at this and can't even believe I work over 30 hours a week. It literally feels like 10 at the most! I am so thankful for this job, and so thankful that I enjoy it!

Attending school 15+ hours a week; Holy smokes I am in CULINARY school. Sometimes I take it for granted and don't see it to be as "cool" as I once did, (coolinary). I have a little over 2 weeks left of school and I'm actually going to cry when it's all over. I am so thankful for this education!

Organizing fiance-visa documents; Sure, maybe I'm not too thrilled to get a medical examination or the hundreds of dollars that go into filing these visa forms, but hey, I am getting MARRIED, to a guy that I really like!! That makes all of this worth it! Plus, I get to go to Montreal for my visa interview. I definitely see this as my chance to shine as a tourist in Old Montreal City!! And once this whole process is over, I will feel so empowered that I actually did this whole Visa thing on my own, no parents or lawyers required!

Attempting to have a social life; today I literally stood in the kitchen for over 3 hours talking with some of my housemates. I'm thankful I even have people in my life whom I can talk to for 3 hours while STANDING without even noticing that I have been STANDING for over 3 hours. It's nice when being social can come effortless like that. Even at work, work is so social to me, it's like killing 2 birds with one stone: making money, while making friends. :)

Fixing a blown car tire; a) fixing it was 100% free, b) I am thankful that I even OWN a car.

Yes, I'm stressed, but as you can see, it's a good kind of stressed! Things will get done in their own special time (slower than I'd actually prefer), but they will get done. And I bet you that when they are all completed, I'll wish that the time hadn't gone by so fast and that I wasn't so dang bored!

Bedtime, XoXo

30 Fun Facts About Me!

My life has changed incredibly since I started this blog back in my final year of high school (2009--represent!), and I figured since it's a new year (it's year 2014, in case y'all forgot), why not write a list of all these fun changes?

Before we begin, in case you don't know who I am, the below photo is me--right now, as we speak!

1. I am ENGAGED! I should probably write out the proposal story on another blog post, so that my grandchildren's children can read about it one day while cruising around on their hover-boards. But yes, I got engaged August 12th, 2013, which was about five whole months ago! It's crazy to actually be that girl who has to describe the detail of the wedding dress she just bought, or when the date of the wedding is, or what her wedding colours are. I never thought I'd be that girl! It's SO surreal and SO exciting!

2. Wedding planning is not my forte...then again, planning events and parties are not my forte. Planning = stress. I AM the girl who is engaged, but I AM NOT the girl who had her wedding planned since the day she fled the womb. (Can't I just be married to the love of my life and be done with it?)

3. I live in a house with SIX other girls!! Yes, SIX. No, it's not a sorority house (although, we should probably get t-shirts just for fun), it's just a house of seven Christian girls who miraculously came together by the amazingness of God's perfect timing! It's also by God's grace that we all get along; we literally can all sit in the same room and (attempt to) do homework together, or we have spontaneous movie nights!! I'm so thankful to be living in a house with six big golden hearts, and kinda sad that it'll all be over in May when we move out (I mean, when will I ever be living in a house with six other girls ever again? It's a once in a lifetime type of experience!)

4. I am a total girly-girl. My sister loves to state that I'm the easiest person to buy gifts for because I can be pleased with presents from one or all of the following categories: florals, pinks, cats, florals, aaaaand more pinks.

5. I am a culinary student and I LOVE it!

6. I find showering to be a total hassle.

7. One of my favourite things to make at school are soups and stocks, I find they just have an abundance of nutrients and flavours, they are an excellent way to use your total As Purchased Cost of food rather than tossing your trimmings into the garbage, and they're relaxing to make.

8. When somebody opens up to me, that is the moment when I feel loved. It's as if they like me, see me as personable, and trust me enough to share their life with me. It's hard when you have those certain friends who never let you in beyond the surface...

9. I love driving, especially in the summer when I can have my "tunes cranked up and my windows rolled down". I'm pretty sure that line is from every country song ever written...

10. Most of the time, socializing in groups makes me anxious and leaves me exhausted by the end of the day. I am a lover of one-on-one hangouts!

11. At a restaurant I will never order a salad. I simply cannot justify spending so much on a dish that just leaves me hungry by the end of the meal.

12. I am quiet, and my fiance is loud; and I LOVE it! He keeps me so entertained. Ha!

13. I plunged a live lobster head-first into a pot of boiling water just yesterday...it was a total milestone in my life.

14. Although having a car is expensive with paying monthly insurance, paying off the lease, and paying for gas, it is better than not having a car at all. I love my car; I love the freedom and flexibility it provides for me, and I love the places it takes me. :)

15. I am Mennonite; enough said. :)

16. I am very particular about hair-care. In my shower I currently have 8 different bottles of different shampoo and conditioners... is that a little much? XD

17. I don't enjoy small talk, or conversations about pointless things. I like talking about the deep stuff, things that are heart-changing, life-changing, feelings, emotions...things that are important to one another...and significant things occurring in each others lives.

18. I waited until the age of 20 for my first kiss, it was in Germany (!!), and with the man I'm about to marry. That is something rare, and that is something I am very thankful for!

19. I love and totally support the idea of big families (my Dad has 14 siblings, therefore, I have a zillion aunties and uncles and a zillion +1 cousins), BUT...I can't even imagine having more than 4 children myself...Check up on me in twenty years and we'll see...

20. I used to make fun of people who drank Almond Milk and ate all sorts of "weird" raw foods...but now I am one of them. Seriously, bring on the Chia Seeds, and green coffee beans.

21. I am in love with everything about the East Coast; the beaches, the seafood, the boardwalks, and the lighthouses. I would LOVE to take a road trip starting from Maine heading straight south to Georgia. I'm very excited to be moving to the East Coast. :)

22. I refuse to wear Toms. Or Crocs.

23. I probably cry every single day...if not, then every other day. Tears are my stress-relief.

24. My two favourite tv shows: The Bachelor (yes, this is embarrassing...I admit), and Masterchef (I'm proud of this one because Gordon Ramsay is a culinary genius, and it's actually pretty educational, unlike The Bachelor!)

25. In a way, my heart constantly feels torn, because I'm in long-distance relationships with all my closest friends...from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and then there's my Fiance who is in the US of A.

26. I enjoy wine, a lot. Not a lot as in I drink in ridiculously excessive amounts, "a lot" as in: my fancy for wine is vast.

27. I am bummed, because the ONE time that I move to the States on a Visa and won't be able to return to Canada until who knows when, is when over 3 of my close friends are getting married, and I am missing all of their weddings. :'( Also, my best friend is having a baby and I'll be missing its first year of life. Sigh.

28. I have strong feelings against PORN and ABORTION. In case you didn't know, they are very much connected. Many porn-stars have lost count of how many abortions they have had. I hope to blog about these one day so i can elaborate on them more. The fact that these things are becoming "normal" and "tolerated" in our society, is just heart-breaking.

29. I love my parents, and admire them greatly. Having been married over 40 years, they are obviously doing something right.

30. What is something that I want? In all honesty, I want to be less focused on myself, and open my eyes to what is going on around me. I want to stop thinking that I'm the only one with "issues" and "problems", I want to be constantly plagued with the fact that everyone is going through something difficult, and that they need prayer, even if they don't ask for it and even if they don't show a need.