Our Halloween Fun

I LOVE fall. It is my absolute favorite season. I just love being able to cuddle up to my husband while drinking a yummy cup of hot cocoa. We have already gone through a lot of hot chocolate this month. Good thing Walmart is next door to us. We never have to be without. Oh how I enjoy cool weather so I can bundle up in hoodies and jackets, and all comfy layers of clothes. Its finally getting to that point here in Texas. Finally! I also love fall because it is football season.

Fall is also the season for baking lots of goodies with the Holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving. I have baked pumpkin sugar cookies, and pumpkin cheesecake bars (with fresh whipped cream) so far. I failed to take pictures, but boy were they delicious!

 I use fall as and excuse to eat lots of candy and other goodies. We have gone through so much ice cream. Man, this blue bell ice cream is just too good. I love their new carmel turtle cheesecake flavor. The new flavor combines a luscious cheesecake ice cream with chocolate-coated caramel turtles, roasted pecans, and cheesecake pieces with a chocolate cookie crust all surrounded by a smooth caramel sauce. Don't forget Oreo's. Lets see what else have I had lately. Oh, my visiting teachers brought me over some pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. Thanks again! :) You girls are awesome.

This was our counter for a while. I finally had to hide the candy in a place I rarely look, so I wouldn't be so tempted. Work doesn't help either with all the brownies, cupcakes, and red velvet cake. Oh, and donuts my boss brings in on occasion. Its a good thing I work out. I should be FAT by now.

We started off our Halloween fun by going to the Zumba monster mash class. Did you notice I said WE!?!? Yes, my husband came with me! :) He is such a good sport. It was fun having him dance by my side. I dressed up in my costume from last year. It was really fun. I really enjoyed learning the thriller dance. They had a costume contest at the end. I didn't stay for this photo. In fact, most people left before this was taken. I just took this from April's facebook page. She is an awesome instructor!

We decided to go to Six Flags freight fest Saturday, since Halloween fell on Sunday this year.

 We liked the roller coasters more than anything. We decided to get season passes and got there right when the park opened. It's nice because Six Flags is only 20 mins away. It is right next to the Rangers stadium, and Cowboys stadium. I can't believe they are all right next to each other.

We hit all the big rides then came home and took a break. It was nice because we didn't have to wait in line on any of them, except for Titan. We came back for freight fest, and it was SUPER crowded. I don't like when you have to squeeze through people. We went to a couple Halloween shows. I really enjoyed watching the michael jackson tribute. They had all the zombie/monsters get together and do all the dances. I forgot how many good songs Michael Jackson had.

We paid extra to go through the "scariest" maze. You had to be at least 14 years old to go through it. It was pretty good, but because there was so many people it kinda ruined the experience. It was just lines of people going through the maze, instead of having people go in small groups at a time. We weren't able to experience everything the maze had to offer because of this, but it was still good. I jumped a few times. I would have been freaked out if I had to walk through it alone. We had a good time together, and look forward to Six Flags dates in the future.

We obviously didn't need costumes this year, but we couldn't resist buying one for Charlie. It was a little too big for him, but he enjoyed trying to chew it up. LOL.

Our little lion. RAWR!

It was too hard to get a good picture of him in it. He was trying to attack his costume the whole time.

Our Halloween fun has also included SCARY MOVIES. This is a must for us!! This year we watched The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Strangers, Dawn of the Dead, The Crazies, and Brams Stokers Dracula.

I hope you all had a fabulous Halloween this year! We did :)

Two weeks over due

The All-New 2011 VW Jetta

Here's the new car. Adam's car was dying and we were tired of putting money into it, without a solution in sight. One night Adam came home and surprised me with this car. He borrowed it for the night from one of the dealerships he works with, and they told him if we liked it we could get a really good deal on it. Well, as you can tell, we both liked it and now it has become a permanent addition to the family (Adam just needs to name it now). We were going to get a base model to save on money, but once Adam saw this one with leather, Nav, push button start, and all the other bells and whistles he had to have it. The dealership gave it to us for cost, so now we get to have a really nice car for a really good price. :)

 

Cosmo hit on me

Adam and I went to the BYU vs. TCU game on Saturday. We weren't that excited, for obvious reasons! We bought tickets way in advance, so we felt obligated to go. haha. We are such fairweather fans. Its not that I don't want to support BYU, I just hate watching a team I like loose. I guess its more fitting to say "get creamed." Adam and I didn't even wear any of our BYU t-shirts. lol. We were that embarassed. I predicted the score to be 51 to 3. I was surprised that TCU didn't get more touchdowns in the first two quarters. It is definitely a rebuilding year for BYU.

There was a pretty good turnout: However, it wasn't nearly as filled as the BYU stadium gets.

It is breast cancer awarness month. They honored all those who have been victims and survivors of cancer, during half-time. They released pink balloons. Ladies get your mammograms!!!

Oh, so I mentioned Cosmo hit on me. hehe. It was during the tailgat party, right after Adam and I met up with the Starr's. They have a cute little boy named Mason. He did not like Cosmo, b/c he thought he was real. I guess seeing a giant cougar walking towards you would be pretty scary. Cosmo acted excited as he walked over towards us, with his gaze on me. It was almost as if he saw a really good friend he hadn't seen in a long time. Once Cosmo approached our little group, he streched forth his hand towards me. I thought he wanted to shake my hand, so I put out my right hand and began to shake his hand. He shook his head, and grabbed my left hand to scan for a wedding ring. Once he saw it, he acted all bummed. haha.

Did I mention it was HOT! Well, it was pretty much unbearable. A lot of people left early, because they couldn't take the heat any longer. We left a bit early too. I kept asking myself, "where is the fall weather?!?!" Actually today's weather was perfect fall weather. I wish today's weather could have been yesterday's weather. Adam and I got a little sunburned at the game. There was no shade on the visitor's side. I can't believe it is in the middle of October and it still feels like summer for the most part. I will be happy if we have more weather like we did today.

I didn't even know my husband took this picture. I look so serious. I probably always look like this when I am watching football.

I finally got my hair cut last week. It looks a lot better. It was just too long before. I have more updates. I will blog about later. There are a lot of things I forget to blog about. I actually takes pictures, but never get around to it. I will try to be better.

Enjoy the rest of your sabbath!! :)

Time Out for Women

Rachel, Sheila, Susan, and I drove down late Friday afternoon to Plano for TOFW. We got a nice hotel that was close to the conference center, so we didn't have to drive back down Saturday. Its tradition for Sheila and Susan to go to Time Out For Women every year. I had never heard of it before. I was so glad that they wanted to include me in there tradition. It was fabulous! It is a lot like Education Week. I learned a lot, and felt spiritually rejuvenated! I really enjoyed all the messages. It was fun for all of us to have a girls weekend. Its been a while since I have had one of those! If you take the time to read my notes, I promise you will learn something too. I hope you can make sense out of them. ha. They definitely wont compare to actually being there. I should have taken more notes!

 I experienced a Jimmy John's sandwich for the first time. It was so good! I wasn't even that hungry, but I gobbled that sandwich up so fast.

 Our cute matching bags!

 We went to Five Guys with all the boys, as soon as we got home. I tried their cajun fries for the first time. I thought they were pretty tasty.

 We walked around the outdoor mall. There are a lot of great places to shop. We stopped for ice cream, but I didn't get any. Tomorrow is my last day of the zumba challenge. I had to give up sweets, basically all goodies for two weeks. I am going to receive a zumba bracelet for my efforts. I am pretty excited about it. ha.

The next day, we took Shiela for a drive around Grapevine lake. We were able to enjoy a beautiful sunset, and spend some good quality time together. Another great weekend! :)

MY TOFW NOTES:

Virginia Pierce (President Hinckley's daughter) has such a cute sense of humor! She talked about how we should focus on finishing our mortal probationary period successfully. We might ask ourselves, "what is a successful life?" Lets narrow it down and ask, "What is the definition of success?" Virginia Pierce's definition: Successful life = that you trusted God and used his atonement to be more like Him.
Good women want to know how we are doing successfully. Well, how do you measure success? She made it clear that it is not by our church calling, or by comparing ourselves to others. We need to pray to be happy for what we have got. SURVIVAL=SUCCESS!!! haha I loved when she said that.
How do we know we are making progress towards being more Christlike?

*Working hard is important!

*Reach a little higher (Sounds just like her father) We need to keep reaching after we have achieved our goal. We need to grow beyond our capacity by pushing ourselves beyond. This way we can learn to trust God (b/c we can't do it ourself) We learn to lean on him

* Have more desire to do good and less desire to do evil (Mosiah 5:2)

*Do we see things/people like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ sees them? We need to work on this.
Get out of the business of comparing!! YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND SOMEONE WHO IS FATTER THAN YOU ARE, AND SKINNIER!! You can never really WIN or LOOSE. Comparison is the fast track to misery. We can learn from others, but we all have our own mission.
3 Steps of Faith-Joseph Smith

1) Believe in God

2) Know his Attributes

3) understand that the course we are taking is approved by God

PEACE, JOY, and HOPE are available to those who measure success properly. Another insight: Don't measure your success by the results of your children....BUT in your commitment to their growth. Never give up! We are committed to their growth.
Act on person Revelation, and celebrate each others growth.

Happiness is waking up to your spouse everyday, and sharing each and every day with him from here on out. Do you think there is something better than this? --NO!

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Hilary Weeks sang a lot on Saturday. She is such a cute girl. She would share her thoughts from time to time, and I had to write some of it down. She said, " Heavenly Father cares about EVERY detail of our lives." "We need to change our perspective, so we see GOOD days." "We mostly don't see the good we do for ourself and others. We might never know how much good we accomplish. We should never beat ourselves up-thinking we wish we did more. Always do our best, and don't worry if its good enough." "When we have little patience, time, talent etc....we can be thankful for the little we have! Believe in who you are, and who you are becoming. There is no one quite like you, and Heavenly Father needs you. Hold tight to the truth that you are a daughter of God."

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Deanne Flynn: " No matter where you serve, it is how you serve." "Where there is hope-there is Christ.

I really liked when she said the "proof is in the pattern." "You can prove a pattern bad or good by following it for a while. However, having a perfect pattern does not always guarantee a perfect outcome. We need to follow good patterns, and avoid shortcuts." " You will be deeply blessed if you have a daily morning devotional and prayer. Your life will be changed for good. Shortcuts are pitfalls. Develop a good pattern for future generations."

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Emily Freeman: " Our eyes see what we want them to see. What do we focus on? And what we focus on....is it governed by hope? Lists can give us hope. They help us get through our days. List what you love-to see a good day and have a good experience." This totally makes sense. If we put stuff that we love to do on our to-do list, then we will certainly have a good day. " Learn to have an understanding heart. This helps give us patience. Determine the reason for the hope that is in you." Hebrews 1:9, Jeremiah 37: 9-13

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Marianna (A strong, faithful woman) If you have ever seen the movie blood diamond, then you have a knowledge of what her life was like growing up. Her parents were killed. Her brother taken. Her sisters legs were cut off. Because of this, She grew up with no family, and had nothing. She shared a hygiene kit that was sent to Africa by people in America with twenty or more others. She is such an optimistic lady for what she has been through. Some scriptures that helped her: D&C 121:1, 2 NE 4:26, D&C 84:87-88, D&C 31:1, 6

"We are never alone. When we call upon him, he is there." The rest of her story is incredible.

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Wendy Olrich: She talked about how we can be happier! Wendy said, "people get happier by living and building their strengths, than by focusing on their weaknesses and worrying about it. Focus on what you CAN do. Build on your strengths that strengthen others." She challenged us to use two of our strengths this week in a creative way to bless others.
She talked about how Exercise is important! "Exercise changes the brain chemistry in your brain. You feel happier when you exercise. Motivation follows action." She talked about tricking yourself into exercise. When you get home from work throw on your exercising clothes, not because you are going to go running, but because they are comfortable. Baby steps here!

"Stop trying to find friends! Instead, develop the skills of friendship. The happiest people had 6 or more hours of social contact daily (in some big study)." She mentioned that we should focus on having one meaningful conversation daily.

Don't try to feel happy! Instead, try to feel grateful. Write down 3 good things that happen each day, and why they happened.

Celebrate Failure! "If anything is worth doing, it is worth doing badly!" ha. I liked when she said this. "We can always learn to do it better. Failure often means we are taking the necessary risks to grow, stretch, and serve. It just matters that we try! We don't always have to win and do will at everything."
Don't endure to the end! "Life is to be enjoyed not just endured. Savor everyday delights: loved ones, nature, home, good food, comforts, music, art, etc. The little things can bring joy to our lives. The savor delights in tiny pleasures."

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Brad Wilcox (teacher at BYU): " Our lives build on each other. We need to love each other and see ourselves turn weaknesses into strengths. We want to give our all and serve our best...BUT He takes ANY offering. He is more concerned with the offerer, and not the offering. God is pleased with every effort we make! No matter how faltering. As long as we are trying to do better. He told an analogy about a little girl who wanted so desperately to carry the milk jug by herself. She struggled and struggled, and could not do it. Finally her mother picker her up and took her inside. The little girl yelled out to her father, "look dad i am doing it all by myself." We probably sound like this a lot to Heavenly Father. We are powerless without God. The scriptures say we are nothing, and are talking about this. It is not saying we are worthless, but powerless." ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS SAID THE WHOLE CONFERENCE: "No unclean thing can dwell with got, BUT no UNCHANGED thing will want to. Heaven will not be heaven to those who have chosen not to be heavenly. Be changed so you will want to stay in righteous settings, and more importantly: heaven. This life is about growth. Not meeting standards. We are not just working on going home (heaven) but that we can feel at home in heaven. Practice being heavenly!"

Octoberfest

Saturday, I made some fresh blueberry pancakes before general conference started. They were so yummy! I am trying to eat better, so instead of using syrup I used agave nector. I thought it was quite good, because it was sweet yet didn't make me feel sick like sugary pancakes do. I will be using it again.

General conference doesn't start til 11am our time. We had a lot of time to kill before conference started, which is a first for me. I am usually rolling out of bed right before it starts. Even if it would have started at 9am, I would have had a lot of time to kill, because I am finally waking up early for once in my life. I am usually up around 6 or 6:30am. If I sleep in, I wake up around 7:45am. Thanks to work, and Charlie, I am starting to get to bed at a decent hour. I am no longer a night owl. I now pass out by 11:30pm, b/c I am so worn out. ha.

Conference was wonderful, as always! I enjoy getting inspired direction every 6 months. Its so uplifting, and really puts life into perspective. I am so grateful to have the gospel in my life. I am truly blessed.

After conference, Adam and I headed over to Southlake to check out what they had put together for Octoberfest. We had a good time walking through all the booths, and eating some German food. We kept saying, "we should have brought Charlie."

Adam made me try a bratwurst with sauerkraut, for the German experience. It wasn't bad. They had a lot going on at Octoberfest, and there were a lot of people enjoying all that was offered. It was fun. I am glad we went. Adam and I went costume shopping for a while. I am so excited for fall. Its my favorite season :) We went and saw Wallstreet: Money Never Sleeps right after. We were suppose to see it Friday, but we took too long at Red Robbin. The next showing time was after 10pm, and there was no way we were going to stay up that long. I was fine with just the visit to Red Robbin. I tried their new Mt. Olympus burger and enjoyed it very much. I gobbled it right up, it was so tasty. I ate way too many fries. I can never stop eating those. The seasoning is way too good. Overall, it was a great weekend. Enjoyed Conference today, and took Charlie to a park. Adam and I played some one on one football while Charlie explored. I cooked my favorite Italian dish, and we watched Queen Victoria. We had a nice relaxing weekend, and now it is time for bed.