24th Birthday....

Not to long ago I turned 24. The big 24... one year closer to 25, eeeks!

Needless to say it was a great birthday. I got to spend it with my siblings, and parents.

Heather, my little sister, works at the Hogle Zoo as a teen docent. She had a few tickets to get into the zoo and decided she wanted to take Mom, Michael and I to the zoo and give us a grand tour. So the last day to use the tickets she had, aka my birthday, we went to the zoo. I haven't been to the zoo in years and I loved every minute of it. It is so much different than I remember as a kid. There are so many new fancy exhibits and animal enclosures. It was especially fun to watch Heather. She knew all about every inch of the place. She knew every animals name and would talk to them as if they were her closest friends. It was the sweetest thing ever. She insisted that we have lunch at the "Beast"-ro and that it was the most delicious place to get a meal. Heather was 100% in her element, I think that is what made the visit to the zoo so great. That girl is going places and that girl will do BIG great things in world. Here are a few pictures from the zoo trip.

The day just continued to be full of more memorable moments. After we got home from the zoo I decided that I would make my favorite gluten-free cake. Mom and Dad went to the grocery store, Michael was napping, Adam was in Dad's office and Heather was in her room. So, Mickey (the dog) and Albert (the bird), were left alone to bake in the kitchen. (These are important details!) So, things in the kitchen were going well. I had the cake batter all mixed up and the oven was heated ready to bake. I found the only three round cake pans I could find in my mom's cupboard. The recipe says you need to use two 9" cake pans, but I could only find three 8" cake pans. So, I poured the batter into two of the 8" cake pans. This was my thought process. "It says 9" pans but it's a gluten free cake that is pretty dense... so, I should be able to get away using 8" pans. Yeah, I'll just use the 8" pans." So, I put the two pans into the oven to bake and set the timer.  

Shortly after, I started to smell something burning. And this when it started getting interesting. I opened the oven door and saw the batter spilling over the edge of the cake pans, all over the bottom of the oven. I hurried to grab a pan and put it on the bottom rack to catch any more batter that might spill over, then shut the door. I thought I was good. The burning smell only got worse. Smoke began coming out of the oven vent. I opened the oven door and... FLAMES! There were flames. After saying  "Oh shit!" under my breath, I acted calmly. I got a spoon and began spooning the burnt flaming cake batter out of the oven and into a bowl of water. I opened the back door so the smoke could air out, and I turned on the fan over the oven. Yet again, I thought all was good. A few minutes later more smoke starts coming out of the oven vent. I open the oven door and again... FLAMES! even bigger flames. I yelled for Adam. He came in grabbed the bird cage and ran out. How helpful. I was flustered, but I got all the flaming cake batter out of the oven and things were good. When I checked back on the cake a few minutes later the cake was as black as could be. I was mortified. My expensive gluten free birthday cake was ruined. My mom and dad came home. I was afraid they would be mad I had caught the oven on fire, not once, but twice. Nope, not upset at all. They said "You aren't a Worthington woman until you catch the oven on fire!" Apparently it happens a lot around there. (I only have one memory of my mom catching it on fire, I guess it has happened a lot more since I moved away to college six year ago.) My sweet mom looked at my cake, I was in tears, and said let's start over. Let's make it again. I was insistent that we just not worry about it and not waste the expensive ingredients to make it again. So, my mom got to work to redeem the cake we had. She carefully carved off all the burnt edges she could find. When she was done, it looked lovely. The amazing thing about all of this is the smoke detector never went off. If you know the smoke detector at my parents you know that it is hardly believable that it didn't go off. It usually goes off if you make toast. At least we know that if there is actually ever smoke/flames the smoke detector might not go off. Needless to say, after a struggle with the cake, it all worked out. (just like it always does) Here is a picture of the cake the third time it was a flame that day. 

The day was all around pretty great. We had a great dinner complete with honey baked ham, baked potatoes, and salad. We played banana-grams, Just Dance 2014, and simply enjoyed each others company. The day was complete in welcoming in 2014 with fireworks,  a dance party in the driveway, a visit from the Dukes, and a toast to the new year with Martinellis. Thanks to everyone for celebrating with me, for the kind birthday wishes, and for thinking of me as I turned 24. Happy New Year!