A Little Update

Well, folks, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind these last two months. The last time we were here, I gave you a bit of a rewind through time, but a LOT has happened since I wrote that last one and it’s been quite the insane little ditty.

Let’s start back in February: Superbowl and Valentine’s Day landed within 24 hours of each other, which basically means they fell on the same day, which basically means I didn’t sleep for about 72 hours straight. It was wonderful (and I don’t mean that sarcastically). With some much needed (and very much appreciated) help, I made 150 candy grams between Friday and Saturday (which includes cutting, rolling and gluing cardstock into cones, making and gluing double bows, adding stickers, and wrapping each cone in a decorative bag. It also includes dipping over 200 marshmallows in melting chocolate, rolling or sprinkling with edible glitter, sugar, coconut and/or sprinkles, drizzling said chocolate onto 150 cookies or brownies and filling the cones with Valentine’s candy).

I also made 7 boards (a few Valentine’s-themed a few Superbowl-themed) to be delivered on Sunday morning. After those deliveries, I meal prepped for four clients until about 10 PM, then had to get up at 4:45 AM to coach Monday morning. It was glorious and exhausting and gave me a glimpse into my (very near) future.

I had an amazing opportunity to make an Encanto-themed Charcuterie board and cater a Colombian-inspired birthday party, which means I splurged on chafing dishes and pretended I was a really real professional caterer for a day. This was the most exciting thing I’ve done since I quit my job. I adore cooking and I love anything that will challenge my brain and its creativity. I did some research on what I wanted the menu to look like (and of course, consulted my client to make sure any special requests were met). I’ve never made Colombian food, so hearing the gasps of delight and incredibly thoughtful feedback from the party-goers was a truly heart-warming and fulfilling experience.

Here was the menu:
· Beans and rice made with hogao
· Chimichurri steak (which is not Colombian, but was requested and I gladly acquiesced)
· Handmade beef empanadas
· Traditional Colombian simple salad

I was absolutely obsessed with this board and this party. I spent a lot of time thinking and researching how I wanted each character to be represented and I was ecstatic with the outcome. I write a lot about learning experiences on this blog – one thing I know I need to work on is getting better at documenting these opportunities in photos and videos so I can create marketing material and social media content. (I could write an entire blog about my dislike of most-things-social-media and its bloody importance, so I’ll save my rant for another day, but the reason I’m writing this is because I didn’t get one single picture of the hot food and I’m still pissed off about it 6 weeks later).

Anyway, a week after the Encanto-themed board, I got a request to do a roller coasters and airplanes board for a young teen’s birthday party and it was an absolute hit. I had a lot of thinking and planning to do to figure out how to make an edible roller coaster, cars, and planes, and in the end I used a lot of wafer cookies, pretzels and marshmallows, while incorporating traditional (kid-friendly) charcuterie. Knowing what I know now, (like how to build things out of food), I would probably have made a few changes to this board, but I was happy with the end-result and always grateful for a new opportunity and learning experience.

The ball kept rolling as I made 50 charcuterie cups and mini boxes for the studio as giveaways to support women in business, and let me tell you, they were an absolute HIT. I had the good fortune of being able to hand these out myself, see and hear the delight of sweaty, hungry, exhausted members as they dug through layers of meats, cheeses, fruits, veggies, nuts, chocolates and more. I received incredible feedback, including some excellent ideas for expansion and collaboration. I'm humbled by this studio and our wonderful community who have given this business its start and its life; supporting me and it from the very beginning (literally from the very first event).

March Break approached and I was able to slow it down and spend some much-needed time with my kiddos… all the while worrying with bated-breath about the potential slowing of my business for taking these small moments for myself. While I’ve been aching for travel these last two years, I don’t think I’ve realized how much I’ve needed it. There are so many things that are good for the soul, but being someplace new, experiencing something entirely different from home, evokes an overwhelming sense of purpose and grounding, a reconnecting with the Earth (if you’ll allow me to indulge my hippie spirit for a moment).

I’ve taken 10 days to go someplace new with the people who gave me purpose, to reflect upon all I’ve already accomplished and come back with a renewed and refreshed outlook on my business, my schedule, my family and, ultimately, my life. I've been monitoring my time over the last month, so now that I'm back from vacation, I can put plans in place to ramp up and be as busy as can be while focusing on my health and making my family my priority.

And so! I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be working toward my Nutritionist Certification, which will be integrated into the meal prep side of the business, and will coincide with coaching at F45. I’m so excited for where this new journey will take me, and I have no doubt that wherever I land… will be exactly where I’m supposed to be.