A big birthday

I didn't expect Matt to really get bothered with turning 30. He's just not the type to really care about that stuff. However, I do think that no matter who you are, you tend to stop and think about where you are in your life and where you want to be.  Although 30 isn't old, I don't quite think you can categorize yourself in the "young adult" category much anymore. I asked Matt what he wanted to see in this new decade and it includes grown up stuff like kids and "settling down". It's drastically different than "getting through school" and "traveling". There's a part of me that doesn't want us to grow up. I hear, though, that a lot of people like their 30's more than their 20's which is comforting, because as much as I say 30 isn't a big deal, my day isn't too far behind. And I just don't think these fine lines are going away any time soon.

I threw Matt a surprise party for his big day. At first I thought I wanted to throw him a huge, bangin party, but after a lot of thought, I realized Matt is a simple guy. All he needs are good friends, good food, and good conversation. I thought a BBQ would be perfect and got a spot at a park.  We had some of his favs: polish dogs, coke in a bottle, potato chips with hot sauce and lime (so good), and then I baked him a cake and cupcakes for others. When I was thinking about what to do for him I wanted to make something different but completely 'Matt'. He loves a good, rare steak. Steak dinner it is! It was perfect for him. The inside is red velvet and raspberry. I must say I am quite happy with how the color of the cake turned out. Nice and meaty!

I got a huge pinata from a Mexican market and stuffed it so full that I wasn't sure the wire was going to hold it. We got noisemakers, silly string, and filled balloons with water so we could throw it all at him. His brother and a friend took him skateboarding before and showed up at the park because he thought we would be skating the bowl. At least he got cooled off. Success!

 

 

A Vintage Tea Party

I will never turn down an opportunity to do something like this. I love the idea of creating treats that correspond and go together. It's my favorite! This was for a birthday party and I was so flattered to be asked to provide the sweet treats for it. The rose cake is coconut, the dark pink is lemon, and the light pink is strawberry. The macs were pear (green) and pink lemonade.   

I always feel lucky to be asked by people who have fun, creative minds and visions because I get to be a part of it. It gives me opportunities to get better at what I do.

The post in which I go to Mexico. Mexico City, that is.

 When we told people we would be going to Mexico City for a vacation, we got three things:

First, a weird look.

Second, "oh...? well that's cool...?"

Third, "Don't drink the water".

It turns out that people have a sore misconception of our neighbors to the South. Yes, it's true there is violence, but that's pretty much only in the US border towns. And Matt put it best, "Would you not visit Salt Lake City just because Washington D.C. has a lot of crime?". Touche, I said to myself. Not only is Mexico City a cool place to visit, it's by far one of the cheapest vacations of all time. We got tickets for $295... $295!! You can barely fly to California for that price. Then, the peso to dollar conversion is so good, I started to feel a little guilty for getting my fine-dining, white linen meals for only $30 bucks. We tasted some of the best al pastor tacos and fresh mango ever, and I found out that the simple ingredients of corn, cheese, lime, chili powder, and mayo is the most weird and delicious combination since pb & j. We walked around Puebla, (where mole poblano is from) and realized that all the way around the world in Latin America you can find a huge piece of European history. Pyramid ruins are very abundant there, and the stories behind them are even more fascinating. (I guess it helps that Matt minored in Latin American studies in college...)  We visited Coyoacan, where Frida is from, and went to Casa Azul and saw some amazing things from her and Diego Rivera, as well as the way they lived. We found out that art markets are really awesome and way less pretentious then anything I've ever visited before. Plus, bringing home some original works of art makes it pretty awesome too. I realized that my Spanish is really a lot better than I thought. I could always pick up on phrases and words, but you can imagine how my frustration melted away when I realized I was laughing along to conversations and occasionally nodding my head in agreement. Thanks to Senora Thackeray's 8th grade Spanish class! And thank you to my adopted family, the Delgado's... 

The people down there are some of the most humble, nice, and welcoming I've ever come across. We met a 78 year old taxi driver who does yoga every morning and only works 32 hours a week. And he loves it.

My friends, may I urge you to put Mexico City on your list of places to visit before you die. Especially Puebla, which is now one of my favorites. I never felt in danger, and we came back with some spare change in our pockets. We traveled on the best buses, stayed in the nicest places, ate some delish food, and met some extremely nice people. The only truth I took away from our confused friends: don't drink the water.

And now, some pictoral documentation.

 Mealtimes at Casa Gonzalez

 Did you know the worlds richest man has a personal art collection? He does. And it's a whole museum. geez. It looks like a beehive.

 papas con salsa y limon. It's amazingly good.

                     No, you aren't crazy. It's sinking.

 Teotihuacan

                  Best mango I've ever had                                       Fruit ice-watermelon and lime

 Some awesome English to Spanish translation

                                                                                                 Um, we had a lot of fruit ice....

                                                                               Some more awesome English to Spanish translation

                  Elote. Don't knock it 'til you try it. Corn, lime, chili powder, mayo, cheese, cilantro

 

 Here's our big dumb heads