Limitless

All these changes that have taken place over the past couple months have really been testing me. I've had to really man up and take action and do things that I normally wouldn't be comfortable doing.

My job at the Bread Basket is pretty demanding, especially since I open more than close and that requires me to be there at 6 in the morning. I am not a morning person in the least bit. Getting up at 5 in the morning to go to a highly stressful job where, three months in, I'm still learning how to get everything going isn't my ideal situation. I've been told I do things like a kindergartener and that my writing on the cake looks like crap. Just yesterday a woman called in and yelled at me on the phone, telling me she didn't want fondant or chocolate wrap on her daughters wedding cake, she wanted just frosting! I told her time and again that we don't do that, since it doesn't hold up for that long on display and we've only ever done chocolate wrap or fondant. It went on and on and on and she was really nasty to me. Being a girl who works at BB and simply explaining to her our policy and how we run things doesn't warrant her bad attitude. You don't want chocolate wrap or fondant on the outside? Go to a different bakery and get some nasty cake.

Last night I went out to dinner with the girls from BB for the first time. I was pretty excited because I've felt a little out of place with them. I'm finally making real friends at work and they're pretty chill. Dinner was super fun.

Culinary school is outrageous. I love it and I hate it at the same time. Having been in this program for over three months now (half way!!) I've realized how much I didn't know about cooking. I've learned so much, I don't even know where to begin. About a month ago we had an iron chef type of day where we drew proteins out of a hat and then we had two hours to cook it, add two sides, a sauce, name it, price it, and plate it for chef to taste. I was having anxiety like no other about this day. I even wanted to stay home from the whole day and give up, since it was so intimidating. I was envisioning myself getting shrimp or halibut (both things I know nothing about because I never eat them) but luck was on my side and I ended up with New York strip steak. I pulled it off fairly well, I think, with a cilantro lime rub and oven roasted vegetables.

That challenge is one example of many where this class has pushed my limits. Chef is constantly getting up in my face and making me flustered to the point where I lose my concentration and forget what I'm trying to do. I'm learning as I go and there are many people in the class who're kind of helping me along with the things I don't know about. I've gotten comfortable with not knowing and asking for help. Every time I do, I learn so much.

Whether I'm in class trying my best to follow Chef's fragmented recipes, I'm at work trying to balance ten different things that need to be done at once, or even if I'm keeping a relationship afloat with nearly 4000 miles between us, I'm being pushed. I've stepped up to my limits and shoved back. Every single thing I've learned over these few months has made me become more a woman than a girl. I'm starting to piece together my future and I'm loving every minute.

I am indeed limitless.