I decided that I wanted purple hair

At least for a night. I have never, ever, in any way, changed the color of my hair. Even temporarily. When I decided to be a "My Little Pony" for a Halloween Party, it seemed like a good time. I wore a pink sweatsuit (really, the only reason I decided to be a MLP was so I could wear this all night) and sprayed my hair purple. I didn't take into account that Red Hair + Purple Hairspray might not turn out like I wanted. It looked normal red in some lights, and maroon in others. Quite exciting!

Check out the eyelashes! They were the coolest part. Until halfway through the party when I couldn't handle them anymore and pulled them off. They were fun while they lasted!

I went to a Halloween party at a friends house. Some of us dressed up, others did not. The other three dressed like musicians. And I was a pony. I stuck out a bit :-)

We ate soup in pumpkin Soup Bowls.

Lovely.

And then we played Clue by candlelight. Better in concept than in execution. At one point Nicki and I were scraping wax off the board so that we could play.

After I went home I got doorbell ditched. I didn't think much about it, I figured it was Nicki, Sandra and Jessica. When I looked outside and didn't see anything I didn't investigate. This morning I found this on my window:

An Oreo question mark. Totally made my day.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

P.S. The Halloween Mac & Cheese tasted better than normal Mac & Cheese. Seriously!

Getting out of the Funk - Part One

The article that I found suggested that one of the ways to get yourself out of a funk is to pamper yourself. I decided that this was an easy one to accomplish, so I stopped by Wal-mart on my way home last night. I had a gift card from a student, and decide it to spend it on something that I would not normally buy for myself. I walked past the very practical (but very nice) first aide kit, and wandered around like a kid in a candy store. I wandered through the hair & beauty supplies, but didn't find anything that felt quite right. I skipped the candy isle (that's all I need!) and passed this:

Halloween Mac & Cheese! I couldn't pass it up. Who doesn't love pumpkin shaped noodles? I am so excited to eat it!

I decided to spend the rest of my gift card on these:

Yes, pistachios. I love them but they are kind of pricey, so I don't buy them. I ate some after school today. They were fabulous.

In a Funk

It's true, I am in a funk. I have used the term for most of my life, but just today looked up an actual definition. For those of you who may not have been raised using this truly funky term, a funk is described as being grumpy and disengaged from life in general, or a feeling of being dejected.

I can't pin point the reason for my funk. Life is good (really, there is no reason to worry). I have an excellent job that I love most days. My students are excellent, and this year in general is going quite a bit easier. It is fall, which is my favorite. Fall means lots of yummy foods, (pumpkin things are some of my favorites). We are going into the holiday season. It even snowed today. I should be the happiest person out there.

So why am I in a funk? And why can't I shake it. It's been a while (if you couldn't tell by my lack of blogging). I see pictures of myself lately and can even see it in my eyes. I'm off. I literally googled "In a Funk" today to see if I could get some tips. I found this article giving tips on how to get out. We'll see how they work. Changing my sheets, spending time with a child (more, really? okay), and getting more exercise are on my list. I am thinking of joining a gym. I have never been a gym person, but it is in serious consideration at the moment. Sadly, spending time on the beach and going for a hike are out of the question at the moment.

I will tell you this - high amounts of chocolate have not been able to clear out this funk, though it was worth a shot ;-)

Any tips? What do you do to get out of a funk? Anyone up for a trip to California so I can spend some time soaking up sun and feel the sand between my toes. Apparently it does wonders for the mind.

To end on a higher note, my new favorite Halloween joke:

What happens when a ghost get's lost in a fog?

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He's mist!

Visiting the Falls

I spent UEA break visiting Karl & Liz, and playing with two of my favorite little girls in the world.

We spent our time playing at the park, watching movies, taking naps, and eating lots of pumpkin pie.

Maddie and Brooklyn also got early Christmas presents when we fell in love with some shoes at the store. Aren't they so fun? I wish they had them in my size!

We fed ducks and geese . . .

And they completely surrounded us. Brooklyn loved it. I found it pretty creepy.

Since Karl is finishing up his internship in Idaho Falls, they will likely be moving pretty soon. Since this was probably my last visit before they leave, we took a trip to see the falls of Idaho Falls. They were beautiful!

There is also an ideal view of the temple from the falls. It is gorgeous. Plus, I love the sound of waterfalls. I could have stayed for hours.

Thanks for letting me come and visit! What a great way to spend a long weekend!

Because it's tradition now . . .

Two years ago Bethany and I ran in the Red Ribbon Run for the first time. My entire family did the mile walk while we ran the 5K. It was so much fun that we all did it again last year. This year my ENTIRE family was out of town this weekend, but Beth and I decided to run still. We got a late start, and barely made it there in time. So we couldn't get any pre-run pictures (Plus there was no one there to hold the camera for us while we ran).

Though both way under-trained, we were able to run the whole thing and finish in 28:51 - just 7 seconds short of our best time! We were very happy about that.

We were so tired when we left we forgot to take pictures. We pulled off to the side of the street to get at least a few pictures to capture the event!

We celebrated our victory with New York Cheesecake Pancakes from IHOP. Oh so heavenly!

I would run three miles for those things any day of the week!

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin

On Saturday after conference my family headed to a local pumpkin patch to load up on the friendly orange squash for the upcoming holiday. The day was beautiful, the pumpkins were plentiful, and the best part - they were only $2 each! I wasn't going to get a pumpkin, but I wanted to tag along to play with my fun camera. Here are some of my favorite shots:

I LOVE this one of Lacey and Steve

This picture of my parents turned out so fun.
Notice the shades on the pumpkin.
Classic Dad picture for you!

Somehow, I ended up carting Elmo around most of the time. He helped me get some smiles out of Ivy for a while, but the rest of the time I felt pretty silly.

Grandma watched the fun and kept the local dog company

Even though I hadn't planned on getting a pumpkin, about halfway through the adventure I realized that I now have a porch to put a pumpkin on! I was so excited! I picked a perfect pumpkin to carve and decorate my porch with at the end of the month. Pictures to come!

I love this time of year!

Dear Autumn,

Did you know that you are my favorite? It's true.

Hiking is always pleasant, but when you are here it is even more lovely and enjoyable.

I know this is asking a lot, but do you think you could stick around a little longer this year?

I would appreciate at least of few months of your splendor, if possible.

Sincerely,

Katie