Thank you.

The Beatles - Golden Slumbers

So. Again, here we are. It would probably be easier for me to bottle up these words that flood my mind that is saturated like a sponge that has been sitting in a sink full of soapy water. You know, how you keep ringing the sponge, but the soap just keeps on coming out. Just when you think you are on your final rinse, more soap keeps coming out. I feel like I'm going on and on, but something inside me tells me I need to share with you this story. Honestly, when I say it, I don't believe it myself. Every day I feel like I am dreaming with my eyes wide open. But I promise I will be truthful and give it to you straight. It may be spiced up with my flavorful vernacular, but it will be truthful and straight. These thoughts and incidences I'm sharing with you, really happened. Cross my heart, and hope to not lie, as my daughter would say. I'm not one for taking the easy route. I get bored when it's to easy. So as with all other things in my life, in this adventure to, I am going full scale. Dream big, right? Why not? I taught myself to swim at 2. My mom say's I just jumped in and figured it out. I did the same thing with baking. I'm not saying there wasn't a lot of burnt cookies and lumpy batters along the way, but, I jumped in, head first, and haven't looked back since.

I feel like I am dreaming with my eye's wide open. I have a long list of thanks before I take you with me on my amazing journey to Santa Monica for my first impromptu market research/getting myself out there trip, but first a very necessary thanks to a few people who really left a mark yesterday. You won't leave my mind anytime soon. I am going full scale. I dream big. I am one of those who wanted to to do a front flip before I learned to dive. Yes you could say I love a good challenge.

So, back to my list of thanks. First, thank you, to the author of this journey. If you can hear me up there, God, I can never thank you enough for this beautiful gift you have given me. To wake up each day, and do what I love, and love what I do. To be covered in flour and frosting and creativity, surrounded by smells, tasting and testing, watching people enjoy my creations and living this dream, I will never be able to give back to you enough for what you have given me, but I will do my best to try. Thank you. I am eternally grateful and mindful of this gift and I won't stop until I share it with the world.

To the ambassadors in the 3rd Street Promenade, I sure caused quite a stir, no pun or reference to cooking intended!! You didn't have to help me and be so kind. You saw me stranded at such a late hour, with all my marshmallows, and could have just assumed I was some crazy person wandering the Promenade, but for some reason you all helped me. Thank you, I will never forget your kindness.

To the cute and might I add well knowledge sales girl at L'Occitane. When I open my Flagship store in Santa Monica (dreaming outlay...don't mind me) hope you'd consider taking on a Part Time position. You are a hard working girl, and you know your product and company better than any sales girl I have ever seen. I hope to find some girls as cute as you to run my counter!! You know your company and your product. Those are valuable employees and rare gems these days. Votre entre entreprise est tre's chanceux! Bien fait!

The cute people of Santa Monica, each of you that let me enjoy you eating my marshmallows! Thanks for taking a chance on my dream. It was fun to see children's faces light up and faces and fingers get sticky. It was even more fun to see adults turn in to big kids and let go of there inhibitions and melt into marshmallow heaven. Your images are a precious memory that I will treasure forever.

To Rose and her cute hip mom. Hope you enjoy your new concealer. Thanks for letting me play impromptu make up artist with you in Sephora. When I am not baking, I am playing with makeup! Good thing we don't have a Sephora here. I would be a shareholder. Rose, I know you will love California, you fit right in. You'll find you niche. We are on for Sushi next time I'm in the 310.

Anna, 80/20. You know what I mean. It will all pan out and the world will know who you are. You will make it a better place by sharing your perspective through your creative lens of film making. I can't wait to get my package from Amazon and watch Buddha Wild. Next stop, www.buddhawild.com. I look forward to you making your way out to Palm Springs. Hope those marshmallows made your day a little sweeter.

The girls at Anthropology. I will also have the option of my cupcakes being gluten free now thanks for the suggestion.

May 10, 2010. You were the perfect day. Crazy encounters, ironic coincidences, beautiful weather, and sheer magic. You are one of the most memorable of my days of my life.

Finally, Thanks to my family. Sometimes lately I seem busy. I am here guys. I am doing this for us. I know pb and js, cereal, and eggs and bacon aren't are normal dinners at our house, but they are the easiest clean up, and you'd be surprised how much time kp duty is taking these days!! If I could have one wish, it would be for 2 more dishwashers!! I love you guys you are my world.

Are you ready? I don't even think I was ready for this day. At about 2 o'clock on Tuesday, I had a thought. Ok, more like someone saying to me, clear as day, "Tomorrow, Third St. Promenade, Santa Monica." Since I concocted this little notion of Sugar Sugar Coconut, I knew I wanted to grow in LA first. Something just told me that was where my market was gonna be. So for a few weeks now, LA was the in the mixing bowl. I knew I was gonna take myself there this week for marketing. I thought I would start in Downtown, near The Grove, Off Robertson and maybe even dropping into Sunset in Hollywood. That's were young hip Hollywood seem's to be enjoying Designer whathaverhaves you's these days.

So, it just so happen's that I have been working on my summer seasonal flavor, to be announced at a later date, so I was in marshmallow mode. I have gotten really quick with my m.m's these days. Whip, flip, set, cut, store, repeat. So what's 10 more batches of m.m.'s?

To bed at 1am and up at 4am. Off to Santa Monica by 7 am. It was a typical congested and typical day of Wednesday traffic on the 10. I was on cruise control regardless. I had my radio blasting my favorite mix of tunes, John Mayer the most Frequent these days, with the Beatles come in for a close second. Then suddenly the panoramic view of The Pacific unfolded. A crisp sky with the gorgeous back drop of the beautiful California Coast. My idea of a midweek business trip. I was starving, so no better place to park and have lunch then at the beach.

As I pulled off the 101, I was gently asked to stop by the kind attendants at the Will Rogers Beach in Santa Monica. "Are you with the Cast or with the Crew." Confused, I simply stated, " Oh, can I just park? I just wanted to sit on the beach for a bit." The attendant grinned, "Of course, anywhere you'd like." He handed me a parking ticket, and I scanned the perimeter for the perfect place to enjoy my gourmet bagged lunch.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect. It was sunny, breezy and in the low 70's. I grabbed my hat, my lunch, and headed to the water. Surprisingly, the beach was pretty empty. I noticed there was a stage set up. Guessing that there was a concert later, I couldn't help but giggle. We're pretty use to the glitz here in So Cal. It's kind of like second nature. It doesn't even phase me anymore after growing up in Palm Springs. I don't even notice the things most people would pull out there cameras, iphones, digital recorders, and be texting up a storm for.

So when I had soaked up the salty air and couldn't eat one more bite, I headed back to the car. Thinking I was about to head to 3rd Street Promenade. I paused for a second. I took a look at my parking ticket. It read "Film Maker".

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Suddenly, I was well aware why the beach was empty. I was just let on the beach because the beach had been closed to the public for a movie shoot. DON'T EVEN ASK ME HOW THIS HAPPENED TO ME!! Was it a coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. I don't really believe in coincidences. I believe that things happen for a reason. I was on a film set with enough Marshmallows to feed the City of Santa Monica. I'm sure I had enough for a few Cast and Crew Members.

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better, I was wrong. I was out of business cards, so I headed to the kinko's off of 5th and Wilshire. It was hopin! Seem's 3:30 on Wednesday is the crunch time at this particular location. I was finished in record time. I hit finish instead of print. OOOOOPPPPSSSS! Everyone was busy with customers. I guess I could just do it in the promenade on my laptop over again? I was just about to head out the door, when I spotted one of the most stunningly beautiful lustered blond haired woman I have ever seen. She had an intense and powerful force behind her, and I was drawn to her. She looked like she needed a mid afternoon pick me up. I knew just the thing. A coconut marshmallow. Her name is Anna. What happened next, I am going to savor for myself. Sorry ya'll. somethings are to special and precious to share with everyone. I won't soon forget it. She is amazing, and I am glad I ran out of business cards.

The rest of the day, I interacted with the people of Santa Monica. I watched excitedly as people enjoyed and complimented my treats. I people watched, and got some groovy color inspiration and of course, thoroughly enjoyed the rest of my day. Other than losing my keys and being stuck in Santa Monica until 3 am, It was flawless.

I drove home to the most beautiful sunrise of purple sky and yummy orange clouds peeking over the mountains and with the iconic desert windmills churning in the early delicious desert air.