Snow, Cake and a Giveaway Winner!

Old Man Winter likes to tease us.  Last week, the weather was sunny and highs were in the 40s.  Runners were out in shorts and t-shirts.  On Sunday, a good chunk of Minnesota received a little reminder that winter wasn't over yet.  Here in the Twin Cities metro area, snowfall totals ranged from 12 to 18 inches.  My roommate and I spent about two hours shoveling out our driveway Monday morning because the neighbor who usually snowblows our driveway had neglected to do so.  I was two hours late to work, and even though shoveling is great exercise, I have the muscle soreness in my arms and back to prove it!

This past weekend, I visited my parents.  I cut my trip a day short so I wouldn't have to drive in the snow on Sunday, but it was a productive visit.  A family friend makes wedding cakes, so Mom and I arranged to have Patty make Dad a birthday cake (his birthday was on Saturday) with the same ingredients she would use in a wedding cake.

Patty covered the cake in a bunch of the different designs and embellishments she can do for wedding cakes:

There were almost too many options!

She also showed several pictures of wedding cakes she had made in the past.

However, the true test came to the taste of the cake.  It was a plain white cake, as requested.  After I took my first bite, I took another... and another... and several more. :)  I found it hard to stop eating the cake because it tasted so good!  I brought some home for Mark and he had the same problem, ha ha!

My awesome Dad, holding his birthday/"wedding" cake

So, future hubs and I will get our wedding cake from Patty.  The design is yet to be determined, but the price is extremely reasonable at only $1.00 per serving and no delivery charge.

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Thanks to all who entered my Minneapolis Marathon, Half-Marathon or 5K race entry giveaway!

Drumroll please...

[insert random drumming noises here!]

And the winner is... Sara @ Domestically Challenged!

Sara, please e-mail me at richelle(dot)maciej(at)gmail(dot)com letting me know that you saw you won and also what race distance you want to run.  I'm working out some of the finer details with the Team Ortho staff, but we'll get you registered in the next few days.

Please stay tuned for future giveaways.  John, the Team Ortho executive director, liked my giveaway, so there will plenty of other Team Ortho race entry giveaways in the future. :)  I also want to do giveaways of my handmade jewelry and running essentials.