Spooktacular Day

My Halloween started with a jump as I walked into the hallway and was greeted by this creature:

I went to the gym and loved Spinning to Halloween songs and then returned home to hearing the fire alarm going off in the clubhouse. The firetruck arrived and I decided to set off my car alarm to join in the noise. Awesome.

The Singles Mingle Halloween Party was held at a bowling alley and I was reminded me how much I love my job and the people I work with.

I Hear a Symphony

A few months ago, I decided to buy a series of tickets to the Utah Symphony and tonight was the first one of the season for me. The Utah Symphony featured Special Guests The Kings Singers and I found myself smiling and tapping my foot as they sang an eclectic mix including The Beatles All You Need is Love to Somewhere Over the Rainbow to Jason Mraz's I'm Yours. The man next to me kept asking his wife if he could check the score of the BYU game and the World Series and I laughed because as much as I love the Symphony, I also wanted updates.

On the drive home, I had to take a rather long detour due to police closing several blocks near my house. As I took an alternate route, more police, firetrucks, and an ambulance went by and I had to take another detour as the police closed that road. Eventually I made it home and cried for several minutes in joy over the Cardinals win in the World Series or maybe it was due to BYU's loss to TCU.

MITE Night

I heard about a weekly event called MITE(most interesting thing ever) Night where people give a fifteen minute presentation on a topic and then there is a question and answer period. The topics are pre-approved and must edify, inform, and not be a sales pitch.Tonight's topic was interactive television and the presenter was very entertaining. Past topics include: how to deliver a baby, history of the printing press, humanitarian trips, and basic car maintenance. My friends and I met some new people and had a great time. As we left, one friend turned to me and said "Is that what we came to see? I thought we were going to a mic(karaoke) party." We all had a good laugh and then she said the following, "I even put on eyeliner in preparation for the night." And now all events will be judged according to whether it is eyeliner worthy.

Are they twins?

I learned a lot about twins while staying with my friends Ben and Allison. Everywhere we went, people gawked, smiled, and talked to the girls. Take the children in the above picture. We were trying on boots at Nordstrom when the children came over to say hi to Rosie and Evie. The girls were tickled, teased, and gently mauled and smiled during the entire process. Where were the parents of the children? They were on a different bench trying on shoes and I'm sure they appreciated that we provided entertainment so they could try on shoes in peace.  Ben and Allison said that many people ask which one is the boy even though the girls would be wearing bows and/or dresses. Apparently, most of America think that every set of twin has one boy and one girl. Who knew?

Happy H'owl'oween!

Tonight I ventured to Utah County for the annual Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza with Jamie and Nicole. Now, last year(and maybe the year before) there were problems cutting the top off the pumpkin and a sliced thumb so I was apprehensive about my abilities to carve. I started looking for ideas months ago and felt confident that I could carve an own without a pattern. It should be noted that my grandpa was an artist and would come to my elementary school to teach art lessons and I would leave my project unfinished for fear that my teacher would expect me to be an artist like my grandpa. Oh the pressure I put on myself.

We ate dinner and then it was time to start carving. I took a deep breath and with a picture of what I wanted to carve beside me, I dug into the pumpkin. Soon after, my pumpkin was finished and Jamie and Nicole were just getting started. Apparently I had a one track mind while carving and couldn't be bothered with treats, a scary movie, or conversation. I like the look of Horace Hedwig and have already started thinking of ideas for next year.

Horace the Owl, Casper the Friendly Ghost, and Marvin the French Bulldog.

Denver in the Fall

Meags and I just returned from a visit with Ben, Allison, Rosie, and Evie. I had a great time and Ben and Allison were incredible hosts and very easy going. I have known Ben and Allison for several years so it was nice to catch up on life, watch scary movies, help Rosie learn to walk, and shop for the perfect pair of boots. 

 Upon our arrival in Denver, we went for a walk. I was in charge of the girls and Meags was in charge of the dogs. 

 We made delicious sugar cookies which Meags cut out freehand since we didn't have a pumpkin cookie cutter. The little ladies couldn't wait to try one. 

 We went shopping in downtown Denver. 

 Meags and I "played" a friendly game of chess and clearly I was the winner. 

 As we were leaving the chess playing area, we noticed a wizard and had to take his(our) picture. I imagine he was telling the other guy about the Marauder's map and the best situations in which one would use the invisibility cloak. 

 We went for a hike in Boulder and then played at the park. The girls loved the swings. 

 Once a Cougar, always a Cougar. Well, except that Meags went to the U, but I'm pretty sure she likes BYU more than Utah. 

 On our final day in Denver, we decided to go on a bike ride. We should be wearing helmets like our friend John. 

Corn-mazing

To celebrate Pelosi's birthday, we went to a Corn Maze and I'm surprised we didn't get kicked out. Here is the night in pictures: 

 We went down a slide and it was one bumpy ride.

 Photo shoot on the farm. 

 Dance party in the middle of the maze. 

 Someone had the brilliant idea of playing Sardines and a few of us decided to make our own rules and Halls and Simon(above) fell over.

We ended the night with a game of baseball in the parking lot. 

Happy Birthday, Pelosi! 

BYU vs San Jose State: Another Win

I'm beginning to think I should have purchased season tickets to BYU football. I have attended the past three games and BYU has won each of those games which clearly means I need to be there for every future game.  It should be noted that the girl behind us in the picture was cheering for San Jose St which may explain why she is sticking out her tongue.

Post edit: I failed to mention one of the most exciting events which happened after the game. The Cougar marching band was leaving the stadium and Lohra and I noticed that the band member on the last row was all alone so we had to join her. We marched as the band exited and played imaginary instruments. Sadly, this was not documented by myself or my friends so if a video or picture appears on the world wide web, please send it to me.

Picking Perfect Pumpkins

Pip, Sy, Avy Shae, and I went to Shoemaker's farm to pick pumpkins and of course it started to rain while we were in the field. We all laughed and quickly picked out several pumpkins. Sy had to have the biggest pumpkin he could find and it took both of us to detach it from the vine. What a kid. Avry decided to pick several small pumpkins and helped load them on the scale inside the small farm store. I think Pip and I look forward to this yearly trip as much as the kids. After picking pumpkins, we went to pick apples, and then we had a sleepover at grandma and papa's house. Pretty much an amazing weekend.