"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.