My classmates

In culinary school, our class has definitely begun to "mesh" together. It's fun getting to know everyone. We see each other five days a week for five hours a day, so our relationships have sort of grown faster than normal. Here are a couple highlights from some of my new friends:

Sarah- She sits right next to me and is from Brinkley, Arkansas. She has a THICK accent and it's fun hearing her talk, although it sometimes seems like she'll never shut up. :) She's very sweet though. She got married in Vegas and that night her husband had to go to work. He's in the Army and has been in Iraq for a year and a half. They haven't seen each other for 7 months now, and she's counting down a week and a day to go until he's here for a leave of 2 weeks, then back to California, where he's now stationed. His ETS date is in May. So they'll finally get to have a marriage again.

Adan- He's a short Hispanic man with grey hair and he's the sweetest person. He stutters a lot when he talks, but I'm so glad that no one has made him feel less because of it. Everyone really likes him.

Kristen- She was on American Idol when they came to Austin, but she was #27 and they ended up only taking the top 25 singers. She has one of those kinds of dogs that has a wrinkly face, and his name is Big Mac. Her mom is a pastry chef, so her whole life, Kristen has made lots of wedding cakes...one reason she's not pursuing a patissierie degree!

Elvin- He sits in front of me and he's one of the class clowns. He worked in California as part of an improv team. They traveled for their performances all over.

That's the wrap. Tonight's menu: Sherry Almond Chicken on a bed of cooked rice, asparagus, and grapes.