Kali is Graduating!!

Yay!!!!!!!

Kali is graduating this week from 

L'Academie de Cuisine's Pastry Arts Program!

Eighteen months of study which included an internship at an authentic

French Bistro and Cafe.

And for those of you who may think she looks a mess in this photo - they put chocolate below their lip to test the temperature.

A good pastry chef can tell when the chocolate is at the right temperature by the way it feels on their chin. 

Hmmmm. So, Kali looks just right :).

In this post I am doing something I have only ever done 

once or twice before - posting without edits.

For a couple reasons:

I am leaving soon to start driving to Maryland.

(Graduation is on Friday.)

And, last night I managed to rupture a blood

vessel in one eye. I am having massive problems

keeping that eye open and it hurts like crazy.

Doc called it a subconjunctival hemorrhage and

says it will clear up in a couple weeks,

but for now the white of my right eye is entirely red and 

my eye is watering like crazy. 

Light hurts, so my computer screen is turned almost all the way down.

I can't see to edit, but I wanted to post about Kali's graduation 

before I leave town.

 This was the first really cool project Kali made in class.

The blue is cooked sugar - basically a lollipop.

The rose is . . . . chocolate!

(What is that wonderful smell?

Sorry Frozen fans!)

 Kali studied cake decoration with a couple of the

hands-down best women in the industry.

This entire rose (except for the tin foil it's resting on)

is made of gum paste. Kali is super good at flowers!

 Sorry, but I don't really know the names of any of these cakes.

Just that they are really yummy!

Kali is now living in Colorado.

She is living her dream of being a pastry chef -

an assistant pastry chef for now -

in the pastry kitchens of Kneaders Bakery and Cafe.

I am so proud of my Kali-girl!

She knew what she wanted to do, we made a way for it to happen, 

and she worked super hard!

My understanding is that Kali finished 

with a 96.48 GPA

and will be graduating with honors!

Whoot! Whoot! Way to go, Kali!

(And if you think about it, please say a prayer that my eye will heal quickly. Hurts like the dickens right now and I'll be making that 800 mile drive alone.)