My Life (So Far)

Hi, I’m K!

I grew up in typical firstborn-child fashion. I was pretty big on organization, order, control, and perfection. You can imagine this probably doesn’t hold many fond memories for my poor younger brother, the object of my bossiness:

But it did result in me doing really well in school. I was one of those kids who sat in the front row, got all As, and graduated at the top of the class. I was serious about everything- even things like tennis which are supposed to be fun:

My friends’ parents used to actually urge their kids to spend more time with me, because I was the most polite and well-behaved and generally unadventurous of their peers. Looking back, this is frankly embarrassing and unacceptable. But don’t worry- my story gets better as I eventually learn to let loose a little…

Eventually it came time for me to choose a career. You see, I had always dreamed of becoming some vague type of…executive. As a five year old, I had not fully grasped what exactly it was those busy people in suits toting around briefcases actually did, but I wanted in.

You know that old show Rugrats on Nickelodeon? Remember that ball-buster charicature that was Angelica’s mom? In every scene she was yelling angrily into a cell phone at her assistant, Jonathan, about some reports which were due the next day. I wanted to BE Angelica’s mom.

By the time I was writing my college admissions essays, I waxed philosophical about choosing business school so I could combine my equal loves for communication and quantitative studies in order to effect tangible changes in our economy and society. But really, deep down, I think I mostly wanted to run things and boss people around. But the admissions people bought it, and I did have a really good record, so I pranced off to the Ivy League school of my dreams.

I LOVED being in the city. Philadelphia has so many great restaurants, I don’t think I got to try them all even though I was there for four whole years. But I do have fond memories of this adorable chocolate cafe on 18th St. (Naked Chocolate Cafe- HIGHLY recommend it!)

But during college, things changed. First of all, I was shocked to learn that I no longer stood out as an amazing student. I was kinda middle-of-the-road. (For an overachieving firstborn this can be quite a shock). Turns out, most of my classmates had also been overachievers up until that point. Collectively, that first year of college, we were one big throng of disenchanted souls scurrying to class and studying frantically – trying to hold on to every scrap of pride we had previously known.

After a particularly heinous economics class, I decided to accept my weaknesses and just focus on my strengths.

I started adding a few English courses to my curriculum. I have always loved literature, and these classes were refreshing little treats. After a long day of Cost Accounting and Human Resource Management, my Literature class would be like a tasty little dessert.

Speaking of desserts, in college I also took up baking.

If you were to look through family picture albums of my childhood, you would see that in at least 9 out of 10 photos my precious little face is covered with chocolate of some sort. Cake. Candy bar. Batter straight from the bowl…

My love affair with chocolate has been going on since approximately 1986, when my blessed grandfather deliberately forbade my mother’s well-intentioned mandate and snuck me into a 7-Eleven to introduce me to the world of Milton Hershey.

Decades later while I was in college struggling to come to terms with my newly discovered academic mediocrity, I began to nurse my wounded ego by spending a lot of my spare time testing recipes in my own kitchen. (And then hitting the gym to work it all off. But it was still worth it).

And here’s the last notable detail of my college years: I met this guy.

And forgive me, but I just have to brag a teensy weensy bit. Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe his amazingness… (Well, I suppose I could begin – it’s the stopping that would be a problem, hehe). Suffice it to say that he became my best friend, we fell for each other, and we are still together today. I cannot get enough of him. Sighhh…

Ok, enough of that mushiness.

Anyway, after graduation I made a kinda crazy decision.

I decided NOT to move to New York and become a banker or consultant like most of my business school friends. New York, while lots of fun to visit (and full of chocolate boutiques), is way too tall and loud and bustling for me to call home. And the professional landscape there is so cut-throat, so fast-paced, so tunnel-vision, so…not dessert.

So now I live in a small-but-not-redneck central Virginia town near the Appalachians (where my guy incidentally goes to med school) and I work at a small marketing agency which I really love. And it is sunny and southern and much slowwer paced than the city. Very charming.

And I eat dessert everyday.

Of course, my birth order personality quirks still flare up every now and then. For example, I am a compulsive list-maker. My daily schedules even include room for the unexpected – just so I can check it off. It’s just in my genes, I’m afraid.

But my new small town environment is making me a little more easy-going. Five years ago I never would have predicted this is where I’d be in life, but I actually love how it’s feeling so far.

I’ve also been baking up a storm since I got here! And in the back of my mnd, I have this idea that’s still cooking – my very own chocolate shop…

Anyway, I wanted to start this blog to chat with you about chocolate, recipes, trends in the industry… but also work, love, life, feminism, jokes, seasonal affective disorder, and anything else my various mild neuroses inspire in my thoughts.

And I know it sounds pathetic, but I just moved from a pretty big metropolis to what feels like the boonies… so I would LOVE to get some good human interaction/discussion going here! So I cannot wait to meet you all.

Let the chocolate flow!

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