The Great Debate

Remember when cupcakes were really cool? Well, ok, maybe they still are, but for a while they were ALL the rage. For a few years I lived in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Dallas was the first city in Texas to get a Sprinkles Cupcakes shop. My friend AJ and I checked it out about a month after it opened and we were amazzzzzed! We made several, special hour long trips to Dallas just for Sprinkles cupcakes.

Then I moved back to Houston and in Houston there was no Sprinkles. I was sad. Until my mom told me about Crave Cupcakes, a shop eerily similar to Sprinkles in a swanky part of Houston. We went and I was impressed, but I was still convinced that Sprinkles was better.

This past summer, after much anticipation, Houston got its very own Sprinkles, and within only a few minutes of Crave. The plot thickens.

Sprinkles was my first experience with "gourmet cupcakes" and I have been very loyal ever since. I have tried other cupcake shops in Houston, Fort Worth, San Francisco, and Portland, but I've always held fast to my declaration that Sprinkles are the best.

Since they seem so similar anyway, tonight I decided to put Sprinkles and Crave to the test. Earlier today I was in that part of Houston anyway, so I stopped by the respective shops and purchased one red velvet cupcake in each. I chose red velvet because supposedly it is Sprinkles' best selling flavor. Then, in a blind taste test, I had myself and two other individuals taste the cupcakes and choose their favorite of the two (we cleansed our palates in between cupcakes with coffee). So here we go...

Sprinkles vs. Crave

They both cost $3.25 for one cupcake.

Sprinkles came in a brown bag. Crave came in a box. I think the box is classier and for such a pricey cupcake, I deserve a box.

Both shops had really friendly cupcake sales people, but Crave was definitely much busier.

Crave employees wear Texas symbols on their shirt or jackets, which I like.

Surprisingly (to me) the Crave cupcake was bigger!

Sprinkles has that dot thing on the top and I'm not sure if it's edible. Crave has a similar dot that has the impression of mixer on it and is made of fondant, which is definitely edible, but not all that tasty.

Interestingly the cake in the Sprinkles red velvet cake was much more red than the cake in the Crave red velvet cake, which could be good or bad depending on your thoughts on red food coloring... The icing on the Sprinkles cupcake was slightly thicker.

The verdict? We all three agreed that the flavor of the Sprinkles cake was better than Crave, but I thought the Crave icing tasted better than Sprinkles. Overall (icing and cake together), two of us thought the Sprinkles cupcake was the best, but one of us preferred Crave (me! of all people!).

Henry said he would be really happy with either...

Fun in Fort Worth

I had a really fun weekend in Fort Worth! ...and, no, it didn't involve any longhorns....I just like that picture. And Fort Worth is "Cow Town".

I left on Friday, around lunch time, so that I could get to Fort Worth in time for my friend Michelle's wedding. In 2005 I went on a mission trip to China with Michelle and since then we've stayed in touch and hung out kind of a lot when I lived in Fort Worth, where she's from. I arrived in Fort Worth a couple hours before the wedding. Just enough time to buy a gift and change into my dress for the wedding. I decided to go to the shopping center on University Drive because I could 1) get iced tea (and thumbprint cookies) from McKinley's, 2) change clothes at Barnes and Noble, and 3) get them a gift at Williams and Sonoma, one of the places they were registered. I ended up getting them a gift card because anything that I could have afforded at W&S would have looked lame.

The wedding was at an Episcopal church in downtown FW and it was so pretty. It seemed like it was an authentic Episcopalian ceremony, which was very interesting as I had never been to one before. Michelle's new husband is an Episcopal minister, so I would think he would want to go all out. The reception was at the country club. I was kind of nervous about going to the reception because I didn't know anyone at the wedding and I didn't want to seem like a creep, sitting at the reception by myself, but I also didn't want to miss out on free food and wedding cake :) I love receptions! I think they're kind of the reward for going to the wedding and buying a gift. Right? But as soon as I pulled into a parking space at the country club, my friend Loree (also from the mission trip) pulled in right beside me. It was fate! We both didn't know anyone at the wedding, so we got to go to the reception together. It was so much fun!

Friday night I stayed with my amazing friends Amie and Kendra - I've known them since my first year at HBU - almost 8 years! Amie was at a concert Friday night, but Kendra and I talked for probably about an hour before going to bed. It was so nice to talk to Kendra because she and I can relate to each other in some of our life circumstances (looking for a job, etc.). Amie came home late and I got to say hi to her and then went to sleep.

Saturday morning, us three girls went to breakfast with our friend Scott at one of my favorite breakfast places. Scott is another HBU/grad school friend. After breakfast the 4 of us spent the afternoon at the pool and drinking mimosas. I didn't put on any sunscreen...and then for some reason was surprised when my chest and shoulders were bright red that night. Scott kind of got in a fight with some guys at the pool. A big group of people came in and took up the whole pool playing volleyball, which was kind of ok, but then the ball kept hitting us and it was really annoying. Scott made a polite comment to the people and some of the guys got really defensive. I was proud of Scott for standing up for us.

Saturday night Amie, Kendra, and I got stuff from Central Market to grill and then we went to the house where Amie was dog sitting, made dinner, and watched a movie. Well, we kind of watched a movie, but it was dumb, so we watched some TV. Everyone was really tired from being out in the sun all day and we went to sleep kind of early. Saturday was such a relaxing day!

This morning I woke up and got ready to go to The Village Church. I had not been there since they moved into their new facility. It was still crazy-crowded. I was glad that Matt spoke and of course the message was amazing. Matt's ministry at The Village is really one of the best things on earth I believe. Words cannot express how much I have gained spiritually from The Village. I adore it.

After church I made the long trek back to Houston. It was a great weekend!

When it Rains

Since moving back to Houston one of the biggest differences I've noticed between North Texans and Houstonians is their outlook on rain. 

In Houston, in my opinion, it rains somewhat frequently. I haven't actually counted, but I think it's rained at least 5 times this summer, maybe more. But every time it's rained this summer, I have heard multiple people say things to the effect of, "Finally! I forgot what rain looked like! We desperately need this rain!". 

Seriously?

I spent almost 3 years in DFW and it rarely rained in the summer. I mean, I think we could go through the whole summer without seeing a drop (or at least it sure felt that way). And you could see it in the dry, withered grass and the cracked ground. Now when it did rain in the metroplex....it rained. The rain usually chose to fall either in the freezing cold winter or in the spring, with the addition of crazy tornadoes and hail the size of your head. There were several nights in Fort Worth that I don't think I'll ever forget because I was woken up by terrifying storms (and no electricity). 

I personally prefer living in a more rainy climate, it makes everything more green and lush (and humid!). I just think it's funny to see the differences in the regions of Texas. Houstonians expect their rain!

Do you think my dog is spoiled?

These pictures are a long time coming. They were taken on Valentine's Day, but my computer was not working at the time. My computer hasn't been working for a while. This past Saturday I got a brand new WONDERFUL computer, and so here are some puppy pictures for your viewing pleasure. 

My roommate and I love Sprinkles Cupcakes. If you've had Sprinkles Cupcakes, you probably love them. On Valentine's we decided that just because we weren't attached to men, didn't mean we didn't deserve some decadent desserts. This time we didn't just get them for ourselves though, we also got cupcakes for our puppies!

Relax, we didn't buy actual Sprinkles cupcakes for our dogs. Sprinkles makes special mini cupcakes especially for pups. I have always wanted to get one, but this was my first trip to Sprinkles where I actually had a dog to buy one for! 

Yep, they liked them!

I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; 

I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.

I will be filled joy because of you.

I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.

My enemies retreated; 

they staggered and died when you appeared.

For you have judged in my favor;

from your throne you have judged with fairness.

Psalm 9:1-4 NLT

You know what I love? That God continually leads me to see things from different perspectives. Just when I feel passionate about one side, He leads me to see the other side and understand where the passionate people on that side are coming from. I love that. It tends to take away some of my passion, but that's ok because my passion comes from my limited, human mindset and I'll gladly trade it in for compassion, understanding, and love for others. I want more than anything to be passionate about loving the LORD and loving people. 

Take the recent presidential election, for instance. In the past I was very much on the conservative, Republican side. This time I was on Obama's side. I love it that I feel like I can understand both sides now. I don't have to completely agree or disagree with either side. I'm not saying I completely understand this, because there's no way that I could, but when I try to imagine what Obama's election means to black Americans, it fills me with joy. Life can be hard and I'm pretty sure God's wants us to all be in it together. We do need each other. 

In other news...my parents & brother came this past weekend to celebrate my birthday (since I was out of state the actual weekend). Of course we hung out in Dallas all day on Saturday. I got to open my birthday presents outside of The Corner Bakery, after eating a Sprinkles cupcake (heaven!). I got an i-pod touch! Eventually I want an i-phone, but until that distant day (I don't want to pay the phone bill), I got an i-pod touch. I'm obsessed! Email at my fingertips at all times! Haha. It was a very fun weekend. 

What else? Oh, I stayed up until 7 AM Monday night...or was that Tuesday morning? Yeah. I hadn't stayed up the whole night in a really long time and I hope I don't ever again. It was awful. But I did write a 15 page paper on schizophrenia. Not my best work...but probably the last research paper I'll ever write. I've been in school since I was 4. That's roughly 22 years. I graduate in 37 days. I have 12 more assignments standing between me and freedom from my education. I can feel it :)

The Texas State Fair

Growing up in Houston, I never remember hearing much about the state fair, but up here in the Dallas area, it's kind of a big deal. My first fall in Fort Worth (2006) AJ surprised me for my birthday, by inviting a big group of people to go to the state fair - it was one of the best birthday surprises ever! This year, AJ and I decided to go to the fair, just the 2 of us, last Sunday. I wanted to make sure we went because it is our last fall in this part of Texas.

The fair is known for its fried food. Every year they try to come up with crazier and crazier things to fry (what a thing to be known for...). AJ & I split a fried s'more, fried cookie dough (SO good), and a fried grilled cheese (this was supposedly the best fried food this year). We also ate fried corndogs that were wonderful. Of course, we had to detox after all that fried food. :)