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I realized today that I now only have ONE more birthday left to celebrate in my twenties. Sigh. That's such a weird feeling. I don't know why I am SO dreading my 30th... I guess it's partly because that number has always represented "old" to me, and now I'm almost there. I thought I would be so much wiser, so much cooler, so much more advanced by this point - most days I still feel like I'm 18!

Thanks so much to everyone for all your phone calls, texts and emails. I felt very blessed and loved all day long.

Yesterday was my final cake in my Course 3 class, so I made myself a giant birthday cake! It's my last one for a while... I'm taking Course 2 next month, and its mostly flowers and icing techniques. I have to admit I'm glad - as much as I love cake, I'm getting a little caked out.

We leave Wednesday for a dental conference in Kansas City, and then we leave Sunday for a week-long Caribbean cruise! We found an unbelievably great deal on hotwire and figured we better take advantage of it while Brian's schedule is flexible - we won't be going anywhere once he starts school again in a couple of months.

I've been wanting to get scuba certified for quite a while now (so I could join Brian when he goes diving), and I finally completed the class portion this past weekend. My class was 5 hours on Friday night and 9 hours on Saturday - definitely a challenge, but I'm so glad I did it.

To complete my certification, I need to make four open water dives on the cruise. I'm really excited, but just a bit terrified of bumping into a shark. I'm hoping to be surrounded instead by lots of little Nemos, sea turtles and dolphins. We're taking an underwater camera, so I'll be sure to post some diving pics when we get home!

Join me for TEA

I'm currently compiling all of my tax information for our accountant (ugh!) -  hope to have all of it off of my desk by Friday. I'm not quite sure what I'll owe yet, but I do know what someone in my family had to pay to the government this year for his small business. SEVENTY PERCENT. That means his business only makes $30 for every $100 he brings in. And he still has to pay some overhead out of the remaining 30%, so actual profit turns out to be quite minimal.

I don't care if you are a republican or a democrat. You can't tell me that's not wrong.

A friend pointed out to me the other night that the government provides us with a road system and protection/security (and some might question that). Other than that, what else does the government really do for the average working American?

Not much that I like. They use my money to push government-funded abortions. They use my money to push government-controlled healthcare (which could put my husband out of business). They use my money to keep Scripture and prayer out of schools, while putting the homosexual agenda in.

Yes, I'm on a soapbox right now, because I'm so sick of it. I don't even watch or read the news anymore because I know there is not a thing I have the power to change. However, my voice might be a little louder when joined with thousands of others - maybe together we can command the attention of Washington.

AFA is sponsoring a Taxed Enough Already (TEA) party rally in thousands of communities across the country on April 15. I would encourage you to consider participating. I'm going to do my best to attend in Wichita, so if you're in the area and want to go with me, let me know!

***Having said all of this, I must remind myself again that the God of the Universe reigns. Obama does not. There is not a thing that happens on this earth that does not fall under His sovereign will. Although I may have to pay more taxes than I would like, to a government I do not respect, He will continue to work all things together for the good of His children. He ALWAYS does.

Pink and polka dots

So... can you tell from my last two cakes what my favorite color is? And that I really like polka dots? :)

I graduated from cake decorating Course 1 a few weeks ago and am now up to my ears in fondant in Course 3. I had never worked with fondant before - its SO much easier than I thought it would be! I love it! It's just like playing with play dough. So far I've been using the boxed Wilton fondant, but I know you can also make fondant at home. Has anyone ever attempted it - if so, do you have a good recipe?

My next cake has to be tiered (gulp!). I'm planning to break out of my little pink box and try something totally different. Stay tuned!

Save the date!

Stryder's getting hitched! And we're getting a puppy!

As many of you know, we've been searching for quite a while for just the right female for our golden guy. We finally found her. She's beautiful, and Stryder is so excited (or at least we imagine he is). Her name is Penny and she lives with a great family in Kansas City.

She'll be ready to breed in August, so Stryder will spend a few days "getting acquainted" then. If all goes according to schedule, the puppies should arrive in October, meaning they'll be able to leave their mom in December. Christmas puppies!!! Is there anything better?

If you're interested in one of Stryder's pups, let me know asap. We've already got a list going. Our vet has even claimed one (which should tell you how incredible these dogs are).

This is Penny, with her most recent litter of puppies.

Here's Stryder with his brothers and sisters at 4 weeks old 

(December 02). He was a Christmas puppy too!

And just for fun, here's a photo my dad took of Stryder's parents, Mannley and Scout, the day that they "consummated" their relationship. I promise this is a real picture - isn't it amazing?

"Fresh Pickens"

You won't at all be interested in this video if you weren't a Tri Delt at Baylor, but if you were, you have to watch! It's DDD's Sing 2009 video - they took first place on Saturday night! Way to carry on the legacy - yay girls! :)

(My sister gave me some background on this act since I couldn't see it in person.  The girls are on the produce aisle and their costumes are strawberries, blueberries, pineapples and beets!)