I never had a plan that did not blow up spectacularly in my face. For me, plans are more "general guidelines", that can and will change at any moment. If at first I don't succeed...well, it must be day with a damn Y in it. I always have a plan B (and plans C - X, best to keep my options open).
Hubby is making a cake for a retirement party at his office (ain't no party like a biologist party...). As the fella retiring is planning on hiking the Appalachian Trail, the theme of the party is; Happy Trails To You.
Truth 1 - Hubby comes from a long line of amazing, really talented people, who never heard of doing anything the easy way...ever. Tasks and projects that should be under $100 and take maybe half a day, take three years and dipping into one's 401K. Don't get me wrong, the results are amazing...but ain't nobody got time for that!
Truth 2 - The kitchen?? Not my best room...so he's kinda on his own. I have many skills, cake decorating is not one of them. I mean well, but good intentions count for naught in the land of cooking and baking...
Knowing this, I asked him over the weekend what he had in mind for this cake (which has to be done tonight for the party tomorrow). Just to give you a little perspective on the level of over-achiever I am dealing with...his Mom just did a cake for the Secretary at her church's retirement...she did the woman's computer and monitor, in cake...TO FREAKING SCALE!! The keyboard was made out of cut mini-twix bars with each letter painted on individually. I'm pretty sure she gave up sleep sometime in the early 80's.
So the cake, not surprisingly, will be a map of the Appalachian Trail. We have already negotiated that four choices of cake and filling in one sheet cake are plenty. Here is a snippet of the rest of the conversation, three sketches later;
Me: You don't have to put the mountains there, if you put them there, that leaves you less room for writing your message, plus they will be sideways...
Hubby: But they are on the trail...
Me: I understand that, but this is not the actual trail - it's cake.
Hubby: *frown* But the Appalachian Trail goes through the mountains...
Me: You've mentioned that. You get that this does not have to be topographically correct, he won't be using the map on the cake to actually navigate his trip?
Hubby: *more frowning*
Me: Honey, look at it this way, you are the God of your cake universe. The Alpha, the Omega, you know all and control all. Everything is only as you will it to be. The universe is your own personal clipboard...you can drag, rotate, mirror - all that shit. Grab those mountains, move 'em any place you want, the map be damned! Get crazy up in this piece!
He seemed to buy it. It's all in your pitch, ladies, what guy doesn't want to be a god...
So how did it turn out? Pictures please!
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