Pumpkin Carving

Last weekend Michael and I decided we really wanted to carve some pumpkins and our neighbor Amy who lives just below us wanted in on the fun too. So we spent our Saturday night designing and carving these festive masterpieces!

Amy is a science teacher and decided that she wanted to carve the eyes of her pumpkin to match the shape of a particular element. Can't remember which one though...I'll have to get her to remind me :)

Amy's finished product! She liked the fact that her pumpkin had a cool "scar" on the front, so she incorporated it into her design. Looks authentic huh?

Since the pumpkin didn't have a stem on top, Amy decided to be creative and carve a witch hat out of the back for cleaning and candle access. Brilliant idea!

Here is Michael thinking really hard as to how he would execute his design.

My first pumpkin before I cleaned out the insides. Kinda looks like it's "puking" its guts huh?

Michael's finished product, with Frankenstein-esque stitches on the side!

Did I mention that Michael and I couldn't resist buying 4 pumpkins instead of 2 because they were so small? Well, we did buy 4 and, as a result, were able to be a bit more creative with our 2nd designs!

My cute little ghost...

Michael's "slightly" scary tree!

Our nieces and nephews were able to see all the jack-o-lanterns lit on Sunday. They thought it was super cool! I guess we think so too!

Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites

Made these the other night, thanks to a wonderful recipe by Bakerella. As I took them out of the oven, somehow they kept disappearing. And Michael denied his affiliation with anything of the sort.... now we all know that's not true!

They are so yummy and I can't wait to make them once again. I want to decorate them with melted chocolate, making cute little jack-o-lantern faces on them. I definitely recommend this recipe to anybody who wants to bring some autumn related cheer to the home!

FAST Enterprises Halloween Party 2009

Last weekend, Michael's work had a Halloween party for all their employees and families, and was it fun! They definitely decorated extravagantly, courtesy of one of their employees whose favorite holiday is Halloween and who just happens to have nothing short of every possible decoration for the holiday!

Michael and I decided to dress up as zombies for this year, and we came up with quite a convoluted story as to how we "died".

I was an escapee from the local prison, a life full of crime behind me. In my journey to flee the area, I happened upon Michael, a young high school football player, and forced him to drive me in that direction. We were driving so hastily and carelessly, per my insistence, that we got in a car accident and he was killed instantly. I, on the other hand, did not die in the accident. Instead, I was unharmed and as a result of my previous life as a convict and now the death of an innocent bystander, was taken straight to the electric chair.

As you can see, our "scary" ensemble.

Michael and his creepy makeup and stare.

We took quite a while in the bathroom to perfect our makeup and hair. So much hairspray and bobby pins were involved on my part to make my hair stand up and look like I had been electrocuted.

There was a donut eating contest and Michael got quite messy during his fight to win. I was so proud.

I think this is my favorite picture from the night. Michael was so hardcore as he played RockBand. He almost turned into a "KISS" lookalike instead of a guitar-playing zombie.

All in all, we had lots of fun, ate lots of good food, and brought home more candy than was good for us!

"New" Car!

Michael and I are now the owners of a 1999 Honda CR-V EX! We've been searching and searching (...and searching) for another mode of transportation for me since the wreck just 2 weeks ago. Who knew we'd stumble upon such a cute "soccer mom" type vehicle? We had hoped to find something with either All-Wheel or 4-Wheel Drive as it makes me feel so much more secure while I commute in the snow. Well, we found it... and at a really good price too! Also, I need to mention that I'm so glad to have the luxury of cruise control as my last car was completely without.

It may not be the 2010 model, but it's new enough to us and will get me to and from school and other destinations safely. It was so interesting to factor in the possibility of children and instruments (Mom and Music Therapist blood in my veins) being driven around in this little SUV. Never before had I thought of such things when researching cars. We are hopeful that this will be a good investment for our future :)

Btw, I've decided to call her "Blanche", like the French translation for white but most likely will be pronounced like the Golden Girl. Michael, on the other hand, wants to call her "Lady" and I'm not going to explain why here. It seems simple but there is quite the story associated with that name and you'll have to ask him if you want to know!

The Pioneer Woman Cookbook

I am DYING to get my hands on this cookbook. It comes out on October 27th on Amazon and is already on my wish list. Not only do I really want it for my 22nd birthday, which is on October 26th, but I'm DYING to meet The Pioneer Woman and her beautiful family on November 4th at The King's English Bookshop in Salt Lake City!

Was I subtle enough in my hint that I desperately want and need this in my life?!?

Car Stories

As some of you may know, I was in a car accident on Thursday, October 1st. I was heading home from my usual commute to USU in Logan, and was rear ended by a guy in a big truck at the overpass before entering I-15 from Brigham City. The traffic stopped suddenly and I was able to stop just a mere 7-8 inches short of the car in front of me. Sadly, the guy behind me was not. Brakes screeched and a loud crunch and shattering sound occurred as my entire trunk was crushed in and my back window blown out. Glass flew everywhere and even my sunglasses were knocked off my face.

I saw it coming too, which was, of course, not the best thing as I tensed in anticipation of the crash. I remember thinking, "Oh great, this is going to be a HARD hit!" And it was...I expect he slammed into me around 40 mph as the speed limit drops from 55 to 30 in that area, yet nobody follows it. So, I was pushed into the car in front of me and sandwiched between the two. The nice man who hit me said he looked away for a second then realized we were all stopped and by that time it was too late. I suffered some serious whiplash for a few days after and thankfully drugs helped me in that respect.

I am so lucky to have a husband who rushed all the way from his work in SLC to Brigham (over 1 hour drive, following the law ;) in order to be by my side and bring me to the ER and back home. My mother also left her work early so that I wouldn't have to be alone until Michael arrived. I was definitely taken care of.

As for the car, it is totaled and we are desperately on the hunt for a "new" car to replace it. Ole' Henry (that was my car's name) was worth more to me that anybody can really put a price tag on. But thankfully, the guy who hit me had insurance and is able to pay for a rental for me for 2 weeks while we search for another car. Also, we just received info that our settlement for the car is quite a bit more than we expected. I think the Lord is looking after us. Michael even said that this is great because "now we get to buy a new car!!!" Chuckle chuckle.

I'm going to miss my little car, he was the first one I learned to drive stick shift on,



he was also the recipient of accidental window painting by some confused girls on my 20th birthday [super funny story].



And Henry was attacked on my 21st birthday by Michael while I was at church, being covered in window paint and streamers and filled with about 50 green balloons.

And one of the best things was that he was given to me completely FREE by a sweet couple who were about to go on their mission! We've had some good times, yet it is time to move on and hopefully buy a Subaru. [Love it for the All-Wheel Drive in the snow]


And for my next story, I locked my keys in my rental car today. Yes, that's right. I am officially a locking-keys-in-the-car ditz.
I say this because it has happened 3 times in the last year. First, at Beaver Mountain while Michael and I were up there snowboarding and I locked his keys in Gator (his car). Second, the night Michael and I got engaged, I locked my keys in Henry while we were freezing our bottoms off in the snow up Green Canyon. And now, I've outdone myself as I locked myself out of my RENTAL car. And the spare key was on the regular key ring in the car. So, I payed $40 to a locksmith who of course only had to take 2 seconds to unlock the car with his special tools. I think I'm glutton for punishment or cursed or something. Never a dull moment with me, that's for sure. Good thing we can laugh at all this!