Darn It.

Last night I made two dozen pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  My camera is lost, so I can't really share the visual splendor that were these cupcakes, but trust me, they were AWESOME.  We're talking delicious ingredients from scratch, and cinnamon and powdered sugar everywhere.  I used my mechanical icing tube-thing from Williams and Sonoma, so the frosting was shot onto those cupcakes with some extra fancy.  I'm not even ashamed to admit that I had more than one taste of the frosting AND the batter while I was making them.  They were super delicious, and they turned out better than I could have hoped.  Thank you, Martha Stewart.  No, literally, I got the recipes from her.  See?: Pumpkin Cupcakes and Cream Cheese Frosting.

I made these cupcakes for a very special occasion.  I was invited to go on a "Ladies Trip," which included myself, my mom, and a bunch of family/friends who have had a hand in raising me.  I've always been well, not an adult, until now, so I was never invited on these fun weekends before now. Before now.  Now that I am an adult, I got the invite to go to Margie's cabin in Arnold with some of the funniest ladies that I know.  I was so excited, and I couldn't wait to go.

That was, until this morning, when I woke up and felt this terrible pain in my ear (chronic ear infections=the cross I bear).  I tried to convince myself that it was nothing, and were I not in the throws of testing my students for report cards next week (That's right.  Kindergarteners have to be tested for report cards.  NOT my idea), I would have stayed home to try and sleep it off.  As the day wore on the tests were administered (One by one because, it turns out, five year olds can't read), the paper turkeys were cut, and a billion little questions were answered, it became apparent that I was sick.  Like, really.  I felt like someone was drilling a hole through my ear, and one of my students even said to me, "Maestra Robin, I know your head hurts because you are holding it and you're making that face."  This was not good news.

After work I drove to our designated meeting spot for the camping caravan, sad with the knowledge that I probably wouldn't be going.  After some short conversations, a few peeks inside my ear, and an exchange of cupcakes, I decided to stay in Sacramento.  It was terrible, but not as terrible as driving two plus hours and then ruining everyone's vacation because I was sick.

I got home, ran into my room, and cried on my bed.  I hate it when things don't work out.

Luckily, Lee Black is always up to saving the day. I happen to have world's greatest boyfriend who hugs me and offers to bring me pain killers, ginger ale and grapefruit juice (or, as it's known around the McBlack house: Gin and Juice), and Thai food.  It's nice to know that if I can't be with one person I love that there is another one waiting in line to bring me take-out and the finest on-sale American sake a full time law student can buy.

I miss my mom.

And I love Lee.