Not Good-Bye...

It's that time! Time to pack up, shut down the computer, and hit the open roads! I can't believe I pulled an all nighter updating my blog...MAN, it's gonna be a long drive home!
But to my fellow readers, you all are worth it!!! :o)

So, what now? What lies ahead for me now? I believe that when one chapter comes to an end, another one begins. So begins my life at Gerhard's Elegant European Desserts. Though some know that I considered NOT pursuing a pastry profession, my bank account is begging to be replenished. *guilty grin* (Could it be due to all that time I spent at Disney? Perhaps. *innocent shrug*) :o) However, I am thankful for the opportunity provided for me. I believe that although I have learned lots in the 24 week program, I KNOW I still have so much more to learn. I am just a starter dough waiting to grow! :o)

I would like to take this moment to say THANK YOU!!!!

Thank you to all my Floridian Friends. You have definitely made it so much easier for me to be here on my own but harder to leave. Though homesick at times, I can definitely say that I've had way more NON homesick days.

I thank you for making me a part of your group of friends and family. Thank you for keeping me company on lonely nights and giving me a place to go when I felt alone. I am very blessed to have met such wonderful people and grateful for all the bonds I've built. You will all be dearly missed but I truly do hope we keep in touch. I will if you will! :o) If you're in Chicago, please PLEASE give me a ring...would love to show you around or just hang out! :o)

To my fellow classmates (if you're still reading my blog): I know that the last week of school was an unpleasant one, but to me, you were my family here. I thank you for helping me keep my sanity. I will miss all of our singing and joking around. I definitely could not have asked for a better class. You will always hold a special place in my heart. You will truly be missed. I love you all and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors!! :o)

As soon as I get settled back in Chicago and my new job *cheeky grin*, you will definitely hear from me again!!! For now, I must report in to work first thing early Tuesday morning! :o) WISH ME LUCK!!!! Until then, time to give my mom a great big hug and kiss and spend endless hours with my doggie!!! (You know me, I already have a list of things I'm dying to do as soon as I get home) :o)

But for now, it's not a good-bye, but rather....I'll see you real soon!!! :o)

Smile, the fun has just begun! :oD

Scary?...Not Scary!!!

Costumes + Mickey Mouse = Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party!

I had one more night. So how do I choose to spend it? Celebrating it at the Magic Kingdom, of course! However, this was not just any other trip to the Magic Kingdom.

Because I was going to be in limbo (neither here in Orlando nor there in Chicago) for Halloween, I just HAD to celebrate it the only way any Disney fanatic would. Plus, this gave me another opportunity to prance around in my fancy bee costume. After all the insects I had to put up with here in Orlando, I figured, if you can't "bee"t 'em, "bee" one with 'em! *chuckles* No locking up these "wild animals".

It was such a riot! I don't think I've smiled harder in my life!

MK never looked so different before!

Cinderella's castle during HalloWishes Fireworks.

Everyone was in good spirit. I was excited to see people of all ages dressed up for the occassion. *GASP* They even let the inmates out for a night of fun!! :o)

There were lines to go trick-or-treating! Check out all of my yummy goodness. (There were more, but I couldn't resist munching away on some as soon as I got them). *blush* As though we didn't get enough candy, Goofy and his candy company passed out even more at the Boo-To-You Parade. Believe me...it was Boo-licious! :o) *licks lips*

I think I'll be on a nice sugar high for the next 10 years!!

There were dance parties with characters. Of course, I got the one and ONLY picture that mattered!

I could not have asked for a better departure with Disney. I was sad to leave, but looking back at all the times I've spent on Disney property this month, I was okay with saying good-bye...because I KNOW I'll be back! :o)

See-Ya-Real-Soon!

*I have tons more pictures I wish I could share with you but due to time constraints (having to pack to head back to the Windy City), I only put up a few to give you a taste of the FUN-NESS I had. Plus, this is one experience you DEFINITELY have to experience for yourself.*

To Bee or Not To Bee

The last and final Disney race of the year...the Tower of Terror 13k! *Eeek*

This race was going to be a memorable run!

This race was going to be FUN!!!! :o)

*yippie* I was so glad I decided to run in costume because IT'S DISNEY!!!

Check out some of these photos from Studios Central.

I was NOT the only one with the spirit of fun!!

What was even more exciting was that I got props for wearing the costume. Many-a-times I would run with my name on my bib and no one dare tries and attempts to yell out my name and cheer for me. However, with the bee outfit (which actually lights up in the dark...incredibly cool), I had people rooting for me from every direction. LOVED IT!!! :o)

Thank you whomever you were out there cheering for me!

Y'all definitely made it a memorable run for me!! :o)

I was able to run the entire distance (okay, minus that last and final ginormous hill right before the 8 mile mark, but that was it. I never understood why people put hills at the end of a long run. Was the run not torturous enough?!?!?). Still, I was extremely proud of my accomplishment! I did carry a camera on the run, but I wanted to actually RUN so I did not take many pictures. However, here are the pics I did take.

Signing the Hotel Register

Meeting Up with Nick and Lee Ann

(y'all are a riot, thanks for letting me tag-a-long) :o)

Firework Start

(sorry, best I could do) :o\

Starting Line

Buck Hornsby

(part of a mystery clue thingymabobber)

Hitting Up Rides After the Race

Showing Off My Bling! :o)

This was the last running of the Tower of Terror 13K. I'm glad I got to be a part of this historical run, but am also sad to see it go away. I think most Disney runners would agree that this was one race Disney definitely should not take away.

Have no fear...

I'm sure Disney is conjuring up something better somewhere! :o)

Disney's Martial Arts Festival

I have been spending a GREAT deal of time on Disney property. Whether it's for a race, Food and Wine festival, or simply to enjoy being a kid at heart, I cannot get enough Disney!! *giggles*
However, I wanted to take a break from the theme parks (and pirates and princesses) and spend time in the one place that I never really get to see: The Wide World of Sports. It is a 220 acre sports complex located in the Walt Disney World Resort. The athletic complex hosts numerous amateur and professional sporting events throughout the year.

It was time to pay a visit to what I consider two (of the many) necessities of life: Disney and Sports! The only times I've been to the Wide World of Sports has been to pick up race packets. This weekend they had their 10th annual Martial Arts Festival.

Other than watching The Karate Kid on tv, I can't say I know anything about martial arts! Oh man, there was A LOT to know. From Kung Fu, Karate, and Kendo, to Ju Jitsu, Judo, and tons more, I had no idea how big the martial arts world was!

THIS WAS BEYOND AMAZING! I didn't know whether to cry or cheer. I know all the competitors knew what they were doing, but sometimes I just wanted to jump in there and save them from the pain. :o)

I was truly touched by this competitive art! You could see a lot of focus, a lot of discipline, and A LOT of passion! It was truly inspirational.

Morning Tournaments:


Evening Showcase:

Mulan travels to different countries to learn different forms of martial arts in order to become a warrior. Disney + Sports = A happy healthy lifestyle!!! :o)

For a truly full Disney Sporting Weekend:

• Don on your favorite jersey and baseball cap (proclaiming your sports team allegiance)
• Stay at the WDW All-Star Sports Resort
• Attend an event at Wide World of Sports
• Catch Monday Night Football at ESPN Club at Disney's Boardwalk Area
• Shop for fun souvenirs at Team Mickey Athletic Club in Downtown Disney
  

Airbrushing with Stephane Treand

Isabella comes to life! :o)

My creation of Isabella *giggles* before Andreas brought her to life! :o) I had never airbrushed a face before, so please don't laugh! :o)

What can I say? I LOVE AIRBRUSHING!!! :o)

Chef Stephane Treand is TRULY the AIRBRUSH MASTER!!!

Put anything in front of him, and he could easily replicate it with his steady hands, keen eyes, and amazing artistic abilities! In 2004, he became an M.O.F. (Meilleur Ouvrier de France), the top honor in the pastry industry in France.

In these past three days, I returned to the Notter School, not as a 24 week program pastry student, but this time, as an alumni. At first, I had no idea what that was going to be like, but I can honestly say that it was definitely a different feel. I was excited to do more airbrushing, but more so, excited to meet the creator of the gorgeous showpieces in the school's lobby.

During my first visit to the school (to check it out), I was told that I was going to learn how to airbrush lifelike faces during the 24 week program. Not true! :o( However, when I found out that it was through the class with Chef Stephane, I did not hesitate to sign up for the class. Tah Dah! Here I was, FINALLY taking the class I was dying to take. Woo Hoo!! :o)

After taking his class, it reconfirmed something I've noticed/learned in the pastry world. PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE! No one shows more patience than Chef Stephane. Although I was itching to get my hands on the airbrush machine, I could have watched him airbrush showpieces all day long.


Unfortunately, I wasn't going to get away with it that easily. Hahaha! Instead, we had to get into teams of two or three and create a showpiece. I partned up with Andreas Proisl, the Executive Pastry Chef from Isleworth. His idea was to do an autumn themed showpiece. As long as we got to put one of those lifelike faces in the showpiece, I couldn't care less what our theme was. While we were brainstorming, I was a little scared that our idea was a little overly ambitious. However, after seeing the final result, I was amazingly proud of our work!! VOILA!!! and SUCH GREAT TEAMWORK TOO!!! :o)

What do you think Chef?

YAY!! A thumbs up from Chef!! :o)

p/s If I hadn't mentioned it before...I LOVE airbrushing!!! Christmas is coming soon *hint hint* :o)

Race for the Taste

Savitre has gone 101!!! :o(

(just found out that 101 is Disney's code for attraction down)

This was one of the two reasons why I'm still here in Orlando. I couldn't wait to do another Disney race. I remember my first race during the Goofy Challenge. The expo was huge, the weather was perfect, Savitre had an "A" day/weekend. :o)

This race, however, was much MUCH different. The expo was a huge let down. I thought I had gone on the wrong day to pick up my packet. No one was around and there was only one rack put up to sell the race day tee shirt. SELL?!??! Usually we got a race tee shirt with our packets....what was going on here? Instead, we received a pint glass with our packets.

It's all good. I still ended up buying the tee shirt. *guilty grin*

On race day, I got up, got dressed, and proudly pinned on my bib number (#101). I headed out the door to Wide World of Sports. Parking was plentiful. I guess everyone wanted to park at Epcot so that after the race they didn't have to shuttle back to their cars.

Music was blaring, the humidity died down tons from the previous night, and everyone seemed chipper. Aaahh...it felt so good to be lining up with a bunch of Disney racers again!

The Star Spangle Banner played, fireworks lit the sky, and we were off. Well, everyone but Savitre was off and running. I, however, encountered many technical difficulties at the start of the race.

Just as I was crossing the starting line, my iPod started to flicker. Before I knew it, it went to the black screen of death! NOOOOooooooo!!! I simply CANNOT run without my iPod!! Curse the storm from Expedition Everest! Ever since that race, my iPod has not been functioning normally. Lucky for me, I knew how to reboot it. I continued to walk the first mile as it slowly rebooted. YAY!!! It was finally working again.

Did problems end there? No no no...of course not! I decided to carry a camera during the race. However, this was a new pocket camera that I had purchased. The only problem was that I didn't know how to use it. Ooopsie! So, as I tried to take pics of anything along the way, all my photos were coming out blurry. Gosh darn it, I thought!! I continued to mess with the settings until I got it to where I thought the pics were decent. Ahhh...2 miles later, I finally decided to start running!!

I was finally back in business after all my technological issues. However, now I was starting to suffer from severe respiratory issues. It wasn't the humidity. I'm not quite sure what it was. I felt like I couldn't take full breaths in. WHAT THE HECK?!?! Today was definitely NOT an "A" day. If there were a Double "Z" day (make that triple "z"), today was that day! I give up *throws hands up in the air* :o(

Mile 3 (half way through the race), I was ready to call it quits. I just wanted to hitch a ride back to my car, crawl into bed, and wake up and believe that the REAL race had not started yet and that this was just one bad nightmare! NOPE, this was as real as it got!!! *sigh*

I didn't quit though. I decided to enjoy my moments through Disney and just take in the scenery, enjoy being amongst other runners, and cherish the reason I was still in Orlando. All I could think about was "as long as you finish Savitre, you'll get a medal...not ONE but TWO....so keep moving little one". :o)

Before I knew it, the finish line appeared! PHEW!!! That was pure torture!!! Of course, Disney does not fail to put on a fun post race party! We had three snack tickets to sample some of the food from Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Of course I did not skip out on this opportunity.

Characters were out and about for photo ops...and no matter how bad it gets, Goofy ALWAYS makes me smile!!!

One down, one to go....my next (and last for this year) Disney race is the Tower of Terror 13K on October 24th. Hopefully that race won't be as scary as this one and NO MORE Savitre going 101!!! Hahaha :o)

3 Days...3 Jays

School's out...time to head to Tulsa!! Wheee!

I was very excited to get out and leave Orlando for a bit...but what was John and I about to get ourselves into? MAJOR CAKE MADNESS...that's what!! :o)

DAY 1:
We got there a day early so that we could pick up our dummy cakes and check out the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show hosted by Kerry Vincent. I've seen it on the Food Network several times, but never knew that it was HERE that was where all the madness happened.

Outside there were food, games, and rides!! FUN!!! :-)

Inside, there were cakes EVERYWHERE!!!WOW!!! :-O

People from all walks of life, ages, and skill set lived and breathed for this competition and I could see why! The cakes were gorgeous!!!

At first we tried to check out some of the demos but it was way too crowded, so we just walked around in awe and checked out some of the coolest cakes EVER!! We even met with Paul (aka Chef Rubber). The man behind some of the greatest pastry products out there.

DAY 2 :
Bright eyed and bushy tailed, John and I loaded up the car with our suitcases filled with cake supplies.

As we walked into the conference room, everyone was rummaging through their cake supplies, kneading fondant, or trying to figure out what they still needed. There were about 50-60 people total taking the class. It was mass chaos at it's best! :o)

Up at the front though, were THE THREE JAYS (James Roselle, Joshua John Russell, and Jason Ellis)!! *gets all giddy*

It was extremely exciting to see these Food Network personalities live!!! If you think they look cute on tv, they were extremely adorable in person!! :o)

Immediately, we went up to James Roselle and introduced ourselves as Notter School grads. HA! One never would've expected THAT to be an immediate ice breaker but from that moment on, a new bond was built. James used to teach at Notter School when they first began the 24 week program. Boy oh boy did we have plenty to talk about. This was cool because he ended up taking great care of us. He even called us his "peeps". *mini claps* :o)

Between John and I, we tried to bring as much (supplies) as we could, but still, with what we had, we did not have enough. Have no fear, James was there to save us. THANK YOU JAMES for helping the poor pastry school students...YOU ROCK!!!

Because this was the first day, we just covered our dummy cakes in fondant, traced out the peacock, and made the gum paste flowers. Class ended at 5pm but some people stayed until almost 11pm. We, on the otherhand, made it to 6:30...then it was time for some good o'l Buffalo Wild Wings! :0)

DAY 3:

Time for some serious focusing!!! There was A LOT to be done!

Today we had to paint the mosaic peacock, decorate the sides of the tiers, and assemble the peacock. Time flew by extremely fast. Before we knew it, it was time to go. We never got around to completely finishing off the cake, but we got the star of the cake (The Peacock) done.

YAY TEAM CHILANDO (Chicago + Orlando)!!!!!!!

Taking a break for a special luncheon with James and Josh at Applebee's! :o) It was so cool that they went to lunch with just us!

I could honestly compare this experience to that of Wilton. The major difference was having to bring your own supplies. However, having the THREE JAYS definitely made up for all of it!!!

Graduation!!

After 720 Hours filled with:

Joy

Trust

Fear

Surprise

Sadness

Anger

Anticipation

Optimism

and Love

...WE DID IT!! :o)

CONGRATULATIONS

APRIL CLASS 2009!!