Have yourself a merry little something...

So here I am, once again a bad blogger. We sit here at December fifth...remembering this year for whatever it was to each one of us. All our blessings, and all of our faults, are laid out behind us to reflect upon and remember with a bit of love and grimacing no matter what we've been through. This time last year, if you told me I'd be living in Florida I probably would have laughed in your face. But here I sit, this random Sunday night (slash Monday morning) at the beginning of December reflecting on the year that has past and looking forward to the year to come.

If I had to pick one significant thing to talk about from this year past, it would naturally be my move to Orlando. I've never done anything like this in my life and, if you want to delve into the depths of my brain, really never thought I'd do anything like this....ever. But here I sit, thousands of miles away from all that is familiar, still up to my old games. Staying up way too late, for no apparent reason, spending my nights playing video games and reading books and trying every day to be as splendidly happy as possible.

I can check the first few things off my list, for sure. I have a super comfortable bed (thanks to Renee and Robert, no thanks to Vista Way), plenty of food, and enough extra money that I can't decide if I want to spend my extra cash this pay check on Christmas gifts or a massage for myself (I'm very much a one-for-them, one-for-me kind of Christmas shopper). I have more than enough to be thankful for, but it's hard to remember why I'm here some days when all I want in this world is to be in Val and Jeff's living room watching Elf and laughing with my best friend about all the years we've gone Christmas shopping together and make jerks of ourselves.

There I go again, pulling a Lauren and getting choked up. Awell, I suppose it's bound to happen my first year away from home. But I digress....

I'm doing very well at work, you might be happy to discover. My Chef and Sous Chefs seem to have a lot of faith in me and that means a lot. Saying it means a lot might not even do it justice when in reality I am grateful (and a little surprised) more than I can even put into words. It's nice to know that a major life change at 30 has paid off (or is starting to, if you want to get technical). I'm very happy and feel more blessed than you can ever know. It really helps that I have amazing co-workers (who are some of my closest friends) that make every day worth going to work for.

Long story short (Fluffy and Renee might get a kick out of that), life is good. I am constantly thinking of different ways to make myself better all while trying to enjoy Florida and my new life to the fullest.

It's hard. I'm sad a lot more days than I'd like to admit. I miss my mom and Willow and my Dad and sister and all my friends more than I can ever, ever say. I know in my heart I'm doing the right thing by staying here...and I am happy. I really am...but especially knowing that Christmas is coming and feeling what it felt like to miss Thanksgiving at Granny and Popa's...I'd be lying if I told you that it didn't bother me. In the end, it will get easier. I will be a better person and a better Chef because of all of this, and for that I am eternally grateful. I am fully aware of how lucky I am to be where I'm at...I just wish I were made of stone sometimes so I didn't have these hard days.

Of course, if I were made of stone...I probably wouldn't be who I am to begin with. That being said, I wouldn't trade my life for all the lives in all the world. I am the luckiest Texan transplanted to Florida that ever lived.

And for that, I am truly grateful.

Happy eating,
Lauren

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." - James Beard

The Best Place to Start...

Good afternoon food lovers!

I have been talking about getting this blog/vlog/expression of my most passionate self for almost a year. After some of my trademark procrastination, I'm biting the bullet and starting here...at the beginning.

Welcome to The Happy Food Dance. A child that was born in my heart and moved quickly to my brain and slightly less quicly to my fingers. As a person who has been cooking almost my entire life, I don't think I ever appreciated that there were people in the world who could not navigate around a kitchen. This was most upsetting to me when a former co-worker asked me how to boil potatoes and when even another asked me what it meant to preheat an oven. In this outlet I hope to help you, the novice, become more comfortable with a whisk and sauce pan in your hands. And, as I've just started culinary school, maybe share some tips with a few of you more seasoned cooks. I'll even share some of my favorite recipes and will have some demos up as soon as I can.

Culinary school is more than I could have ever imagined. I have never, in my short 29 years, felt that I was in the right place at the right time. After almost 12 weeks of school, my stomach still turns flips every time I walk in the building. I find myself thinking 'I can't believe I'm really here, I'm really doing this' on an almost daily basis. Chasing a dream has been, and is, the most fullfilling thing I have ever done. It is like jumping off of a cliff...spreading my arms wide for a swan dive into absolute bliss. The first time I made my own bechamel I thought I would cry. Making hollandaise for my best friend's birthday that was better than any that we have had in any restaurant ever was the most fun I've had in a long time.

I've known that I was a talented cook for a long time. In saying that, I didn't know I could cook like this. I didn't know how happy I would be when I got my first callus from cutting so much. Who knew I would get a work out from making sauces from scratch?

After six years (or a lifetime, but who is counting) of doing something that I had no passion for, just taking this first step towards my future has made the difference between night and day. I look forward to walking myself through the next 20 months and I hope you join me.

On that note, time to put on my chef coat for the night.

"Happy and successful cooking doesn't only rely on know-how; it comes from the heart, makes great demands on the palate and needs enthusiasm and a deep love of food to bring it to life." --Georges Blanc, Ma Cuisine des Saisons