Upcoming Trip to NY

I can't wait until May 14! That's the day we'll be flying off to Troy, NY to see Edward graduate with his masters in computer science. We'll be there for about a week, during which time we'll eat a lot of yummy food, play video games, snuggle with my fur-niece (Emmy), congratulate Edward on a job-well-done, spend too much money at the pet store with Allison, and take a cheese making class. I'm especially excited about the last part...I get to learn to make CHEESE in my very own kitchen. And I'm not talking about making cream cheese or yogurt (those are fairly easy). I'm taking about making cheddar, mozzarella, and the like. If you know me at all, you know that I love cheese.

I read about this class in the book Animal Vegetable Miracle, by Barbara Kingsolver, last summer and have been dreaming of taking it since then. I suggested it to Dave when I first heard about it and he nicely remarked at how far away it is (Massachusetts). Ha! Luckily, it is only 2 hours away from Edward's house. I convinced Edward and Dave to take it with me, while my mom (who is much less excitable by cooking than I am) will hang out in the pet-friendly hotel with Emmy. She will, of course, want to eat some of our cheeses when we get back.

My guess is that I won't be able to contain my excitement during this class--I know I'll be that annoying know-it-all student in the class who keeps asking why things work and then suggesting reasons (based on physical chemistry, of course since I'm taking a food science class this term called Physical and Chemical Changes in Foods). Those know-it-all people usually drive me nuts, but I gotta make my daddy proud (and my professor) and apply my knowledge (while stuffing my face with hot, fresh mozzarella balls).