"If you never do anything, you never become anyone."

I’ve been dying to see An Education. I was dying to see it before the Oscars since it was nominated, but at that point, it was already out of most theaters and wasn’t out on DVD yet. That all changed yesterday as it was officially available to purchase and rent. I had a feeling I would love it but I rented it in the Redbox to play it safe. I however didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. Should’ve just gone and bought it. No worries, it’s on my list.

I’m just going to dive right into the main attraction; Carey Mulligan. Love her so much. The girl can act quite brilliantly. And the dimples, that little smirk she has, and the English accent only accentuate that; make you love her even more. In this role as Jenny, she plays a 16-year-old school girl who is seduced by a man over twice her age. Sounds awkward, right? You know what…it really wasn’t. I think it’s because of the way Mulligan plays Jenny. She was light and fresh and happy. She was smart and beautiful and educated and fit right along with David and his friends. And Peter Sarsgaard, he could’ve come across as the creepy old man trying to seduce a young girl, but he didn’t. Not in the beginning anyway. Jenny was sheltered by her parents and she wanted nothing more than the world. She wanted to go everywhere and see everything. She enjoyed classical music and art and concerts. And David, he gave that to her. He introduced her to a life she had never known coming from a middle-class family in suburban London. I actually wanted them to work. I actually believed they would work. Crazy, huh? And I was kind of shocked at the outcome.

The thing I got most out of this movie though was the glimpse into how things have changed for women (and how they haven’t) in the past 50 years. This girl, all her life she had been working so hard, pushed so hard to get into Oxford because her dad wanted more for her than what he had achieved. But the minute this guy came into her life, she threw it all out the window. When he asked her to marry him, she quit school. She didn’t take her exams. She gave up her dream of going to Oxford. All because it wasn’t necessary anymore now that she’d found a husband. What? I am so glad that’s changed. I am so glad that women are encouraged to go to college. To have their own dreams. To achieve things that was once only achievable by men. I'm so glad that I've never had the mindset to think that having a man in my life is greater than having and achieving my own dreams. And I know, in the big scope of things, it hasn’t changed all that much. But I wouldn’t say progress hasn’t been made. It has. So when Jenny’s relationship with David was ripped out from under her, I was rooting for her to go after her dreams. I was rooting for her to be a kid again and to enjoy the things she missed while she was off living a life of luxury in Paris.

The screenplay is based on a memoir by British journalist Lynn Barber, who at the age of 16 had a two-year affair with a man named Simon who was in his late 30s. She writes about her time with him: "What did I get from Simon? An education -- the thing my parents always wanted me to have... I learned about expensive restaurants and luxury hotels and foreign travel, I learned about antiques and Bergman films and classical music. But actually there was a much bigger bonus than that. My experience with Simon entirely cured my craving for sophistication. By the time I got to Oxford, I wanted nothing more than to meet kind, decent, straightforward boys my own age, no matter if they were gauche or virgins. I would marry one eventually and stay married all my life and for that, I suppose, I have Simon to thank."

And we have Carey Mulligan to thank for bringing that to life. For making us realize that we have to grow up far too quickly in life.

Why rush it?

It's official.

Spring has arrived. And I'm kinda in love with it.

Summer Road Trip 2009 Part IV - San Diego

I didn't forget about it. Here is the final part of our trip from last summer. Don't miss Part I - Vegas, Part II - AZ, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon and Part III - Los Angeles

On our last full day in Los Angeles, we met our friend Jacob for breakfast. Having lived in Los Angeles for a short period of time, we told him to pick a good local place; Griddle Café on Sunset it was. He’d actually never been there either but it had been recommended to him several times so we decided to hit it up. And I am SO glad we did. This place was phenomenal. When trying a new place, everyone should really order something different so everyone can sample off of everyone’s plates, but after the waiter told us that the French toast was the absolute best thing on the menu, there was no turning back. And oh sweet Jesus that French toast was to die for. I’ve always been a fan of French toast so I know it well and I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the best French toast I’ve ever had. And the size! I don’t even think I ate half of it, which is such a shame because it was seriously delicious. If you're in L.A. and need to good place to eat breakfast, I highly recommend this place.

I didn't take this picture, but this is the French Toast. Oh, I'd kill for some right now!!

After filling up on a delicious breakfast and catching up with Jacob (and reading movie scripts on his iPhone!) we decided to take a day trip to San Diego! With the infamous L.A. traffic it took a little over two hours to make the drive, albeit a beautiful one when the ocean was in sight. And what to do in San Diego if you’ve never been; visit their world renowned zoo, of course!

And on such a beautiful day.

This place was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. And it’s HUGE. They say it’s nearly impossible to walk the whole thing in one visit. That’s why they load you up on double-decker buses and take you on a driving tour of the whole park. When that’s over, you can decided what you want to go back and take a closer look at. So cool.

Me and A on said bus.

And let me tell you about our experience at lunch. Our trip was slowly coming to an end. After Vegas and Los Angeles and everything in between, cash was running low and we had eaten more than humanly possible. And you know how the cost of anything in a park is ridiculous anyway; so we decided we’d just get something small and then we’d grab some dinner on the way back to L.A. That is until we got to this little restaurant outside the elephant exhibit. You see where this is going don’t you? This place had everything you could ever imagine. And it looked good. And smelled even better. And was expensive as all get out! I couldn't make a decision because everything sounded so good! And then we went a little crazy. I got this chicken wrap thing that was oh so very delicious. Or maybe it was turkey? And then I added a side of fries that could have fed a small army. And a coke. And I’m pretty sure I ate it all. I think Cassie got the same thing as me. And I think she ate it all too. And I don’t remember what Alison got, but I know she ate all of hers. And actually, now that I think about it, I don't think Cassie and I did finish ours....because I remember laughing about Alison getting the clean plate award at every meal. Hahaha! Still cracks me up!!! Then we went back. Yeah. And got dessert. Cookies and ice cream. The most amazing ice cream ever eaten. And they are very generous with this ice cream. And then we sat and laughed uncontrollably about how much we had actually eaten on this entire trip for nearly fifteen minutes. And then something along the lines of, “We better get up before people start thinking we’re a part of the elephant exhibit and start taking pictures,” was said.

This is me before we ate. See...I'm already preparing to become part of the exhibit!!

And cue uncontrollable laughter as we walked away with our 15 trays of trash. I kept my cup and every time I drink out of it, I giggle. One of the best times on the trip. Is that sad?

See what I mean? We were basically a part of the exhibit anyway.

After a few more stops along the way back to the entrance/exit and a stop at the gift shop, like we could afford anything else, our day at the San Diego Zoo was brought to an end. If you ever find yourself in SD with nothing to do, go to the zoo. It’s worth every $37 of the ticket. Here are more pictures to prove it.

This panda was a natural born performer. He was clearly meant for this!

Could koala bears be any cuter? I used to want one for a pet. I don't think that's legal. But seriously, look at that face!!

Being in the double-decker bus, we were pretty much eye-level with the giraffes.

How beautiful is this creature?

We had been told that there was no sense in trying to head back to L.A. before 8pm because no matter what, we'd still get there at the same time because of traffic. So what did we do? Well Jacob had told us to hit up La Jolla so we thought, what the heck? But we also have another friend you moved to San Diego a year or two ago to help start a church with a group of people from Carrollton. So we called her up and she was so excited for a visit! We met her at her work in, non other than La Jolla, and she gave us a quick tour around town before taking us down to the shore to see the sea lions.

They were super cool, but the most amazing thing to me was the way the sky looked. The marine layer (sorry, my sister is a meteorologist, I know these terms!) gave the clouds a silver shimmer look that was amazing. And it was so cold! Gotta love SoCal weather. There's nothing like it.

This picture does not do it justice. It was absolutely stunning.

After a too short visit with Ellenor, we decided to head back to the City of Angels. One of the coolest moments of the trip was when we were driving on the freeway heading back into L.A. and all of a sudden these HUGE fireworks lit up the sky above us. We were baffled by where they were coming from as they looked as they were being shot directly from the freeway. Then we realized where we were; Anaheim. As in where Disneyland is. It was Disneyland’s fireworks! So cool! And then another bizarre thing happened as we were getting off an exit in Los Angeles. We were at the red-light when all of a sudden several dozen bicyclists, with flashing lights on their tires, went zooming past us. Somehow we got in the middle of their pack and Cassie told Alison to roll down the window and ask what they were doing and she responded with, “Noooo…they’re all wearing backpacks….and they’re all Filipino!” We laughed so hard. And from that point on they were always known as "The Filipino Biking Club of the Night."

Now fast forward to couple months ago. I'm getting ready for work when Cassie sends me a text that says, "Go watch the new 30 Seconds to Mars video ASAP and let me know if you recognize anything." Of course, I stop everything I'm doing to go watch. At first I'm thinking, "well it's obviously filmed in L.A." and then I see it!!!! It's the Filipino Biking Club of the Night!!! And it's the tunnel they drove through after we were caught in the middle of their pack! We don't know for sure what it was, but we're pretending that it was the shoot for the video. Or that they were all on their way because we didn't see any film crew. Check it out for yourselves here.

This picture is horrible. They were moving. We were moving. It was dark. But did you watch the video? Did you see the tunnel? They look the same, no?

On our way back to the hotel we tried to hit up Diddy Riese in Westwood. They're supposed to have amazing cookies and amazing ice cream that they sandwich between said cookies on the super cheap. See how all we did was eat on this trip? Anyway, we got there and the line was wrapped around the building. After a day at the zoo and then being in the car for over four hours that day, we were done. Next time. For sure. So we headed back to the hotel to pack up and rest up for our drive back to Arizona the next morning. Yes, it was time to leave Los Angeles. I knew I loved Los Angeles before, but it was this trip that made me realize I wanted to live there before I die. Oh, I love it.

The next day was the longest travel day of my life. Here's how it went down. We woke up, checked out, and hit the road. Before leaving L.A. we tried hitting up a Pinkberry for breakfast. Again with the eating! But hey, at least this time it was frozen yogurt with fruit!! Butttt....they weren't open yet. At 10am. Whatever. We ate McDonald's instead. Original, right? Then we gassed up the car, and hit the road.

Not before one more drive by The Runaways set though :)

And then we drove. And drove. And drove.

Again, this was the view the whole time. And sand tornados. We saw lots of sand tornados.

And we stopped to play on Route 66. Why not?

And let me tell you about this stop on Route 66. We pulled off the interstate onto Route 66 and got lucky with this little sign painted on the road. We stopped the car and stepped out and were smacked in the face with the intense heat. And I decided to take this picture laying down. And want to know a secret about this picture? My legs and arms aren't touch the asphalt. No joke. I wouldn't have had any skin left if they would've. It was that hot. When we got back in the car, that had been running with the doors shut the whole time, the temperature read 116 degrees. Ridiculous. And the bottoms of my feet burned for a good thirty minutes after we got back in the car. And I had on my Converse. Seriously, ridiculous.

Love this picture.

Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil.

We stopped at a rest stop, the only one to be found on a five hour stretch of road, and found this. Needless to say we have never used the bathroom so fast in our lives.

After five hours in the car, we finally made it back to Arizona. And remember the first In-N-Out we saw? Yeah, it was the last one we saw too. So....what do you think we did? Um, we ate dinner. Seriously, you should've had us figured out by now.

If you've never eaten at an In-N-Out, your life isn't complete. Seriously. Get to one ASAP! It is the most delicious thing you will ever, EVER eat.

After our last meal, we headed to my aunts and had about an hour to kill before we had to head to Vegas to catch our flight. We sat and talked for a while and told them about everything we did while we were gone then we got back in the car for the hour and a half drive to Vegas. They dropped us off at the airport, we said our goodbyes and thank you-s, and headed inside. And let me tell you about checking our luggage. I am not a light traveler. No matter what I do, it's just not possible. And I try so hard, I really do. On our flight out of Atlanta, my bag was 48-49 pounds. The max is 50 before you have to pay extra. And what do you do on trips? Well, you buy stuff. Lots of stuff. Flying out of Vegas, I was sweating I was so nervous about the weight of my bag. I wore the heaviest clothing I had in an attempt to lighten it. And that happened to be jeans and my Chucks. Yeah, a four and a half hour or so flight, overnight, in jeans and chucks. And I stuffed as much stuff in my carryon as I possibly could. When I got up to the counter and they told me to put my luggage up, I literally held my breath. And....it was 47 pounds. What the heck?! Whew! Off to our gate it was. And then our overnight flight. We landed at around 7am and Jennifer picked us up. Then I went home and crashed. And didn't get adjusted to the time change for a good week. And I was so so sad about being away from Los Angeles. Seriously.

It's easy to say that this was the best trip of my life. With the exception of Los Angeles, everything and everyplace I went was new. And I was with my two best friends. I couldn't have asked for anything or anyone better to experience this with. We had the best time. There are stories that we will be telling for years and years to come. Nearly one year later, we still talk about something funny that happened and crack up. I can't wait for many, many more adventures with these loveliest ladies.

This trip changed a lot of things for me. Like I said, it wasn't until this second time in L.A. that I realized I wanted to live there. I truly and honestly believe it's where I belong. I don't know what it is about that city, but it captivates me. It's stolen my heart.

The Lunch Quad

Nearly three years ago, having just declared my major as interior design, I was a newbie to the art department at UWG. And I was scared to death. Being an art major, everyone sees your work. Everyone. It’s not like being an English major. For the most part, the only person seeing your work in your English classes are your professors and yourself. Maybe, on occasion, you’d be required or you’d ask a classmate to read over a paper you’ve written. In the art department, it’s a whole other world. When you draw something, paint something, sculpt something, print something or photograph something, the whole class sees it. The whole class critiques it. The whole class, and the professors, knows your work, your style, basically everything about your life because your artwork, it usually reflects you. You’re forced to explain in detail why it is you did what you did. You have to have backup to your reasoning. And you have to crank out the work like you're a machine!!

And don’t even get me started on drawing naked people with a class full of strangers. The point is the art department is so much different than any other department on campus. We’re pretty much a family. But I guess maybe any department is like that. I’ve met so many amazing people, artists, been introduced to so many amazing things, and made some of the most awesome friends anyone could have over the past four years. But there are three that have made the biggest impact. Three that have stayed with me. Three that helped me survive. We call ourselves the “Lunch Quad” and we are comprised of Jennifer, Troupie, Tiffani and myself.

Braves Home Opener 2009

Jennifer; I’ve known Jennifer for as long as I can remember. But, we didn’t actually become friends until high school. And we’ve been friends ever since. It’s her fault. She’s the reason for my deciding interior design. I blame all the stress I’ve endured on her, haha. But seriously, I had NO idea what I wanted to be in life. And confession, I still haven’t a clue where I’ll end up. Jennifer was in her first semester as an ID major and she loved it. I’ve always been an artsy person and in talking to her about not knowing which major to declare, she talked me into looking into the art department. Literally, a handful of days before I was going to declare early childhood education (I'd already filled out the paperwork!), I chose interior design instead. This girl, and I can say this because she knows it, is the blondest person I know. She lived in Carrollton her whole life and could still manage to get lost on the square! No joke. And the time she fell not once but twice at the Braves game was probably the most I've ever laughed in my life. Us two, we've been through a lot together and I love her.

Troupie's about to go give her last presentation ever!!

Troupie; yes, Troupie is her real name. Everywhere we went she got asked about it. Everytime I say something about “my friend, Troupie,” I get asked about her name. It’s a family name. I forget how many generations of women in her family have the name, but it’s a few. And if you knew Troupie, you’d know this name fits her so well. This one, she was my rock her last semester at WestGa. It probably should’ve been the other way around since she was preparing to graduate, right? She is the only reason I survived that semester. It was rough. And without her, I don’t think I would’ve made it out alive. By the grace of God, we were lucky enough to draw all the same clients for our commercial class. We sat in the freezing cold at Fred O’Neal’s office, trembling out of fear and nervousness on our first office space presentations. We survived the restaurant assignment, Locavore, even though our clients weren’t very outspoken in their wants and needs and for whatever reason James decided to rip her presentation to pieces that day. And Lord, how we survived our retail space with Jackson’s Music store is beyond me. A short little 15 minute meeting with the client led to over an hour of us chasing him around the store, being forced to pretend we were sisters, and forced to pretend the client’s design choices he had previously made were wonderful. They were not. And then the presentation…let’s just say we got in Troupie's car and screamed when it was over. We called people and screamed that we had just finished our last presentations of the semester. And out of sheer excitement that we were done and would never have to walk in that store again.

4th of July 2009

Tiffani; I actually had my first drawing class with Tiffani. We chatted occasionally in the class, but didn’t actually become friends until our first ID class together. And I don't know what kept us from becoming friends before then! She is probably one of the most independent, and driven people I know. She knows what she wants and she won't stop until she gets it. She's assertive and isn't afraid of anything. This one, she's a force to be reckoned with!

Hiding in my car from Sangwon!! Love this picture so much!

So why the “Lunch Quad?” Well on the first day of class, Jennifer and I were sitting in the hall eating our lunch when out walked Tiffani asking if she could join us. Of course! Then came Troupie. We sat and talked and laughed and ate. And it became habit. We ate lunch together every Tuesday and Thursday between classes. And somewhere along the line, the “Lunch Quad” was born.

Our very last lunch together :(

We’ve been through so much together. We survived classes and professors from hell. We survived a trip to High Point, NC where we walked around and looked at an ungodly about of furniture and fabric and flooring and wallcoverings and lighting and accessories. We survived the leaving of our one and only ID professor and the consequential hiring of three new professors to fill in until a permanent replacement was found. We survived late nights at Jennifer’s finishing projects with fabric and paint swatches, and pictures of furniture and floorplans strewn all over the place. We survived countless presentations on little to no sleep. We survived going out on Thursday nights and going to class Friday morning in the same clothes we went out in the night before! We were there for each other through breakups and deaths and illnesses. And one by one we watched each other attain their goals and graduate.

Last class of Spring 2009 and Troupie's last undergrad class EVER!!!!

Troupie went first last May, followed by Jennifer in August and Tiffani in December. And then there was one; me. And if all goes as planned, I’ll be joining them in the real world in July. And it’s because of them that I’ve made it this far. Now, Jennifer is in Atlanta working for Bassett Furniture. Troupie is in Rome doing little home improvement projects on the side of keeping her four favorite little girls, and Tiffani is in Louisiana where she just got a job with Ethan Allen. And you all know where I am. We’re all in different parts of the state and Tiffani is in a whole other state all together, but we keep in touch. We try as much as we can to see each other. But our schedules, they’re crazy and we don’t see each other as much as I’d like.

Lunch Quad reunion in Rome last summer.

Tiffani was in town this week so we made it a point to get together over dinner, of course. Because a friendship that was built over food can only be brought together with food, right? Unfortunately, Troupie couldn't make the trek from Rome so only 1/3 of the quad was there. We missed her terribly but it was so great to be able to see Tiffani and catch up with her and her life in New Orleans. And even though Jenn lives in Atlanta, I don't see her that often either so it was great catching up with her too. We talked about the old times. We talked about where everyone else was and what they were doing. We talked about plans for the future and where we wanted to be.

And most importantly, we ate.

I Love Rock 'N Roll

I'd love to say that I'm hear to discuss The Runaways movie, but as previously mentioned, the southeast was gypped on the limited release. Now I must wait a few more weeks until being able to view it for myself and it's KILLING ME!! Seriously, the movie is getting AMAZING reviews. Absolutely amazing. But alas, I must wait. So to hold me over, I've purchased the soundtrack. And I am in love.

I didn't grow up in the 70s. Hell, I can't even merit saying I grew up in the 80s! Being four years old when the decade ended can not be considered growing up in the 80s. It just can't. But 80s music, I know 80s music. A lot. The 70s music scene, that's a whole other story. And the music I was exposed to as a child, it wasn't The Runaways. Or David Bowie and Suzi Quatro. It sure as hell wasn't the Sex Pistols! So what was I listening to? Well, at the age of four I could sing all of Alabama's "Song of the South" and by the age of five it was Garth Brooks' "The Thunder Rolls" that I was singing to my little heart's content. Does that tell you anything?

True story. When I was about five or six, my sister, cousins and I all spent the night with my aunts, Kelly and Kathy. At some point in the night we decided to put on a musical talent show. We all got dressed up with random things we could find around the house and chose a song. I of course chose to go with my favorite, "The Thunder Rolls." I sat patiently and watched everyone else perform. Politely clapping when they were finished but knowing I would blow them out of the water. Then I was up. I wiped the nerves off my face and gave the cue to start the music. And I danced around the room singing as loudly as I could with Garth as my backup. And my prop? My prop was a broom. You know...to give the effect of dust rolling across the desert during a thunderstorm. My little 5-6-year-old self thought it was brilliant! The song ended with the dramatic throwing of the broom on the floor. It was an epic performance. Maybe even Grammy worthy. I bowed to all the cheers and clapping from the audience and took my seat. Then it was time for the judges, my aunts, to vote. And. I. Lost. Can you believe that?? How rude!

I don't actually know how old I am here, but you get the idea. That face, that red hair, dancing around and singing to Garth Brooks. I should've won, right?

There was also a time as a small child when I would attempt to beatbox. I don't know where I learned it because we all know Garth and Alabama, they weren't beatboxing in their music. But best believe I was good! And my parents, they thought it was the cutest thing ever. We'd go to family gatherings and they'd say, "Hey Jamie...show everyone your beatboxing!" Of course at that age I wasn't afraid of anything. No problem! Let me get my walkman ready and I'll beatbox as long as you want. But now? Now I'd run to my room and hide.

What I'm trying to say is, my musical palette, it didn't get the best start. But I've learned over the years. You have to try new things. Step outside of the box. Deviate from what you were brought up with because if you don't, you'll miss some really awesome stuff in the world. In this case, you'll miss some really awesome music. My philosophy, give everything a chance. Everything. Listen to every genre of music. How do you know you don't like it until you give it a chance? I hate when people ask, "What kind of music do you listen to?" Umm...seriously? I know people say, "I listen to everything" all the time, but for reals, I listen to a little bit of EVERYTHING! That is not a question that can't be answered. It just isn't.

This soundtrack has introduced to me lots of new stuff. The Runaways, I've known a few of their songs for a while now. And Joan Jett...who doesn't know who Joan Jett is? The baddest badass of rock n' roll! But my new favorite from the soundtrack is Suzi Quatro. LOVE. HER. SO. MUCH. And David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel," it's a new ringtone for my phone. And the thing I love the most about the soundtrack is the fact that Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning did their own vocals for it. If that's not dedication to a movie role, I don't know what is. Because Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, they have very, very specific sounds. And as far as I can tell from the soundtrack, these two nailed it.

The soundtrack, it really is awesome. I can't wait to hear all of these songs in context with the movie. I can't wait to see KStew and DFann perform them in the movie. I can't wait for people to fall in love with The Runaways because their music, it was seriously important to the world of rock 'n roll; especially when you look at it from a female's point of view. And everything Joan Jett, and The Runaways, did at such a young age to be accepted as females in the totally male dominated world of rock 'n roll, it should be seen. She deserves some major credit.

And at the end of the day, I really just can't wait for this movie. The soundtrack, it'll have to keep me occupied for the next few weeks.

JHiggs in Cali.

I don't have time to be here. I was stuck at school until after 10pm failing miserably to get a decent print for photo tomorrow. I ate Frosted Mini Wheats and a banana for dinner. My finger nails are caked in black ink from printmaking this morning. And yes, I've washed my hands a thousand times. And used lava soap. It's still there. My feet are covered in a nice layer of black soot from cleaning out the iron pour pit in sculpture tonight. Point is, I need a shower. I need to take this nail polish off and repaint my nails. And I don't have time. I don't have time to do anything! I need to be working on floorplans. I need to be packing for the weekend. I do NOT need to be here blogging. But I HAD to stop and share this picture. The picture that made my night one thousand times better!!!

JHiggs. That's me.

Yeah. That's my name. In the sand. At the beach. In....CALIFORNIA!!!!! Am I in California? Unfortunately, no. So who's there? My friend CC. We've been brought together by similar interests. Interests in one Kristen Stewart to be exact. And CC, she writes the FUNNIEST blog you will ever read. Seriously. I'm jealous. But CC and I, we've emailed back and forth on many occasions now and have pretty much become BFFs. I've told A and C they better step their game up if they don't want to be replaced ;) And CC, she knows my love of Los Angeles and California. Today, she flew to LA. And tonight she tweeted the above picture!

So. Freaking. AWESOME!!!! My name in the sand in California. Where I belong.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

My advanced sculpture class has gotten into the habit of bringing food to class every night. It needs to stop. Because I eat it and then I go home and eat dinner. And considering I get out of breath just sitting due to my current state of sickness, the gym has been out of the question the past week. Although, I think my body has confused my constant state of being out of breath with exercise because I lost three pounds yesterday. And trust me, I've been eating! Remember...I said people having been bringing food to class!

Last week someone asked Shunn if we could bring food to critique and he said, "You can bring food whenever you want." (If you've ever been in the art annex, you know how unhealthy this has to be with all the saw dust, clay dust, metal dust and other filth floating around.) Then he did the unthinkable; he brought food himself!! Fruit AND vegetable trays!! How many of you have a professor that awesome?? That's what I thought.

And last night Laurie brought hot wings. And I ate them. And then I came home and ate corned beef, cabbage and potatoes. You know, the traditional St. Patty's Day meal...only a day early. Anyway, point is, I haven't been starving myself.

And just when I said this tradition needed to stop, here I am bringing food to class! I stumbled across these Key Lime Cupcakes today and HAD to make them! When I find a new recipe I want to try I'm sure to make them where they can be taken and given away. Lord knows I don't need this stuff sitting around the house! Anyway, lemon, lime, anything with a citrus taste, I'm all over it! So these cupcakes, they were a no-brainer. Here's the recipe:

Graham Cracker Crust:

Prepare two muffin pans with liners.

3/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs

1/8 cup granulated sugar

3-4 tbsp melted unsalted butter

In a food processor, blend together graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Add 3 tbsp melted butter. Pulse a few times. If it seems like it needs more butter add the remaining tbsp. Distribute evenly among cupcake liners and press to form a shell using a spoon.

Lime Cake:

2 1/4 cups cake flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 egg whites

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 tbsp lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Add egg whites, beating well after each addition. Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

Add lime zest. Beat until blended.

Combine milk, vanilla, and buttermilk in a small bowl together. Whisk until incorporated.

With an electric mixer at low speed, add flower mixture alternately with milk mixture, beating well after each addition. Pour batter evenly into prepared pan. Best to use an ice cream scoop. place right on top of the graham cracker crust.

Bake 20-22 minutes (for full size cupcakes) and 15 minutes (for mini) or until wooden toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in pan on wire rack for ten minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely on rack.

Key Lime Pie Filling:

8 oz mascarpone cheese, at room temperature

5 oz key lime juice

9 oz sweetened condensed milk

Place all ingredients in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and blend for 2 minutes. Place in a separate bowl and place in fridge for 2 hours.

Key Lime Buttercream Frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

6-8 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp key lime juice, and most likely more to thin out frosting

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and key lime juice. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3-5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If too thick, thin with more key lime juice. You can also use more lime juice if you want a more tart flavor. But remember, you already have lime in the cupcake and the filling.

To Assemble:

Take key lime pie filling and place into a pastry bag fitted with a small tip. Take tip and place into cupcake and squeeze filling into cupcake using the cone method. Frost cupcake and sprinkle with crushed graham crackers.

Let me just say, I'm not the cupcake maker in the family. That would be my sister. I usually stick to cookies, but I couldn't pass these up. Now, I had a few issues. First of all, as far as the cake part goes, I think this recipe could make more than 24 cupcakes. All of mine kind of spilled over the edges and aren't so pretty. That being said, if you did intend to make more that 24, you'd need to increase the graham cracker crust as there was barely enough for the 24. Secondly, I've gotten into the habit of turning things in the oven while they're baking to ensure that they bake evenly; bad idea for these cupcakes. They all completely sunk in. In this case, it wasn't such a HUGE problem because they were being filled with the key lime filling. But next time, I won't be turning them. Also, I decided to leave the graham cracker crumbs off the top and next time I might even leave the graham cracker crust out completely. I think they'd be great without it. But with that being said, me and the family split one of the cupcakes into fourths to test them out before I took them off and Oh. Em. Gee. They are phenomenal!! Seriously delicious! Oh, and I almost forgot, since it's St. Patrick's Day, I added a little green food coloring to the icing to make things festive.

Hope you've all had an awesome St. Patrick's Day!!!