CACTUS TREE

Last weekend I went to sunny Arizona to spend time with some of my all-time favorite friends, whom I know from the glory days otherwise known as college. Let's review the tapes, shall we?

1) FINALLY found a good definition of a cactus... such a relief! I've spent years wondering about these fascinating organisms, but thanks to this highly informative plaque at the Desert Botanical Garden, it seems there is no need for me to wonder any longer...

2) Relaxed/beautified our footsies. Thanks, Paige, for capturing the moment with this awesome photograph (which maybe should be my new facebook profile picture???).

3) Kristan inflated her air mattress in the middle of the night; Kate was convinced Krissy was shredding some documents. I have no photos of this incident because Kristan shredded them all.

4) Saw the beautiful Chihuly glass exhibit at the DBG.

5) Listened to Jimmy T. and Johnny M. whilst in the car. Belted out "ooh-ooh-ooh ooh-OOH-ooh" at the top of our lungs. Reminisced about the John Mayer concert in LV and the sketchy (to put it mildly) hotel we stayed at in 2004 because of our lack of moola.

6) Ate these delightful treats from Sprinkles:

7) Sat by the pool at 4 p.m. in FEBRUARY!!!!!!

8) Completed this crossword on the plane and accidentally knocked over Kate's apple juice in my glee (which if funny in hindsight):

9) Retained my title as "Take Two Queen." Clearly, the tiles below do not belong to me, as most of them are not being properly utilized in the formation of words.

10) Left wanting more. Can't wait until WHR 2010!!

RED VELVET

My dear friend, Paige, insisted that I have a red velvet cake for my 22nd birthday party. It was fitting, because I am unabashedly partial to the color, but I honestly had never tried red velvet cake before; I thought it seemed somewhat unnatural to opt for a cake that wasn't the darkest brown known to man.... But it turned out to be a delightful treat, so I whole-heartedly welcomed red velvet into my life.

A couple of summers ago, while in the Big Apple visiting my friend, Kristan, we stopped at a cupcake shop where I purchased the dreamiest red velvet cupcake imaginable. The butter cream frosting was thick and delicious; I could have died happily at the moment I inhaled it. It was SO divine that I purchased the cookbook online a month later, and shortly thereafter found myself happily dancing around the kitchen wearing a polka dot apron. Two bottles of red food coloring and an afternoon later, I had the satisfaction of partaking of the gems. My heart and my stomach were fully satisfied....

Red velvet is intensely rich, temptingly sweet, and simply satisfying. I hope you'll all enjoy it as much as I do!