Happy Halloween!

I am well aware of the fact that I should be asleep now since I have stake conference first thing in the morning, but I just got home and am 100% awake and ridiculously excited about Halloween. So here is a teaser of the ghoulish activities I’ve been up to.

Annie carved the Harry Potter pumpkin, I carved the happy vampire.

May your day be filled with candy!

An Added Layer

In case you haven’t heard, it’s been ridiculously cold in Utah this week. In an attempt to avoid the chill, I’ve been adding more blankets to my bed every night. Right now I’m up to my comforter and sheets, topped with two more quilts and a blanket.

I think I may have done too good of a job, though. This ended up being a problem this morning, when apparently my bed was just so ridiculously warm and comfortable that I completely slept through five alarms and missed the time I had intended to take a test. Is it bad if I don’t regret it?

Mmmm…. blankets. I want to just stay right here.

A Spooky Tale

Last week while we were in our family finance class Sabrina had the brilliant idea to write a story using the classic write a few sentences, fold it over and pass it to the next person method. I think it turned out fabulous (or terrifying?), so I’m posting it on here to help you get into the Halloween spirit! I included the breaks where we folded the paper for your added enjoyment.

There once was a young man named Fernando. He was naturally curious and loved to explore. One brisk, fall evening he decided to explore the old //

mansion that had been abandoned 40 years before. All of the townsfolk told stories about hauntings that occurred there, but he thought of himself as quite a smart guy and didn’t buy into that. He opened the creaky door when he //

smelled the raw fish. His curiosity was piqued. He stormed into the house and blundered about until he found the kitchen. There he found a sushi-making //

zombie, which offered him some food. However, he thought this may be a trick to get to his brains. Or an actor. He couldn’t //

bear the thought of being the next Tom Cruise, so he dove into the dumbwaiter and sank down into the basement. It was completely dark and he heard//

a dripping sound in the southwest corner. It kind of freaked him out. But because he was curious, he tiptoed over to it and found a dark green //

pile of snot and parrot feathers. “How odd!” thought Fernando. He poked the pile with his foot and to his surprise the goop grabbed him and started climbing//

onto his shirt, kind of like Flubber but in an evil way. He tried to get it off, but it ate him. Or did it?

--> Also, this is completely unrelated to the story, but it made me really happy on my way home from work today.

Bond. James Bond Mocktail.

TOP SECRET: For those who attended the party, here are all of the spy surveillance pictures.

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For those who couldn’t attend the party, either because you were busy or in the wrong state, here are some highlights.

First, me and my roommates. The whole thing was Brynn’s idea. She’s the one in the fur. She got the idea while watching Quantum of Solace late one night, and we decided to put it into action.

Now a few random fun ones:

We actually had around 100 people, so I think it was a success! Hope those of you who came had a fun night of espionage. I’ve decided that fake weapons should be mandatory at all parties.

Caramel Cookie Conquest

A tasty adventure in photos.

The humble beginnings.

But then came the caramel.

Waiting for the chocolate chips to melt. We watched 30 Rock throughout the entire process; it’s an essential ingredient.

Then the chocolate was spread.

And we put it in the freezer to set.

With much patience it was broken…

Now it’s waiting to be devoured! Well, the part that hasn’t yet been consumed by me.

You can come to the James Bond Mocktail party at my place this Saturday to try them. Check your facebook or shoot me a text for details :)

I NEVER cook, by the way, so you should be really amazed by the fact that I have posted about cookies not once, but twice in the recent weeks.

And thanks for the help Annie! As always.

Viva Journalism

I went from having never been to Las Vegas to going there twice in one year. This time was a lot different though, because I went for the National Convention of the Society of Professional Journalists instead of just to hang out. We drove down in a van and it was pretty sweet. I love any excuse to get out of town.

I heard from:

• Paul Overberg, database director for USA Today
• David Haddix, training director for IRE
• Victor Hernandez, director of domestic newsgathering CNN
• Mike Toppo, senior director of news operations & production CNN.com
• Rich Barbieri, deputy managing director of CNN Money
• Roy Harris, author and former Wall Street Journal reporter
• Alexandra Berzon, reporter for the The Wall Street Journal
• Mark Maremont, senior editor for the Wall Street Journal
• Rob Curley, Las Vegas Sun media guy
• And many other really cool people

Learned:

• A lot of things. About Journalism.

The group at the Review-Journal (stolen from Cerissa):

We went there and met with the managing editor, which was really interesting. And they gave us free pizza, which is always a plus.

And some more fun in pictures:

I wish I was in the real Paris… but this will have to do.

The convention was in Planet Hollywood. We spent a LOT of time waiting in this spot for the van haha.

Note the new skirt I’m in love with that I bought at Anthropologie (!) very much on sale in Caesar's Palace.

Costume?

This happens to me every year. Halloween just sneaks up on me, leaving me with absolutely no ideas for a fabulous costume. Last year I had my mom mail me a couple of old ones from home, but what to do this year?

Here’s a costume Becky picked out for me compliments of her Pottery Barn Kids app at the last football game.

Any other ideas?

The Tour

Well, after two months I am officially all moved into my apartment. And it’s such a wonderful apartment. It feels so much more homey and peaceful; I can actually relax here. Going home to my old apartment would often just make me more stressed out… So, after many requests (all of which may have come from my mom), here is the grand tour of my apartment. I labeled some fun things in my room because lets face it, pictures of walls are really boring.

The nice and spacious kitchen:

The living room:

Two of my favorite features:

The fireplace.

And real carpet! Don’t underestimate how wonderful it is.

Here’s a dorky picture of me in the apartment:

And that is all.

Rain On

It was a case of cabin fever. Even though I hadn’t been home even ten minutes. Even though I have a mound of homework yet to be scaled. I think it was the rain that really did it; it was fresh and free, my apartment stuffy and confined.

When I first saw the rain out the window at work I actually craved a run, like the many wet jogs I took in high school. There’s something wonderful about running in the rain that I can’t even describe. It’s like you can completely forget about everything else and let go, only focusing on the rhythm of your feet hitting the sidewalk and water splashing on you.

But, because of time constraints I settled on a walk with my camera. I really have missed the weight of it in my hands since I haven’t taken it anywhere recently, so this was a good quick fix. I didn’t get anything amazing, but here are some of the small everyday things along my way that made me smile.

Jars being used at lanterns with candles in a tree.

Wet roses.

Green. During the short time I was in Vegas I longed for green.

Puddles. They’re just classic. I would have splashed in them if I didn’t have suede shoes on.

And of course newspapers just always make me happy.

Now I just want to curl up with a book. A book other than my family finance workbook, that is.