Pumpkin Carving Traditions

My family has carved pumpkins the day before Halloween every single year for as long as I can remember. And as far as I'm concerned we do it the right way. So, I thought I'd share it with all of you. This is how it goes...

First, we scrape out the guts with a mason jar lid. Totally brill (that's me quoting Jack Black in The Holiday in case you didn't catch that). I don't know what else to say about it.

Then we tape our patterns to the pumpkin, poke holes around the design, remove the pattern, and fill the holes with flour so they're visible.

 Then we start carving. Just so you know, the smallest pieces always come out first.

 When you get to this point, throw in the candle and light it up.

Then, voila! You've got your Halloween pumpkin!

Yes, I am aware that I carved a chair in my pumpkin. I thought it was cute. Besides, I took a vote among my friends between Hansel and Gretel versus the chair and it was 5:1 so I went with it. Yeah, I'm just cool like that. Or weird like that, whichever you prefer. 

Anyway, hope you end up as happy with your pumpkin as I am. 

Happy Halloween!

A Pretty Dang Awesome "Fall Break"

Let me begin by saying Weber State University's "fall break" is a joke. Seriously, one day?! One day?! That's all we get after eight weeks of slaving away over hours and hours of homework? It's just wrong, I tell you. Very, very wrong.
That being said, I did have a nice, longish weekend. It was chill and relaxing. I missed mi familia though. They left me because their "fall break" was a day longer than mine. Lame. 
Anyway, I thought I'd use this post to tell you about the dear friends I spent my one-day break with. I absolutely adore them. These are two of my best friends in the whole wide world. I'd like to introduce you to Sarryn and MeChel. Aren't they lovely? 

Friday was technically the break part because it was the only day we should have been in school but weren't, so that's the one I'm going to document a bit of. It was such a glorious (yes, glorious) day, we couldn't resist going outside to do our homework (we had to do homework on our day off?!). Of course, since it was so beautiful out there we could hardly focus on anything requiring much intellectual analysis. So we ended up doing our nails instead – on a blanket – in my backyard. 

It. Was. Awesome.  

Then we went for ice cream with some other friends. We were obviously in really, really good moods. What can I say? We love ice cream. P.S. Sar and Chel didn't even plan those poses. They can just rock the funny face look. I think they're on the same brainwave or something. I obviously didn't get the memo or something.

To quote Sar, it was just a really "happy" day. If I had to do it again, I'd still choose to spend it with these ladies. Thanks for being there for me guys. I love you!

A Glorious Tuesday

This Tuesday morning began the way most do, but as I was stood at the shuttle stop, waiting to be crammed into the tiny little bus and shuttled from the Dee Events Center to campus like I do every morning, I had an interesting experience. I had the pleasure of making a new friend. His name is McKay and he is my new home teacher. We were chatting about school and work as we waited patiently (and not so patiently – we’re college students after all) when I happened to mention that I thought it was an absolutely glorious morning. McKay looked at me skeptically and said, “Glorious? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that word used in conversation.”

How sad is that?! Glorious is a word we should be using thrice in every conversation. It’s that good. It is the perfect word to describe any number of people, places, things, or situations. It’s so versatile. It means, “having a striking beauty or splendor that evokes feelings of delighted admiration” for Heaven’s sake. Glorious is an absolutely glorious word and I have decided to get it out into everyday circulation – starting now.

So, I think Tuesdays are probably my favorite day of the week. Tuesdays are Mother-Daughter day for my mom, aunt and grandma. Occasionally – if I get out of class early enough – I join them. And let me tell you, we have a glorious time. Seriously, I love them oh so much.

On this glorious Tuesday, my second class was cancelled this morning so I got to go home early (It was glorious) and meet up with the girls at my aunt’s house to enjoy a glorious meal. It was muy delicioso (or glorious). I wish I had taken a picture, but alas, I did not and so I will just have to describe it for you. That’s probably better anyway; I’m more of a word person than a picture person.

This meal was autumn. It was crisp and clean and yummy. We had chicken salad sandwiches, but these were not your “run-of-the-mill, relief society luncheon, wedding reception, make 300 batches ahead of time” kind of chicken salad sandwiches. Oh no, these were fall on a soft, delicious, whole-wheat roll. They were a splendiferous blend of raw red bell pepper, crisp green apple, and shredded chicken topped with a romaine lettuce leaf. And it didn’t end there. Oh no, we then topped the whole meal off with a dessert of pumpkin cheesecake ice cream. Oh man, so good!

 It’s okay, I give all the college students reading this permission to be jealous. I understand that the pb&j sandwich you’ve had for lunch everyday for the last two weeks, doesn’t even compare. We’ve all been there. Are you beginning to see why I love crashing this party?

**Please note that just about every adjective used in the preceding paragraphs could have been replaced with glorious, but I didn't want to risk overusing it and detracting from its glorious nature.

Mom and Grandma

Carrie and I (I know the picture sucks. I did warn you though)

Brighton

Anyway, I had a glorious time with these lovely ladies (and Bright) this afternoon and I sure hope I get to party with them again next week! Seriously - Mom, Carrie, Grandma, you rock my socks off. I love you! And as for you my dear reader, if you're still reading, I love you too for wading through the scattered thoughts of my mind. Until we meet again I want only to say, 

"Have an absolutely glorious day!"

First Thoughts? Odd, I know...

First Thoughts. I’m sure it a foreign concept to many of my readers. That’s understandable. It was completely foreign to me a mere few months ago as well. And now, I don’t know how I ever lived without being consciously aware of my First Thoughts. They have become the life-blood of my being – the electrically coupled intercalated discs in the cardiac muscle of my heart. They are the air I breathe, the sounds I hear, the sights I see, the things I touch, the things I feel (too melodramatic? Maybe so, but regardless...) – all First Thoughts.

My First Thoughts are perfect. Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

“To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men,- that is genius. Speak your latent conviction and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost, and our first thought is rendered back to us by the trumpets of the Last Judgment.”

My First Thoughts are perfect, so are yours. We need only believe their validity with our whole hearts. We must trust them to stand on their own without feeling the need to censor or correct them. We must put our thoughts out there and leave our hearts and minds unguarded in our writing. If we do that – maybe, just maybe – we can encourage others to do the same.  That is my dream. That is my “latent conviction.” I want every person out there to know that his or her thoughts are valid. None of us stands alone. Thoughts and feelings are universal. Perhaps we would come to understand that if we let go of the fear of being seen. With that First Thought in mind, right now I’m going to let go of the fear of being seen and begin a mission to get my First Thoughts out into the cosmos. So, read on, dear friend. If you like what you see, read on.

Welcome to my world. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.