I delight in being prepared for fall.

perfect fall leaves

sardine canyon, utah

2012

I love fall. Everything about it, the colors, the temperature, the feeling in the air. There is just something about all the senses of the season that come together and really make perfection for me.

With that being said, there's a lot to prepare for in the fall because winter (that dreaded, cold, suck the life out of me season) is a'comin.

I recommend making a list of 10 must do's for the fall season.

1. Shop at a farmer's market or local fruit stand.
I'm pretty lucky because this one is an easy one for me. I live right by Utah's Fruit Way. There is something about buying local and meeting the farmers who grow my food that makes me happy. There's also something about finding a pumpkin that fits my personality.

2. Make meals from your garden.
I'm already failing at this one this year. Historically (while living away) I would come home on the weekends and stock up on everything I was going to eat for the week which usually involved tomatoes, tomatoes, and tomatoes, a few onions and more tomatoes (can you guess what we have the most of at my house?) Again, there is something about eating something that comes from your own backyard that is so rewarding. And may I recommend a caprese pasta dish...so delicious! Oooo and don't forget the pesto!

3. Buy some hot chocolate
Whether it is stocking up on the powder stuff for winter, stocking up on the evaporated milk so you can make the extra delicious kind like my roommate in college or stopping by your local hot drinks spot...enjoy a cup of some holiday cheer. Hot chocolate makes me feel assured that everything is going to be okay because I have a way to keep my very insides warm.

4. Enjoy the outdoors
Walk, kayak, go hiking. For fellow summer stragglers, fall is the best time to get out and about. I melt in the heat so hiking is tricky for me in the dead of summer. I love fall because a) I feel like my surroundings are even more photogenic and b) because its cooler, there aren't as many people and I can just enjoy it more. Now is the time of the year to travel to some of the summer "destinations" like yellowstone, arches, zions, and blanding.

5. Go on an intentional "I'm going to love the beauty of the season" drive.
This one is such a stretch for me. My family loves to drive and go for rides but for me to be the instagator of such a thing is a rarity. Plus because I spend a lot of time commuting, driving is sometimes the last thing I want to do on the weekends. I do however love a good adventure and going for a nice drive is just the ticket. Last year it was sardine canyon. I didn't need to go to Logan, I just needed to see leaves. This year I'm taking a new route with friends, up emigration canyon and down through east canyon. Its going to be incredible...incredibly brown because the leaves just aren't as fantastic this year (the joy of living in a desert) but it will still be fun because of the other traditions and experiences we have built around it (e.g., going to trader joes, eating breakfast at Ruth's diner).

6. Have a campfire.
Nothing, I repeat nothing will make fall more "fall like" that having a campfire on a cool evening while staying toasty in a hoodie. It is perfection. Just do it and thank me later.

7. Go on walks while wearing hoodies regularly
Can you tell I have a thing for hoodies? As a teenager, I lived in them. Now, not so much; however I do know how to appreciate one. This shapeless, thick, hooded piece of clothing keeps me warm and brings back oh so many memories of the hoodie fall time's of years past. I reminisce old holey hoodies as I wear new, yet to be holey hoodies.

8. Find a place to watch the perfect sunset.
I haven't actually done this one; however it was recommended to me by a new friend I met at institute last week. She told me she liked to find sunset spots. I immediately recognized and reported that this was something I could really get behind. I love the sun (just look at how many pictures I take of it.) And so, this is a new one I am adding to the list.

9. Prepare for the winter.
The only thing I don't like about fall is that it means winter is a coming. I am not a winter girl. I don't really care much for any winter sports (although one of these years I think I should do something about that and just learn to like to ski). So that means we must prepare for the winter with craft projects. No one wants to be going out for thread or glue in the snow just to finish a project. I get more craft/sewing projects done in the winter because I'm not out doing other things so it means that now is the time to check my inventory/stash of stuff to make sure I'm prepared.

10. Get ready for general conference
That leads us into the next list. General conference is my most favorite thing.

happy fall y'all!

family picture

23 september 2012

mantua, ut

fall has arrived here in the great state of utah! is is my favorite season of them all.  if i could, i would live in the season of fall!

this week has been truly delightful in all sorts of twisted ways. it is always true that in some low times in life, we find /realize some of our greatest blessings. and so it is.

• brigham city temple dedication
• kayaking and a trip to maddox in the company of great friends
• reading general conference addresses and finding some gems that hadn't stood out before
• figuring out what my research group is really going to research (still in the works)
• going to the dentist and having NO cavities
• deciding which pies i'm going to make for thanksgiving dinner
• making pumpkin cookies
• driving to see the fall leaves with family
• enjoying family dinner with my family on a weeknight
• sunday family dinner with the grandparents
• being invited to sit with an adorable couple at maddox (because there were no tables at the drive in) who i happened to actually know
• wearing a scarf, sweater, and boots

hello september, i'm glad you're here!

it's sister weekend here and i can think of no better way to ring in my favorite season.
i loved driving up south temple today, toward the mountains and then continuing my drive up sunnyside to the zoo.  the trees are looking SO beautiful and i think my fall leave ride has to be bumped to next week so as not to miss them in their prime! whose in?

lb and i rang in one of my favorite months with real class today!  we went to the zoo.  i only go to the zoo every 5-7 years or so because the zoo makes me sad but i am proud to say, i made it and i didn't cry! it's a serious accomplishment.  christin's favorite part of the zoo was the gorilla who just happened to walk right up to the window to say hello (i'm pretty sure that actually happened the last time we were there).  my favorite part was definitely the polar bear!  boy does he know how to put on a show, seriously, he was kicking off the glass, floating on his back and then doing flips in the water.  he would even climb out of the water and jump of the rock (okay jump, fall, you know what i mean). he was adorable.  i was sad the otters weren't out though. ezra made me SO excited salt lake was finally getting otters!

a trip to salt lake wouldn't be complete without going to litzas. yummy as ever.  our favorite waitress was even there, marie.  she knows our routine down to passing a cup of blue cheese off for ranch for christin to dip her pizza in since their blue cheese is gluten free and their ranch is not.

on the way home, we almost got washed down our street--torrential rain storm. the weather is CRAZY! the rest of the day we watched movies, i worked on my paper, we sorted all of christin's alphabet beads (quite the task) and occasionally went out to throw the dog a bone.  literally, ruby needed some exercise , more so distraction actually.  so i played catch with her--50 throws wears her out for a little while.  but no less.  absolutely no less.  what a dog.

essentially, september is off to a great start.

I delight in November.

A little Ruby update. Can you believe how big she's gotten? Admittedly, she's still a pretty petite pooch but she's adorable as ever. I didn't really document all the squash she has strewn about my parents yard. Its fairly entertaining. But its kept her from chewing the garden hose, house, wiring, or anything else she would find to chew. Who knew vegetables made such great puppy toys!

I love November. I think I love it because of all the celebrations that happen during the month. My birthday, Craig's birthday (which means we are the same age for 18 days), and Thanksgiving. Not to mention this November also holds a few more exciting events: listening to Temple Grandin in person, going to ASHA (my third trip to California this year...I know right?), making delicious pies for Thanksgiving, turning in some final reports, the list goes on and on. It's going to be a great month. Additionally, not that I'm counting or anything but this week marks 6 weeks left of Fall semester! Hallelujah! When November is over, I'll be one month closer to moving home, one month closer to the end of my graduate school education, and one month closer to the real world of externships and CFY searching.

Its going to be one exciting month!

I delight in celebrating Halloween "Christmas-style."

This is as Halloweeny as I get. And its only because its for a good cause. (Don't you LOVE how amazing the clouds are in this picture!)

I love Fall and I love the month of October. I love walking down the candy aisle at the grocery store, I love the carmel apple wraps, the pumpkins, the cornstalks, and the autumn colored peanut m&ms. I love fruit stands clearing out the summer's crop of squash, goards, pumpkins, and peppers. I love colored leaves, sweaters, scarves, blue skies, and mountains. I love trick-or-treaters and even cute costumes. But by the time Halloween night comes, all I want to do is stay home, bake something with pumpkin in it, and listen to Christmas music.

That's exactly what I did tonight. Oh and I did some homework too. Lucky me!

Happy Halloween!

I delight in fall.

Abundantly blessed.

Today has been amazing.

The season of fall is magical to me. No season inspires me more than fall. Today I think I identified why.

Fall or autumn as some prefer, brings inherent change and I think change is magical. Change is hard. In fact, over the summer, I 'played a game with myself' where I tried to change one 'routine' every day, ON PURPOSE. *If you lack spontaneity and find yourself being a compulsive planner (regarding everything from what to wear, 30-minute schedule breakdown, exactly what roads you'll take to get from a to b)...it will be a good activity for you too!

I found each small daily change to be inspiring. Overall however, I still struggle with change. Some habits are just hard to change. But nature makes it seem so easy. Green leaves turn red or yellow or orange. They seem to embrace the drastic change so flawlessly.

Oh to be like a leaf. Oh to be inspired by a leaf. Believing change is possible is the first step in receiving and dare-I-say inviting change.

I delight in Fall Break 2011.

Its finally my fall break and I couldn't be happier. (Okay, qualifier on that...I could potentially be happier in the 'less stressed' sort of a way if I didn't have a swallowing exam the week I get back).

Mom, LB and I are headed on a fantastic vacation to Disneyland. Note the word vacation.

I'm not a 'vacation kind of girl'. I don't do vacations, I do adventures. Vacations are relaxing and chill (2 things I am not), adventures are exhilarating and busy. It is easy for me to fill every moment 'going' and 'doing' constantly. This however is 5 days at the happiest place on earth. Essentially the goal is to do everything we want to do but not over-do, be overly busy, stressed or rushed. Our goal is not to see everything...its to have a good time (especially for LB, when she's happy, Mom and I are happy). Whether that is riding rides, eating ice cream, swimming, sleeping, sunning ourselves while watching parades...it does not matter. Christin wants her picture with Belle and I want to go on "Its a Small World After All" as it was my favorite ride when we went oh you know when I was in grade 1, that's our definite agenda this far.

We have never been on a girls vacation like this before so here's to a maiden voyage.

Happy Fall Break! Hope it ACTS like fall wher'ere you are!

I delight in September.

September is one of my favorite months.

Historically, August is not.

And so, September is here--that's the focus of my delight today.

September is the welcome mat to so many things I love:

fall, peach days, the avenues fair, watching the lights go up at temple square (in preparation for Christmas), it gets cooler, general conference is almost here, fall break is almost here, the leaves are about to change which means canyon drives...

Basically my favorite time of the year is finally rolling in and nothing could make me happier.

Welcome to fall...its the best!

I delight in thanksgiving.

This year

I get to spend thanksgiving with this crew.

they're my favorites!

Luckily the "worst storm of the decade" didn't amount to much (or anything for that matter) so traveling to be with them won't be much of a problem.

Last night, I got the sweetest phone call from LB. Mom had called to tell me she was going to call. LB had been concerned the snow was going to make it so I couldn't make it home for Thanksgiving.

And so this thanksgiving I am grateful to be loved so much.

I am grateful for my family.

I am grateful for the experiences of a mission.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to get a good education.

I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon and for the answers I find as I read and ponder.

I am grateful for the influence of good people.

I'm grateful for hard things because they lead way for better things.

I am grateful for the ability to smile.

And finally, I'm grateful for the ability to love others.

happy thanksgiving

I delight in simple days.

last year...brother martin made sister b and i thanksgiving dinner! :) and then sister k and i christmas dinner...turporkin!

sunday. one. gratitude. study. catch up. reorg. clean. breathe

that's my day in a nutshell. its been real nice. the calm before the storm which begins at 4 in the morning! i have a test at 8. the last exam before the comprehensive final in but 3 weeks! oi! finals already? how did this happen? i have no idea! but alas, i'm ready for it! in 3 days i will have taken 2 test and have written 9 more pages of my paper.

then on to thanksgiving.

baking pie, eating massive amounts of garlic dip with people who love me even when i smell like garlic and turkey, making advents, playing games, seeing harry potter, running around ogden in a santa suit, celebrating craig's birthday, and waking up ridiculously early in the morning to go people watch with mom at target (and probably pretend like we need to buy something) then on to breakfast at sams club...mother daughter tradition!

needless to say, i love thanksgivings on my mission but...

i'm really happy to be celebrating thanksgiving this year with my family and all the fun traditions i hold so near and dear to my heart! :)

I delight in the coming of a season.

. antique shows . taking down trampolines . christmas store hours . football games .

. daily scarf wearing . end of season garden stock . soup in bread bowls .

. desire for hot chocolate . birthday singing . pie crust purchasing . recipe collecting .

I delight in the preservation of my sanity.

Things that have recently been preserving my sanity recently:

fall break, colorful leaves, impromptu trip to park city, studying with mary, seeing other people from my program at the library over fall break, my journal, water and thus bathroom breaks, baking, the field houses elliptical machines, starting every day with scripture study, cool air streaming in through my window, uplifting visits with friends, surprise notes on my windshield after 8 hours at the library, watching you've got mail (the perfect fall time movie), happy messages from christin on my phone, prayer, being crafty, picnics, talking to grandpa, keeping my space clean and semi-organized, going to the temple, listening to conference talks, AND turkey and cheese panini's with an apple (the staple of life). :)

I delight in being a running zombie.

Today at This is the Place Monument they held the first night of the running dead 5k.

You could sign up as a survivor or a zombie.

Survivors got a minute head start.

Then the zombies chased them.

People dressed up and decked out. We had our zombie pedigree t-shirts, awesome!

Lindsay was a member of the Donnor Party...hence she's eating me.

And we celebrated Nat's birthday!

It was great to be able to

a. dress up as a zombie, b. run with friends, and c. support cancer research!

I delight in a beautiful view.

this picture however...was not the beautiful view i saw today...this was taken sunday at my house

Today I was studying in the institute. Studying there isn't productive unless I'm there with someone else to keep me on task or unless I stick myself in a random corner where there aren't people around to watch.

I digress however...

When I was driving to campus I was thinking the whole time "Boy am I glad I brought an umbrella." The clouds were rolling in over the mountains, it was getting dark and the clouds were looking kind of ferocious...yep...just used ferocious to describe clouds. Hum.

ANYway...so I'm studying.

And I look out the windows from the institute and its one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. Fall colors, rich, bold, beautiful, lit up by what I'm sure was an incredible sunset (my view was North and South, not East and West).

It doesn't take long for weather to change.

It doesn't take long for different circumstances in our lives to change.

We must continue in patience.

Things will work together for our good!

We can learn a lot from nature.