Feeling Nostalgic

Nostalgia
: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition;

A few weeks ago I was struck with a sweet bite of nostalgia at Gigi's cupcakes. My mom and I stopped into this favorite cupcake shop of mine on our special birthday shopping trip. And, even though it was indeed our birthday trip, I opted to get the "wedding cake" cupcake. It's a beautiful white cake topped with a small, swirly mountain of rich vanilla butter cream and sprinkled with elegant pearls. It's understated and extravagant still. Anywho, you may wonder why I went for the wedding cake cupcake on my birthday...

Three and a half years ago I had my first bite of this amazing and delicious cupcake. It was perfectly sweet and delightful in every way-those petite pearls, oh my. It should be noted that there is so much icing on this cupcake you need a fork to eat it with. My husband bought it for me from a lady selling them in the hospital cafeteria, and smiled to surprise me with it in our quaint, new mother-baby room. Boy, was it a sweet sight-almost as sweet as our squishy newborn Evan. I loved those first few hospital days with my first boy-it was such a special time and I cherish those memories dearly. First diaper changes, white onesies, daddy snuggles, matching bracelets...wedding cake cupcakes. I didn't love a lot about our time in the hospital; our long laboring and unexpected delivery were not moments I remember with ease. But by God's grace-and Gigi's cupcakes-those more difficult times seem to me now so small in comparison to the absolute joy of new babies and buttercream. They say scent memories are especially powerful, I say cupcake memories are better-wistful even.

Now, the dawn of preschool days is upon us. Hair gel, 3T jeans and new seating arrangements at the dining room table are the new nostalgia in the making. I love this place in life. I loved that place in life. Looking at the above definition of nostalgia, I'm encouraged to embrace these moments before they turn "irrecoverable." Even then, I'm happy for a cupcake to whisk me back every now and again. :-)