pumpkin

one of my number one favorite things about fall is PUMPKIN.


pumpkin in my oatmeal? yum, it is good [if you do it right, like i do].
pumpkin whole wheat pancakes?  you bet, baby. homemade.
pumpkin bread? um, yes.
pumpkin chocolate chip cookies? i'll take 3.
pumpkin pie golden spoon? every night! [not really. like once a week.]
pumpkin pie? give me a fat slice hiding in fresh whipped cream, please.

 but pumpkin cupcakes? ew, no. 

I HATE CAKE, which means cupcakes, too.

i like one cake: carrot cake. because it has the consistency of a moist bread. because it is more a bread than cake.

and i LOVE pumpkin bread. [please, don't even think about giving me any of this yummy goodness.  as much as i love pumpkin and all of the goodness of it, you know i don't like eating dessert except for holidays and special family gatherings or other special occasions, unless it is golden spoon. always down.]

so today i came home from school [work] and there was this cute little chinese takeout box on my table tied with a tiffany's blue satin bow.

and then katie said, "oh tedi left those on our door for us!  now, i KNOW you hate cupcakes, but heidi.  this is the pumpkin chocolate chip cupcake with cream cheese frosting she was telling about.  IT IS SO GOOD! Just try it."

um, pumpkin?  yes. yes, i will try.

so i opened it up.  "girl, this is like PUMPKIN BREAD."

"yeah, it tastes like pumpkin chocolate chip bread!"

i cut it open the mini-size cupcake.

consistency of pumpkin bread.

IT WAS PUMPKIN BREAD!

with an identity crisis: cupcake.

thank goodness it wasn't!  it was SO GOOD!

and normally i HATE frosting, but cream cheese frosting was so good.

SO thank you tedi!  i love you! and thank you SWEET TOOTH FAIRY for making a cupcake that is not a cupcake.

labor day

labor day weekend was fab.


except for the fact that i was sick.
okay, i haven't been sick sick in like 5 years, so i pretended i wasn't.  but i just didn't exercise because i would get dizzy just walking around.  and i didn't have much of an appetite, but i wasn't feeling nauseated so i made myself eat, which is never a difficult thing for me. 


saturday was game day.  go blue.  true blue.  GO COUGS! [body pump!]

erin and mike left me right after the game.  it was so fun having them here even though it was fast and furious!  okay, it wasn't furious, just fast.  please not my sick face in the above picture.  yeah, the game was so fun but i thought i was going to die of dizziness and heat stroke because it was like 99 degrees and my shirt and shorts were damp with sweat [ew] and all the up and down standing was just not working for me.  i crashed saturday night!  and got 9 hours of sleep for the first time in who knows how long!  and then i went to church and then crashed for another 2.5 hours and then just laid around the house sunday afternoon while katie was at her aunt's.  some peaceful time to myself, much needed.

monday, monday.

finally felt well enough to run and pump it up.  so i did.  ran a little to the gym then lifted some weights.  and then! we took a nice long [3 hours round trip, i think?] hike up to squaw peak.  the very tip top of the mountain.  it was GORGEOUS.  now, these pictures don't do it justice with my old camera [i want a new one!!!].  so dana, please come to utah so we can get some good fall foliage pictures. photo shoot, yeah! throwing fall leaves. ha. 

start of the trail. yeah katie.

this is katie and i with our new friend tedi.  we love her. she lives right below us.

squaw peak is so pretty and looks out over the utah valley one side and the mountains behind it on the other.  i loved it.  and i love nature.  and, best part, some of the trees at the top of the mountain have started to change colors! love fall in utah!! 

[except that it leads into the long winter...]

hello, mr. reagan

yesterday the fam + g.ma took a trip up to the reagan library.

oooo yeah.

it's pretty cool! i highly recommend it.

we started out the morning at the sugar shack on main street. yum!

us girls were a little bit pumped up. here are a few pictures from mom's camera.

erin's camera has the really good ones.

also, we got a picture of us on air force one. that was so cool! the real air force one (of course obama has a new one--747, this was a 707) is in the library!!

after our library trip we drove down highway 1: Pacific Coast Highway. i absolutely loooove driving on pch. but i never go as far north as we had. we were up by malibu---the beach is so beautiful there! none of this huntington beach brown stuff. and less crowds.

then we hit up santa monica pier / 3rd street promenade and went to california pizza kitchen. yummy thai chicken pizza! except, i won't be going back there for awhile. i ate a lot of food yesterday, but i've done that before. something upset my stomach last night and let's just say that i won't be eating ANY pizza, chocolate covered almonds, trail mix, or CPK for awhile. or white bean chili (which was good) or cornbread which gave me a horrible stomach ache on tuesday---but nothing like last night. that did not end pretty.

i digress.

here are the pictures from mom's camera.

reagan loved jelly belly's.

so does mi madre.

that picture of reagan is made out of jelly belly's!!! crazy!! a jelly belly mosaic!

our album cover.

a piece of the berlin wall.

cool, huh?

bored?

never.

mr. reagan!

i mean, president reagan!

also, there are some new features on the bottom. leave a thought or two. or like it, or love it, or want some more of it.

the sunday late night post, 36th ed.

james danger had a play date with max (claire's turtle) tonight.

it was absolutely hilarious!

they were hiding in their shells.

i'll put a video on next time i hook up the camera.

katie's sister sent us these shirts a little bit ago.

"i'm not short i'm fun size!"

it's the truth!

sooooo good.

SLAB pizza.

big slices on thin crust pizza.

i just reallllly wish they will put a whole wheat crust on the menu. they are adding a gluten-free one in the fall.

check it.

go.

it is so so good.

a friend took me there thursday and then i took katie friday.

and i walked in and said, "i'm back!!"

the owners work it and they are so friendly!

hope your sabbath was as fabulous as mine!!

the sunday morning post, 33rd ed.

they're here! pictures from our camping / hiking experience!

here's the story.

katie, rudy, and i left as soon as katie got home from work, around 7pm wednesday.

we hit the road.

i made a totally random, fun playlist for us

with lots of "sing-a-long" songs.

so katie and i sang a lot for rudy.

i was driving.

get off at exit 27.

ummm, it's closed--construction.

"katie, call ian!" i shouted, half panicked.

"he didn't pick up. i'll call..."

"call brad!"

brad says, "exit 27's closed? okay, get off on the previous one."

"uh, brad. we already passed it."

and we laughed.

and we laughed some more after she got off the phone.

so we got off, we got back on and back tracked.

closed on both sides.

pulled over and talked to the construction workers.

got off, got back on.

got on a road.

got on the right road.

we got there around 11.30pm.

set up our little tent.

washed up.

katie and i had some tent time:

chatted for a few minutes,

read scriptures,

and hit the sack.

it was super windy.

and i was excited.

and uncomfortable.

really uncomfortable.

and i laid there.

and i laid there.

and i checked the clock: 2.33am.

and i laid there.

and i checked the clock again: 4.40am.

really?

finally sometime after 4.40am i fell asleep.

then at 7.03am my alarm went off.

greaaaat, 2 hours of sleep before a 6-7 hour hike!!

so we woke up.

got ready.

ate some granola bars.

cleaned up the camp site.

and hit the road for the subway.

and then it began.

the first part was just a nice little nature walk.

then we were walking down giant slabs of granite {as pictured above}.

and then we were making a steep decline and

plop!

there we were at the subway part in the canyon.

SO neat! pictures just don't do it any justice. it was absolutely gorgeous!

we climbed,

we bouldered {climbed up and over huge rocks, aka boulders}.

we waded through water.

we climbed down logs leaning against waterfalls.

we repelled.

we had to jump in and swim.

sometimes dive down and swim under a little tunnel.

{actually, that was optional, but it was fun. and i almost lost a contact.}

{i'm sad my eyes are closed here because i love this picture!}

we stood under waterfalls.

then both cameras died. and so we couldn't take anymore pictures.

but.

the remainder of the hike

[after the waterfalls, swimming, repelling, bouldering]

went as follows:

walk through rocky river, it was shallow.

no more than 3 feet deep in some parts.

then the last 30 minutes went straight up!

it was a climb!

and i loved it.

the whole thing was SO fun.

can't wait for our next camping/hiking adventure!

which is another reason why i need to have a super productive week!

Happy Sabbath! My favorite day of the week.

i'm teaching today, too. about this. or here. so grateful for the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Alma 7:11-13

"11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me."

a few notes

hello provo {friends & citizens},

farmers market starts this saturday, 15 may. 9am - 2pm at pioneer park (500 west 100 south).

i'll be there with a flower in my hair. well, maybe. but i will be there filling my bike basket with all sorts of greens, as there won't be much fruit until next month. but if there is, you better believe my basket will be full of that too.

***

hello provo {weather},

what's going on? you're beautiful a few days, you're gloomy and rainy and cold or snowy a few days. are you having a difficult time transitioning to spring? the tulips and daffodils weren't enough to woo you? or you just don't want the snow-capped mountains gone so you keep bringing it back every few days, is that it? just so you know, i'm not ok with this whole weather pattern. especially the 36 degrees and rain today--not cool {literally, yes it was cool. rather cold actually}. weatherman predicts 70s this weekend. will you promise?

***

hello scholastic warehouse,

i love you. 50% off all of your books? yes. and $25 off $100 spent? yes. hello classroom library. super cute books. and so many books to use for my lessons. love, love, love.

they're back.

remember this?

well, they're back.

my favorite jeans are back.

nothing a little mending

lady danburry

couldn't handle.

my highest recommendations for lady danburry.

she's pretty much amazing.

[and the sweetest girl you will ever meet.]

she can do it all.

she did 2 pant hems for me.

and my jeans.

and she does all sorts of alterations.

GO.

how do you do, 222?

things have been quite the crazy here.

{this is my g.ma's new favorite photograph. how cute is that?}

{one}

i didn't have school yesterday [which was fabulous].

so i spent the day i wanted to:

woke up early, went to the temple.

went to my meeting.

went on a run.

went to gurus {my favorite provo eatery}

with corrie and our new fabulous british friend jennie

who has been staying with us the past week. so sometimes i slip into a british accent. and think in a british accent. or i start saying things like "oh that's brill (or) mint"

and things like "oh he's a dish / dishy"

(but that i learned from miss erin. whom i miss terribly. and whom has a little baby girl i am dying to see. erin kendrick--please, let's save our money and go.)

oh, and did i mention she's a massage therapist and has offered to give us all free one-hour massages?

i think that will go very nicely with my long run today.

{two}

on friday's driving tour of provo [for g.ma] we were driving down university parkway by byu when we saw 2 deer prance across the road.

it was brill.

{yes, that was with a british accent}.

thursday while running,

2 deer pranced across the road.

then another 2 deer.

i ran with wide eyes and slowed down to watch them. and one went under a fence and the other couldn't figure it out and was staring at him like "uh, excuse me, bambi? there's a crazy girl running over here and you leave me here!?"

the two pictures above are courtesy of thomas mangelsen.

last weekend while in park city, we stopped into an art gallery with only his work.

pretty amazing. so real looking. all nature.

incredible shots. and i mean incredible.

{three}

miss dana emailed me this picture yesterday with this message:

remember when we cut this that one night? and then dad threw the other half under my bed?
yeah still there.

we wanted to leave our window open through the night over summer.

but since we live in a one-story home, we needed to have some sort of barrier so some crazy wouldn't try and break in.

so we went in the garage and sawed this pole in pieces. i'm sure it would have been quite amusing to watch since it was quite hilarious.

thank you for the picture, dana.

now please, go buy your camera and be a photographer.

en route

from Provo, UT

to Huntington Beach, CA

the drive started out like this

{actually i think this was a few hours into the drive. 90% of provo's snow has melted [thank you, mr. sun], maybe even 95%}

then we got a little of this

{that's supposed to be a picture of the 674 cows on the side of the freeway not too far off from Provo}

and then we drove through AZ for about 15 miles or so

and we ate some carrots

and corrie got this crazy one

which is still in my car because she couldn't bear throwing it out

and it was a little too crazy to eat

and this is a note pad my aunt g gave me for christmas

cute, eh?

and there was more stuff in between and after and before and all around but i just drove for 6 hours of it and didn't really get around to taking pictures from my phone.

but now i'm home.

disneyland tomorrow.