I am a military wife and mother of three young children. We are originally from the Midwest. My husband is a US Marine and we were stationed in SoCal for 9 years. In August 2008, we moved across the Pacific to mainland Japan. It is a much slower pace here than what we experienced in San Diego. I feel like we moved time back about 20 years. Now I spend a lot of time cooking and experimenting with new recipes. It is very enjoyable for me. I hope to be able to learn Japanese cooking while I am here. I love to make soup. It's my favorite thing to eat. Also, I have just purchased a slow cooker and make use of it on nights my kids have practice or lessons. I love being able to put together meals in the morning and have dinner ready when we get home! My third favorite is baking cookies. It is therapeutic for me. It is probably because then I eat them all afterward! In my extended family, we always have potluck dinners to celebrate the holidays. Grandma's ham can not be beat! Sunday dinners will always hold a special place in my heart. Having been raised in a Christian family, Sunday's were always a celebration. Now that I have my own family, our tradition seems to be trying new recipes from this website and rating them as a family. Holiday baking the entire month of December is a yearly tradition. Looking back, me being able to manage in a kitchen is a triumph in itself. I had never pride myself on being domestic. Now I look at cooking more as an art than a chore. As I have gotten older and braver, I have tried some toughies like pizza crust and bread. It always feels good when my parents, grandparents, or aunts/uncles approve my food. I don't get a chance to cook for them often, so the few compliments I can collect always make me feel great! I decided to make a Turtle cheesecake for our big family Christmas dinner. I didn't allow myself enough time and it was a big warm goopy mess. I don't know if anyone ate it. It was a tragedy that the thing went to waste because of my poor planning.