"boo! did i scare you?"

happy halloween.

i love this holiday. period.

the mounds of candy, the flavor pumpkin, little kids in costumes,

trick-or-treating and jack-o-lanterns.

big fat pumpkins, fall weather, witches, the color black.

a bowl of chili {family tradition}

hot chocolate, skeletons, pumpkin patches, spooky-ness, candy corns,

the eeriness in the air, pumpkin baked goods and my memories of this holiday. 

hope you have a spooky halloween.

be safe, eat lots of candy, and stay warm.

oh, you're welcome to come over for a yummy bowl of chili if you'd like.

thank you october 31st for being one of the best holidays. 

a little halloween pet peeve of mine:

please don't use this holiday as an excuse to dress like a slut. 

i've always wondered why girls do that.

believe me, you're not cute with a skirt too short and 

a top that shows too much.

cover yourself, and dress up properly.

save us all and let us enjoy the holiday too. 

field trip.

yesterday i went on a field trip for my geology class.

an all day field trip, mind you.

we went to four different locations to study

earthquakes and oceanology.

{a winery, the beach, a park, and a california mission}

so fascinating.

i'm a nerd when it comes to learning.

it was a wonderful trip: 

minus the garlic fries, bus ride back home and the line for the bathroom.

hope you had an educational weekend as well.

i'm guessing you went to some halloween parties, as did i.

it certainly was a busy weekend.

enjoy your sunday at home, and

happy halloween eve. 

quinoa

quinoa recipe:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable/chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Stir corn and black beans into the saucepan until heated. Lastly, add cilantro.

so quick and easy! delicious too.

Also, reasonably cheap if you already have quinoa on hand. 

*note: i added grilled chicken, chili spice and lime juice to it tonight.

we topped it off with greek jalapeño yogurt. and scooped it up with 

multigrain tortilla chips. 

{you truly can add or subtract anything from this recipe}

love 8 days a week.

amen to this.

perfectly put in every way.

it covers it all:

hand holding, laughter, support, snuggles, conversation, kisses and love.

every.single.day.

remember it's important to express love each and every day.

{imagine if you didn't feel loved on a daily basis. life would be lonely}

love makes life intricate, stable, delicate and desirable.

choose to love each and every day. 

{i promise your life and our world will be a better place.}

i'm done preaching now; 

i'm off to laugh, kiss, talk and snuggle with lovebird. 

after all, that's the best way to fall asleep. 

picture this.

just a few pictures.

one by one. because i love each photo that much.

saying goodbye to family was hard.

what a lovely week i spent with them.

there you have it.

hugging my parents goodbye, squeezing every second i can in with crew

and "my favorite brother" bret eating his delicious carrot cake that i am still craving.

as my mom would say....

"it's back to the grind."

and she is more than right.

nutcracker rehearsals are beginning, school, homework and

cooking/eating healthy. {which is hard work}.

dracula

what a joy it is to be with family.

i went on a lovely date last night;

with my parents of course.

we hit up one of our favorite restaurants... vinto's.

as always, the pizza was delicious.

we ordered the sampler of gelato for dessert...and yum!

after dinner we headed to the ballet,

dracula.

it was spooky, the music was beautiful {liszt} and

i was in good company.

the weekend has been lovely.

i can't wait for my hair appointment today and visiting with friends tonight.

life in utah is beautiful:

because of the people, the adventures and the fall scenery.

{you should see the colors of the trees right now- they take my breath away}

bottom line: i'm so grateful to be home. 

flying solo

on my way home, as we speak.

{home as in utah.}

flying solo this time.

which is a new adventure in and of itself.

considering that for the year and 2 months lovebird and i have been 

married, i have spent all but 2 days with him.

i hated leaving lovebird this morning.

especially because i left him with a swollen mouth feeling sick.

{some crazy food allergy or stress perhaps.} 

i'm excited to spend a weekend at home with the family.

and that's just what i intend on doing.

nothing but family time.

i haven't flown solo for quite some time.

it's crazy to think i did it so frequently when i was a single girl.

i'm happy to be headed home.
it's just what i needed.

so long swan.

{milano photography. picture: nicole and i doing "tall swans"}

done and done.

swan lake is officially over.

saying goodbye to:

wet whiting, arm flapping, classic hairstyles, tons of hair pins, heavy tutus, 

staying in line, dressing room "chatter", dry hands, and sore feet. 

my body is broken, yet thankful for the upcoming days of rest.

how good it feels to be done.

what a long road we were all on to get to this point.

simultaneously, what an accomplishment. 

a big cheers to the upcoming week:

we don't have dance.

i'll be celebrating, big time. 

i can't wait to spend the week catching up on real life.

i'm off to bed. my body has already shut down. 

goodbye, for now.

see you all week long. yippee. 

turning into a swan.

tonight is opening night of 

swan lake. 

i am anxiously nervous for the performance.

nothing beats the thrill of performing on a stage.

certainly nerve racking, difficult and rewarding. 

i hope you all have a lovely weekend doing october-ish things.

i'd love you to come see the show, if you're not too busy. 

as for my weekend?

well, it will be spent on stage. 

lots of hours backstage and dancing. simply leaving no time for anything else.

wish me luck. 

i'll be posting pictures soon.

xoxo

hats off to being busy.

happy thursday friends.

wanna know what happens when life is too busy and stressful?

it results in me wearing a hat and no makeup to school.

a girls got to do what a girls got to do. right?

then again, on the contrary, i never have understood the girls who wear

heels, skimpy clothes and loads of makeup to school.

after all, we are trekking across campus and sitting in classrooms all day long.

we aren't at a club, going out on the town or at a fashion show, which i'm convinced

half of the girls at school think we are.

then again, i'm {thankfully} married and not trying to impress anyone,

so that could be my lack of going overboard on the whole getting ready thing. 

who knows. 

what i do know- is that i'm stressed, happy, busy and wearing a hat.

this weekend we are performing swan lake.

you should come! click here and here for info.

swan lake is consuming my every minute right now,

so you can imagine the anticipation for next week....

we get the whole week off! {this never happens} 

it's well needed and well deserved, i believe.

best part about the week off?

i'll actually get to see my husband.

and of course i'll be baking pumpkin chocolate chippers, blogging, relaxing, cooking

creating crafts and brainstorming my halloween costume.

i can't wait. 

apple crisp speaks fall.

 sunday= fall clothes, apple crisp and "family" dinner with friends.

what a lovely day it has been.

so lovely, i fear that the classic fear of monday has been increased. 

weekends ending are the pits. 

a busy week is about to begin.

i'm getting excited, already exhausted, and somewhat nervous.

{swan lake performances plus a couple school exams.}

today i miss my family. more than ever.

hearing all of my brothers in the background of phone calls almost saddened me

as i realized i am really further away than i think i am. 

i miss bret's incredible cooking.

i miss joel's entertainment and never ending jokes.

i miss corey's tickles and conversations. 

i miss crew's laugh. and simply just being with him.

distance is hard. yet rewarding as i realize just how much i love

them, and how much they love me in return.  

i'm a lucky sister.

and thank goodness i'm the only girl,

i don't think i could share them with anyone else.

happy sunday.

i hope yours was spent enjoying a delicious fall treat with family.

{i certainly was with my family away from home.}

p.s. lovebird pulled me off the couch to slow dance with me after we got home tonight.

he's so romantic. being in his arms is the best feeling on earth.

yet again, i lucked out. big time. 

rain boots and puddles of homework.

it's raining. actually pouring.

{and i'm loving it.}

i am at school. studying my little brain out.

i'm craving hot coco and being home in my pj's.

i'm also craving time with lovebird.

i have never been so busy.

sometimes i have to stop and remind myself to breathe.

so please excuse the lack of posts in the last few days.

and just a warning: the next week will be even worst. 

a busy life makes a successful life. right?

i hope so.

geology test, math exam, swan lake rehearsals, teaching piano, primary lesson,

sewing pointe shoes, homework, working for jolene,

and being a wife.

ready, set, go.

nothing is impossible.

especially when you have rain to remind you that life is beautiful.  

greetings in october.

goodbye september. hello october.

goodbye bird nests. hello halloween decor.

goodbye dry hands/lips. hello aquaphor.

goodbye any sort of extra time. hello extremely busy schedule.

goodbye feeling somewhat decent. hello super sore body. 

goodbye summer fruit. hello pomegranates.

goodbye seeing my husband. hello his new job. {yay!}

goodbye licorice. hello candy corn.

goodbye kelly green. hello autumn orange.

goodbye practicing the piano. hello teaching it.

goodbye sour cream. hello fage yogurt instead. {healthier}

goodbye drama and immaturity. hello "i'm too old for that".

goodbye to a dear friend. hello to wishing you'd come back around.

goodbye soda. hello water. 

goodbye pumpkins. hello jack-o-lanterns. 

goodbye bbq's. hello soups. 

goodbye air conditioner. hello fall breeze thru open windows.

goodbye distance from daddy. hello phone calls of advice and love.

goodbye money. hello expensive gas and long commutes to school.

goodbye september. hello october.