One of my favorite things to do is to make special birthday cakes for my nieces and nephews. They always challenge me with their requests whether it’s for a cake with a beach scene (complete with monster trucks and sharks) or a cake shaped like a horse.
Some of the other things I like to do include trying new recipes, reading, sewing, and planning our travels. I enjoy planning a trip almost as much as I like going on them. I think it’s fun to read about new places and to look for the odd, out of the way places to see as well as the popular attractions.
I also like to play the piano (which I play tolerably well) and the violin (which I play pretty terribly). I think learning to play an instrument is a great experience for kids. If I remember my own first attempts at music accurately, I’ll have to get some industrial strength earplugs when the time comes.
Every time we go some place with kids they always end up playing with Mike. I remember at one family gathering I saw Mike running around with about 10 little ones trailing behind. He’s has just as much fun playing tag and tossing the football as he does playing tea party and being a makeover guinea pig.
If I’m a little bit Classical, Mike’s a little bit Rock ‘n’ Roll. He can change the atmosphere of a whole room just by being there. One time we went to a karaoke bar and everyone was trying very hard to be professional and singing very nicely. They were doing a good job, but it seemed kind of tense. Then it was Mike’s turn. He got up there and belted out some rocking tune and it loosened everyone up. It was a real party after that. It was truly amazing to see.
Mike is also very caring and empathetic. Early in our relationship, I saw how caring he was when his dog was sick. He stayed up all night to sit by her, making sure she was all right. One time when I was sick, he made me brownies from scratch because I was craving a specific recipe. And he never cooks so this was a big challenge for him.
I grew up in a close and loving family. I have one sister. She has 6 children, making her a wealth of information on how to raise a child. My parents have a lot of experience with being the adoring grandparents, and they’re thrilled with the idea of more grandchildren to love. We live about 2 hours away from my family now but we visit them often, at least once or twice a month. My extended family is really large, so at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter there’s a gathering of almost 50 people.
My sister’s kids adore Mike. He’s always making up songs and stories for them. The older 2 kids came to stay with us a for a week one summer and we made up a game we called Crazy Tennis. It’s a good thing nobody else was playing tennis that day because I think we took up about 4 courts, but it was a lot of fun.
I started out in engineering, and that was my career for about 7 years. Engineering didn’t satisfy my desire to actually make something with my hands so I have become more interested in cake decorating and chocolates in recent years. I was able to work in a chocolate shop for a couple years and it was the best job I’ve ever had. I was also part of a program at Schoolcraft College that developed summer camps for middle school students to encourage them to explore careers in science and math. My sister’s older two kids were able to come and participate in these programs and we all had a lot of fun learning together. I am currently between jobs, and I’m looking forward to becoming a mom full time.