Back in the U.S. of A.!

That's right, folks,  I am home at last!!  Since leaving Paris, life has been a crazy whirlwind of planes, trains, and automobiles, but I made it home!  I have been enjoying lounging around and doing absolutely nothing...aside from suffering from a serious case of jet lag.  The past week has been filled with early bedtimes, even earlier wake-ups (think 06:00 - 06:45),and trying to adapt to meal times and general everyday living this side of the Atlantic.

The day after graduation, Nicole and I headed on a train under the English Channel (affectionately known as the Chunnel), and spent a long weekend in LONDON!  More updates to come on that later, I promise!!

I have to say that while I was SO EXCITED to go home, I was DREADING the flight.  For those of you who are not familiar with my fear of flying, let me tell you...I HATE it.  Words cannot convey my feelings toward flying.  That being said, I was proud of myself because I was actually able to make the trip from Paris to Atlanta alone -- without any anxiety attacks!  It could have been the free flowing champagne and white wine, but who knows, maybe there is hope for me yet.  I made it through security after two pretty intrusive pat downs (I thought they were prepping for a full blown cavity search next), and like the good little non-rev that I am, I had plenty of time to kill before my flight.  After settling in, I was excited to wander around the terminal and buy a couple of last minute Eiffel Tower trinkets from tacky airport souvenir stores...but let me tell you, gone are the days of cheap tourist trap shops!  In typical French style, Charles de Gaulle is too good for such nonsense, and instead passengers are enticed with dozens of designer brands and labels.  Meet my friends, Cartier, Prada, and Dior, and down the block were Burberry, Laduree, and Printemps.

I couldn't believe it!  I was waiting for someone to come by and check the current status of my bank account before I could proceed any further.

My name was finally called, and I settled into my seat (Hello, First Class! Many thanks to Mom and her 31 years of dedicated service to Delta!).  Ugh, let the 10 hour countdown begin.  I enjoyed a few adult beverages and a delicious three course meal -- whoever said airplane food was nasty has never tried Delta's roasted chicken and couscous --- but, I knew it was a bad sign when I had napped during Letters to Juliet, watched Twilight AND Marmaduke, completed at least 5 crosswords from my puzzle book, and I still had 4.5 hours left....AHHH!!!!  I did, however, enjoy a breathtaking view from the sky.

The view over Paris

The view over Atlanta right before landing

 I finally made it, and Jonathan was there to greet me at the top of the escalator with flowers and a smile!  Isn't he sweet??

It feels really strange to be back home.  Everything seems so foreign, yet extremely familiar, at the same time.  Does that makes sense?  Anyway, I have taken part in a few culinary endeavors since I have been back, and some of them are worth mentioning, however, some are definitely forgettable.  Let's see...we have a spicy turkey tomato sauce (HIT!), apple tart (for the birds), shortbread cookies (a work in progress), and the granddaddy of them all...Baked Alaska!

We celebrated Grandad's 80th birthday over the weekend, and family flew in California and Colorado to surprise him for the big day!  While it was really, really great to have everyone together again to celebrate such an exciting and joyous day, it was difficult for me because it made me miss David that much more.  We were having so much fun, but it was painfully obvious to me that he was absent.  It feels odd to be back in familiar surroundings because, although I feel as though I have grown a lot in the past 3 months, some of the same feelings and emotions that were dormant overseas have resurfaced.  I guess, just like everything else, this is all part of the healing process.

Anyway, back to the Baked Alaska!  To commemorate Grandad's birthday, I was feeling mighty ambitious and decided to tackle this albatross after watching one of the chefs make it in our last cuisine demonstration.  I have to say that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be!  The hardest part was working quickly during the assembly process to make sure the sorbet didn't melt.  Also, I ran out of meringue, so I couldn't pipe all of the fun decorations that I had planned.  Oh well!

Pretend the janky foil covered baking sheet is actually a beautiful silver platter...

So, what do I have on my agenda for the next month and a half?  Well, to start off, I have LOTS of blog updates...I feel like I will never be completely caught up.  Of course, lots of cooking and subsuquent overeating to commence on Thanksgiving -- woo!  Jonathan and I will be heading to the beach for some highly anticipated relaxation, and then I'll be going back to work at Coyote for a couple of weeks.  Before I know it, Christmas will be here and shortly after, it will be time to head back to Paris.  I don't remember if I actually posted it up here or not, but I am going back to Le Cordon Bleu to complete Intermediate and Superior courses in both cuisine and pastry, which, assuming I pass the exams, I will be awarded the Grand Diploma in June.  Whoop!  Who knows what I will do after that, but I'll figure it out as I go along.

Happy Thanksgiving!

- a tout à l’heure!