Celebrations!

Quite a few years ago, right after college, I read Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster. Although I liked the book, I remember very little of it except that the last chapter was about the discipline of corporate celebration. That chapter stayed with me more than any other in the book because it took me by such surprise. Celebration isn't what I had expected to learn about after working up the nerve to read about about the spiritual disciplines!

I was thinking about that chapter earlier this week as I was able to join one of my closest friends and her husband and a large group of people to celebrate the adoption of their new son, Simon Theodore. I can think of few things more worthy of a wild celebration than the gift of a child. And this child in particular has quite a story, as do his new parents. It has been a privilege for me to get to share in a little part of their journey over the last several years.

AND... I got to make dessert for the party! I re-arranged my work schedule and took off a 1/2 day of work to bury myself in flour and buttermilk and lemon zest and Rice Crispies and Hershey's Special Dark Baking Cocoa. I borrowed my old roommate's standing Kitchen Aid Mixer, which we used to affectionately call, "The She-Beast" because of its weight and awesome mixing power! The She-Beast and I cranked out a chocolate cake, a carrot cake, lemon-vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, plain vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting and last of all, because the food theme was "kid foods," some Rice Cripsy Treats. Whew!

(And I am feeling quite proud to say that this bounty of desserts was all produced in my tiny little 6'x8' kitchen!)

Here are a few pics...

Before:




After:




My dear friend, the star of the show, and me: