Anna's Masters Recital and Robert's 23rd Birthday Cake

Part 1: Anna's Recital

Our niece Anna is a VERY talented musician and is currently pursuing a masters in choral conducting from UW. Part of that program includes putting together a music recital from top to bottom - picking the theme, the music, working with the vocalists, etc. etc. etc. Well, Anna did all that and had her recital all set for February 7th... as in when snowmageddon 2019 hit. Yup. Lucky her. Ugh! Needless to say, Mother Nature was NOT Anna's best friend when her snowy antics caused Anna's recital to be postponed. Fast forward to last Friday, the recital's new date. As I drove the kids to school, my stomach sank when I saw snowflakes flurrying around. REALLY? Fortunately, the snow only spun around in the air for a bit and didn't disrupt Anna's recital.

Oh what a recital it was!! The theme was "Take Me To The Water" (I think ... or something along those lines). All of the songs she chose tied in with water in some way, including a really neat song traditionally sung by Japanese fishermen, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and "Let the River Run". The extra treat was hearing Anna sing "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with three of her peers; I didn't expect her to sing at all because of her conducting responsibilities. Bonus for Auntie!

Because I'm ... well ... me, I opted to make Anna cookies to celebrate her big evening. Because of the recital's water theme, I chose colors that represented the different colors of blue found in water. I also made a lot of them knowing she'd share with her singers. Fun stuff!

Part 2: Robert's 23rd Birthday
Today, our "little" nephew turns 23. When my sister was pregnant with him (but hadn't told us yet), she asked me, "Do you like being an aunt?" I was hurt.... I thought I'd done something to fail as an aunt and had no clue what it was. When I replied, "YES! Of course I do!" She said, "Oh good, because you're going to be one again."

A few weeks ago, our niece Emily reached out to me and asked if I'd make a surprise birthday cake for Robert's birthday. YUP!!! She had the idea of using the song lyrics from Blink 182's song "What's My Name Again?", which is a favorite of Emily and Robert. Knowing he is a fan of grasshopper pie (aka mint chocolate chip ice cream in a chocolate cookie pie crust), I opted for the same flavor profile. I made chocolate cake and a mint buttercream frosting. Tasty and it freshens your breath. Win!

Happy birthday, Boomer!! We love you and still like you ... even though you're 23!