First of all I want to start out by saying WE DID IT!! I was so terrified that I was going to go into labor during my final senior practicum, but we made it through.
It was a two day test of our skills in the kitchen basically. 4 hours each day. On day 1 we had to bake, fill, and crumb coat a two tier wedding cake, and prep about 15 other recipes for use the next day.
Day 2 was much more challenging... in 4 hours, your Momma had to make, bake, decorate, and present:
*36 soft yeast dinner rolls - 3 diff shapes (12 of each)I'm sure almost none of that makes any sense to you babe, but simply put ..IT WAS A LOT!!
*9 Pate a Choux pastries (3 swans, 3 cream puffs, and 3 eclairs) with 3 different fillings and 3 different garnishes, plated and presented.
*1 - 9" French apple tart, one portion plated with Creme Anglaise. (about 4 recipes total to make this)
*1 two tier wedding cake filled with diplomat cream, fresh raspberries and italian meringue buttercream. Iced and decorated with 3 different piping styles.
Out of the 15-20 people that were taking this test at the same time as me, only 2 of us finished on time with everything required completed (I was one of them!)
Needless to say, I was ecstatic when it was over. An overwhelming sense of pride washed over me as soon as I set the last item down in front of the judges. I raised my hands in the air, fists balled, and shouted "I'm done!" Then began dancing and repeating "I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!" I walked up to every Chef in that room and said "Guess what?! ..I'm done!!!" Luckily they all got excited with me.. I was acting pretty silly but I couldn't help it! that was hard work! and I did it! I was proud of myself. I spent weeks and weeks worrying about that day, and it was finally over, and I came out happy with how I did.. I never expected that. It was an extremely exhausting day, but totally worth that moment when I realized I was DONE :)
The next day (friday) my family arrived in SC and Sunday June 17th (Father's Day) I graduated, with all of them in the crowd shouting for me. It was so nice to hear my name called "Brandi Ann VanOrmer, Associates in Arts and Culinary Management with a concentration in Baking and Pastry, with Honors" ...I don't think I've ever walked so fast in my life, I grabbed my diploma, hugged Chef Snider and Chef Watson and bolted off the stage dancing! Somehow I managed not to cry during this entire ceremony until we all got back to our seats and Chef Watson announced "You are now officially graduates" I got choked up and teary eyed, it was a very surreal and incredible moment in my life, and I'm so happy you were right there with me walking across that stage.
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| Graduation Day ! 32 weeks 5 days :) |
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| Grandma Tara and Daddy |
The next day was my 23rd birthday
....and your Daddy help me start out the day right by sending me to a Massage Therapist for an amazing prenatal massage, oh boy did he know what he was doing.. it put me in an excellent mood for the entire day. After it was over, I came home to Daddy and my family singing happy birthday to me with a big ole chocolate chip cookie! Then we all went out to eat at Hibachi, and spent the rest of the afternoon in the swimming pool. It was so relaxing and enjoyable being weightless in a big pool of water, relaxing and playing basketball with Daddy and your Aunt Ashley. Then we returned to the house for a cook out! Needless to say, it was the best birthday I've had in a while.
The next weekend was baby shower #1
.... The baby shower was in Charleston and I had a great time, it was nice getting to see everyone from school again (even if it has only been a week, I missed them.) and all of my wonderful friends from Sumter that were able to drive out as well. There were fun games, chatting, delicious cake, and of course lots of wonderful gifts for you. We are very lucky to have such wonderful people here in SC as friends. You've got a lot of adopted Aunts and Uncles that love you and can't wait to meet you baby boy :) I cried like.. well a baby after I opened all the gifts and went to hug everyone. I hope they know how much me and your Daddy really appreciate their generosity, love, and support.
Now that brings us to this week
... This whole week has been about doing some serious preparation for bringing you home, while also getting ready for our trip to Alabama to see our families for July 4th and also have baby shower #2. Your Daddy (luckily) acknowledges my serious serious desire to nest right now, up until this week your "bedroom" was a "junk room" and it's been driving me coo-cooo. So your Daddy and I drove to Columbia on a whim one day and purchased and brought home a storage shed we've been eye-balling for months now. Then he spent the next 3 days assembling it out in the hot and humid South Carolina weather with a couple of buddies who were nice enough to help out. Then he helped me sort and store all of the junk out of the house and into the shed. And immediately got to work preparing the walls in the room so we could begin moving stuff into the now empty space. It was a lot of work that he did, and I am so appreciative to have such an amazing husband, and incredible Father for you. Most women would have to "nag" their husbands or baby daddies forever to get that work done, and it probably still wouldn't have happened. I think your Daddy was/is going through his own nesting phase just like I am, either that or he just knows how much it means to me to be prepared for you instead of worrying constantly that you'll come early and we'll have nothing ready. I hope he always knows that I appreciate him, I may not be the best at showing it sometimes and I realize that, but I do know how immensely lucky I am to have him, and to be able to share my life with him. I hope you also realize how wonderful your Father is and always appreciate him. I keep hearing all of these women talk about how baby boys love their Moms and cling to them so much more than their Dads... and they say it like it is a good thing, they are happy that their boys love them more than they love their Fathers. I personally don't get it, I want you to have an incredibly strong relationship with your Dad, and honestly I hope in a way that you are closer to him than to me. He is the one that I want you to strive to be like... I hope you learn how to be an incredible man from him, how to treat women, how to work hard for what you want, and all of the "manly" things that I couldn't possibly teach you. Obviously I plan on being close to you as well, and being the best Mother I can be to you, but I expect you to connect with him in an incredible and beautiful way- a way much different and much more on the same wavelength than the connection that you and I will share. I know he'll do his absolute best to always do whats best for you no matter what he has to sacrifice, and I hope that when you are a teenager or and adult you will still turn to your Dad for advice, and truly appreciate all he has done for you out of love. I can't wait to see you two off on your Father-son camping and fishing trips, or outside working on some project together. I get so much joy already just from watching him play with my tummy, poking and tickling you, and seeing you react to his voice, or watching him work on your room, or assembling your stroller and driving it all over the house "testing it out." He wakes me up some nights because he is playing with you while I'm asleep, he got really excited the other night that you were cuddling up to his back on the couch when I fell asleep laying behind him.
He loves you baby
and we are both so very lucky to have him in our lives.
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