Classic: Vanilla and Chocolate

I haven't done a ton of baking since I have been here in MD. I have a miniature oven and was quite discouraged when I baked my first batch of chocolate chip cookies and found that the bottoms were burnt and the tops raw.


It has taken a little experimenting but I have finally figured out my oven and it works really wonderfully.

For a work picnic, I made a classic Dark Chocolate cupcake and swirled on a "little" Vanilla Bean Swiss-Meringue Buttercream.

I usually don't eat the treats I make because I know how much butter goes into them. But these turned out amazing and were definitely worth the calories!!!

Memorial Day at Arlington

While I missed being in Utah for the annual "Zumbrennen Bike and BBQ", it was a truly amazing experience to be in Arlington Cemetery for Memorial Day this year.

Every grave marker had a flag perfectly placed in honor of our fallen heroes.

The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was just as fantastic as I remembered.

Love this picture with the flags.

I want the Washington Monument as my grave marker!

This is Senator Teddy Kennedy's cross. He lies very close John and Bobby.

May we always remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Happy Memorial Day!

Finally...

In February of this year, I was in a little accident. We had a sudden snow fall on a very very cold day. I was late for stake conference and was driving a little too fast. I suddenly found that I was sliding out of control and had two options: turn the wheel and run into the curb or head straight on into a busy road full of traffic. I opted for the first option but cracked my hubcap in half as a result.

With one thing and another, I didn't have the chance to replace the hubcap before moving to Utah. So I drove across the country in what my friends would refer to as a "ghetto car". When I arrived in MD, I ordered a hubcap online and quickly installed it.

Unfortunately, I didn't know that Honda hubcaps have to be bolted on with the lugnuts and not just clipped on like most other hubcaps. I therefore lost my new hubcap only a few miles.

6 months, 2200 miles, and 2 "new" hubcaps later, I finally have a car that my friends will no longer call "ghetto".

P.S. I also got Maryland plates so I am officially a resident!!!