sugar coma

Another food post. I'm sorry.

What fatty food is it this time? Butter Brownies? Crisco Cobbler? Gooey Grease Bars? No, although all of those do sound delicious. Maybe next time.

Shortly after swearing to not make another dessert for at least twelve hours, I found this recipe. I held off for another long 30 minutes, then I succummed to the temptation and hopped over to Publix.

My friends, I give you... Praline Chocolate Cake. Also known as heart attack on a plate.

I'm too lazy to copy and paste the recipe, so I'll just give you the link here.

I know it looks a little rough. I didn't mean to eat that much.

Finished product. Homemade chocolate cake, chocolate ganache frosting and a praline topping.

And five cavities.

If you were to ask me to describe this cake, I would have to say the following: "This cake tastes like an angel got a big bowl and mixed rainbows, sunsets and cocoa together, baked it with sunshine, and then iced it with love and baby laughter."

It's just really good, ok?

sharks and tats

What? You thought I was joking about the tour of "shark-mouth" souvenir stores?

Well, I wasn't.

But as it turns out, there were really only two stores.

It seemed like there were a lot more on the drive down.

I'm heartbroken to inform you that I did not get a shark-in-a-jar. Even though I pitched a fit in the middle of the store, my parents did not give in. I told them I was 22 years old, and plenty responsible enough to take care of a shark-in-a-jar. Then they reminded me that I am, in fact, 22 years old. That was the end of the argument.

Since I was so upset about not getting the shark, and because I wanted to demonstrate my independence, I decided to get a real tattoo instead of a henna tattoo:

So true, so true.

Although we had a great family getaway, it's good to be home. Because that's where the pie is (and the praline chocolate cake... but you'll have to wait for another post to hear about that).

put THAT on your blog

Greetings! I'm blogging to you live from the Florida coastline. I love technology.

My family made it down to the beach in record time yesterday, and the car ride was pretty typical for the Todd clan. It went a little something like this:

- Load up the car.

- Kiss the dog 50 times to make sure he knows that we love him and are going to return. Promise to bring him back a snow globe.

- Pull out of the driveway.

- Turn around because someone has forgotten something.

- Break out the playlists.

- Discover the real lyrics to songs. For example, did you know that the words to "Sweet City Woman" do not really say, "sweet Sicily woman" OR, "sweet silly woman"? Neither did we!!

- Stop at McDonald's so I can stock up on apple pies for the rest of the trip.

- Catch approximately 23 diseases from said McDonald's restroom.

- Hit the road again and make fun of everything/everyone we see. No one is safe.

- Come to the conclusion that Genesis was an awesome band.

- Cover our ears while dad has a "friendly chat" with the GPS.

- Arrive at the beach and head straight for the henna tattoos.

We've had a great time at the beach so far. I've been doing a lot of eating, sleeping, laying in the sun until I wimp out because I'm too hot, people watching and eating. Oh, and I've been eating a lot, too. Don't look at me like that... it's vacation! Tonight, if we're lucky, I think my dad is going to take us on a tour of every souvenir shop that has a shark's mouth for its doors. And he said if we're really good, we can get one of those preserved sharks in a jar! YESSS!! FINALLY!

I'm so glad this is labeled "SHARK." Now I know not to open that jar!

My poor family has learned there is always a chance that anything they do or say will end up on this blog (or be used against them in the court of law). It's become pretty evident on this trip. They preface everything with, "Uhhh... you aren't going to write about this, are you?" to which I reply, "Only if it's embarrassing, and unless you pay me $10." My father, a creative and comedic genius, has come up with a new catchphrase. Now every time he says something funny, he follows it with a sarcastic, "Hey Brittany, put THAT on your blog!"

Well dad, I just did.

Gotta go, kids. I'm off to get a hair wrap!

blue like jazzercise

I'm usually a few years behind the latest trends. It's not because I'm not "cool" or "happening" or "with it" (although these phrases may make you think otherwise). It's because I'm stubborn. The more everyone raves about something, the more reluctant I am to hop on the bandwagon. It's more of a pride thing.

Example? Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I'm pretty sure that I am the only evangelical Christian in Birmingham, AL, that has not read this book. Until now. I bought it last week and finished reading it in a day. I will say that, in this instance, I'm glad I resisted the peer pressure and waited until all the buzz calmed down. I don't think I would have been able to relate to this book in any way until this time in my life.

In one chapter, Miller explains the fascinating mating rituals of penguins. I'll let you read the book for more information on that subject. But he goes on to say:

"In his book Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton says chess players go crazy, not poets. I think he is right. You'd go crazy trying to explain penguins. It's just best to watch them and be entertained. I don't think you can explain how the Christian faith works either. It is a mystery. And I love this about Christian spirituality. It cannot be explained, and yet it is beautiful and true."

Speaking of Jazz (sorry for the awkward segue), there is another trend that I have avoided until this summer: Jazzercise. Yes, I know it was cool fifteen years ago. And yes, I know that this is now an activity associated with middle-aged women who love Michael Jackson. But when I saw that there were classes being offered at our local civic center at a great price, I knew it would be the perfect summer activity for my cousin and I. Twice a week for... um... a while, we danced our little hearts out to the sweet tunes of the Ting Tings, Lady Gaga and Orianthi (barf). We felt pretty silly at times, but it was a great workout. I have a six-pack now (because I just bought some Diet Cokes). We haven't been in three weeks, but that's not important. The music was getting too trendy for me anyway.

Behold: the debut of "jazz hands." And yes, I did purchase that outfit last week.

It's another trend I'm just now catching on to.

So what's the next bandwagon I'm going to join? Well, my friend Emma has some Beanie Babies that I might try to buy. I think she used to love them back in the day. I'm also going to read Charlotte's Web and watch The Wizard of Oz... I hear they're pretty good. And only eight more years until I can read the Twilight books!

Oh, and does anyone know where I can get a good deal on a Furbie?