happy birthday!

I turned 40 back in April.  My husband and I spent a lot of time talking about how to celebrate this milestone.  We considered a fabulous vacation, a big party, and an intimate, lovely dinner with dear friends.  But he came up with a better idea - the best idea.  He suggested I go to culinary school.  Woo!  Did I hear him correctly?  Did my husband just suggest I go to culinary school?  The idea of me going to culinary school wasn't what shocked me.  It was that HE came up with it.

You see, I've given my dear husband a hard time for the past 12 years for being a "very practical gift giver" (aka: not very thoughtful).  Some of the most unforgettable are the Cranium game for Valentine's Day (and we already had one), an odd stick thing that would tell you when your plants needed watering, and a giant box full of food storage containers for Christmas (not completely lost on this food nerd, but way too practical for a gift).  But with one simple sentence he made up for years of random gift choices.  My favorite person in the world had just given me the best gift ever (well, besides our two children, of course).

But let me be clear...the financial support isn't what I'm most grateful for.  To me, his true gift is his support, encouragement and his unwavering belief in me and my dreams.  And that is the best gift ever.

I took some time to research the area schools and I've chosen to attend The Culinary School of Fort Worth.  It's a small school with an intimate, nurturing learning environment - perfect for me.  It's a two year program and today is my first day of school.

So, consider this blog my birthday cake - it's a little piece of my adventures in culinary school for you to enjoy.