October in Review
Holy cow! This will be my 12th straight month of "Month in Review" posts. I wonder if I've ever stuck with a blog pattern for so long. Probably not.
October has been good to me. Matthew and I sat down in September to plan out our October.
I started a workout program on September 30: 22 Minute Hard Corps. I've done this program more times than any other. I really enjoy it because the workouts are short and challenging, and I can accompany the workouts with a run, which I have been doing MWFSat.
On October 1, I decorated my house with all of my fall and Halloween decor. Most of it is courtesy of my grandma. And I'm thankful I have previous years' photos to look at so I can remember where I put things.
On October 3, I walked to a nearby pharmacy to get a soda, and ended up with Elder Oaks walking behind me. Without saying enough to get struck down, I'll say that I didn't have the urge to speak to him like I would have if it were Elder Holland. Elder Oaks often says things that are difficult for me to process, which may say more about me than it says about him. But anyway, he was walking to the Church Office building, and I wasn't going to bother him.
That evening, Rachel and I went to Cornbelly's. We walked around, got treats, saw the goats, and hung out at the fire pit and talked about life, as only Janae and Rachel can.
October 4 was so fun because it was the Donut Taste Off. Matthew had his test earlier that day for mortgage licensing, so I figured this could either be a good consolation activity or a good celebration activity. Sadly, he didn't pass his test. But he has started studying again for his next on on November 13. And he was great company at the Donut Taste Off in spite of the test that day. The group of ladies to his left just adored him. He's quite the socialite and charmer, you know. Kristine came too, and didn't end up bringing her stepson. But it was fun to see her and take some fun photos.
If you were wondering, my favorite donut was the old fashioned from Jack's. I liked the cronut bar from Darla's pretty well too. Nothing else really did it for me, to be honest.
Before the Taste Off, I did some laundry and cleaned my house so that I wouldn't have to do it on Saturday. I had listened to 31 April Conference talks in 31 days to finish on Friday, October 4. I can't say it was a life changing experience, but it was certainly good. I typically try to do that before each conference, because thankfully my friend Danica posts something about it like "hey, start tomorrow to be done on time."
On October 5, I did my workout in the morning and lay on my couch with intentions of listening to conference. But I'll be honest, I was mostly scrolling on my phone. And I'm OK with it because I'll re-listen to the talks, and I was able to read/discover [this post] which I thought was so, so good. Please read it if you haven't yet.
That afternoon, Matthew and I went to In-N-Out and Crumbl. We picked up his niece at the Conference Center and gave her a ride out to Grantsville to see Matthew's parents and sister who was in town. They ordered and ate Mexican food. I was satisfied with my In-N-Out and Crumbl earlier and didn't want to feel sick, so I passed.
Sunday morning, October 6, Matthew came over, and I made bacon, eggs, and Rhodes cinnamon rolls, which didn't rise very well. They've probably been frozen for too long. Next time I'll just buy some from Village Baker.
Also on October 6 was Matthew and I's 8 month anniversary from our first "date" at Alita back in February. This was a super special day for us. And I feel like it's weird that on one hand, 8 months has completely flown by, and on the other hand, it feels like we've been together forever. It's weird to think of life being any other way, or of being with any other person.
I got a little emotional and needy in the next couple of days, and thankfully I have the best partner in the world to be able to reassure me of his love and devotion. He sent me the best and sweetest texts. The folder in my phone of text screenshots just continues to grow.
But on top of sending me loving words, on a night I expected he'd go straight home from work at 7, he showed up at my house at 7:20 with a dozen roses and some Talenti mint gelato. Who is this man, and how did I get so lucky? He is so good to me.
On October 8, I went to Trader Joe's after work and got all the pumpkin things! Pumpkin pancake mix, pumpkin almond milk, an actual pumpkin, maple butter, cinnamon fragrance brooms, chocolate covered Espresso Beans, and some Turkey Chomps. I love Trader Joe's.
After Trader Joe's, I had a Yelp Elite event with Brittney at the Mountain West Cider downtown. So much food! It was awesome. I wore a Harry Potter shirt to the event rather than dressing up. We got free donuts from Madbrook, a sample from Core Life, a bag of Vegan Rob's Cheddar Puffs, San Diablo churros, s'mores, and hot chocolate. It was fun to visit and talk with Britt.
On October 9, I had a trading class after work that actually ended up being a repeat of the same class I took in May. I wasn't thrilled with it. But I spent the evening chilling on my couch after that.
On Thursday, October 10, we went to Pizza Studio and Cornbelly's. It was freezing and totally empty there, so we didn't stay long. I also lost my debit card, which I wasn't terribly stressed about. If you're going to lose your debit card, it's best to do it at Cornbelly's, right? It's fine. I put in my name at the Lost & Found, deactivated my card on my Mountain America app, waited for it to turn up, and got myself a new card on Saturday.
On Friday, October 11, we ate dinner at my place and hung out watching Parks & Rec until Castle of Chaos opened at 7:30. The line took a really, really long time. But I got several good scares and really enjoyed it. Matthew got scared too.
Saturday, October 12 was basically a normal day: workout, groceries, laundry, and cleaning. The best part is that we went on a drive through the Alpine Loop, and got free pizza and s'mores bars from Papa Murphy's on our way home. Matthew and I had a rough conversation but ended our evening civilly, as we always do.
Around 8:30, I headed to Cottonwood High School for Kelsey's NPC bikini competition. She worked so hard, and I was so happy to be there to cheer for her for her 20 seconds on stage.
October 13, I went on a walk, listened to Oprah, and got ready for church. I met with my ministering sister, who, as it turns out, is a therapist. She seems really down to earth and cool, which is the kind of person we need more of at church. It was a beautiful day on Sunday, too.
I made some chicken, and Matthew texted asking if he could come over to see me and to do some laundry. After we have hard conversations and misunderstandings, I always feel the urge to protect myself and pull away. I'm very aware of these inclinations because of my intense study of Brene Brown, and my own self-awareness of my tendencies and response patterns. I'm thankful that my partner wants to lean into hard discussions and wants to come talk with me instead of pulling away. He reassured me that he loves me and likes me a lot, and listed a couple dozen reasons why, and he reiterated his desire to spend his life with me. Again, I'm just so grateful we both try so hard to understand each other, that we're both willing to talk, and both willing to apologize. A great relationship doesn't happen on accident, and I am so glad we both have the same goal in mind.
Monday, October 14 was a sad day at work. My coworker was unexpectedly let go, and I came to the office after he had already left. The atmosphere was pretty heavy and sad. Kelsey texted me to ask if I was busy that evening. That's an emergency red flag question for an introvert.
I told her the things I was contemplating doing with my time, and then she asked if I'd want to get Waffle Love. Being that I was JUST thinking about Waffle Love, and that it was National Dessert Day, and that I had enough calories saved, I said heck yes. So after work, I ate, stopped at Biomat for my blood test results (still low protein :( :( :( ), got more blood taken, stopped at Matthew's work for a kiss, and went to Dollar Tree to get some things for work. Then I headed to Draper for Waffle Love with Kelsey. It was a little fluffier and not as chewy as usual. But it was still yummy.
October 15 was a regular day. I decided to take advantage of $5 Tuesday and go to the movies. The concessions line was insanely long, so I didn't get into the movie until 15 minutes late. I missed the previews, but not the beginning of the movie, thank goodness. I saw Joker. I really liked it a lot, but it wore really heavy on me afterward and took a while for me to recover.
October 16, Matthew and I met up with his brother, SIL, and their kids at Cornbelly's. The weather there was awesome! We walked through the unhaunted Creature, watched the menfolk lift the bale of hay, and watched most of the dog stunt show. We left pretty early. That day was rough because I had really bad neck and lat pain, likely from sleeping weird, and then doing chin-ups and leg raises.
October 17, Rachel and I met up at Cornbelly's with some ominous weather in the forecast. We made it to the bathroom, and to the goats before the weather turned gnarly. It was so windy, it blew my hat off my head, and blew dust into our eyes and mouths. I had grit in my teeth from the wind blowing up dirt. Disgusting. We were both on the same page and decided to leave. Rachel hadn't eaten, so I drove us to Mo Bettah (but I had already eaten, so I just got a Chantilly cake to try). We chatted and then moved our conversation over to Starbucks, where I got a skinny hot chocolate courtesy of Raytch. It's always good for my soul to sit and talk with Rachel. I sometimes get too chatty, so I hope she feels heard too when we spend time together. But I know she's always been the listener in our friendship, and it's something I'm aware of and try to work on.
Friday, October 18, my sister came into town for a Tool concert and asked me to watch her little one for the night. I picked her up after work and took her to my place to hang with the cat for a little while. We went to the playground at my complex and made a new friend named GG. Uncle Matthew came over after work, and we headed down to Cornbelly's. (Yes, I went to Cornbelly's three nights in a row.) We didn't make it to the Candy Cannon for any candy. But Elayna did pick up a rolled up $1, and I got lots of free kids meals at Texas Roadhouse. Too bad I have no kids. We went and fed the goats, went to Corn Cob beach, watched the dog stunt show, sat by the fire, watched the pig races, got her face painted, watched fireworks, did the corn maze, and rode the big slide (like 17 times).
On Saturday the 19th, I got up and ran and did 22 Minute Hard Corps. I started some laundry--four loads that day total. Thankfully, I didn't have much cleaning to do because my roommate did a lot of it the night before. So I finished up and got in the shower, and Matthew wanted to stop by and see me since he had to stop at his work for something. Rachel came down, and we went to Author Con, which was a little bit of a desolate wasteland. We got lunch at the Habit and sat and talked books and writing at Starbucks. Around 7, Matthew picked me up to head down to his brother's house for his birthday party. There was pizza and indoor s'mores, cupcakes, Muddy Buddies, and more. It was fun to hang out. Matthew brought me home and stayed for a couple episodes of Parks & Rec before heading home.
Sunday, we met Shivani, Michael, and Elayna at Park Cafe in Salt Lake for breakfast. Michael had the Michigan hash, Shiv had the French Toast Foolishness, and Elayna pecked at some pancakes. They really liked the food, and I was so happy. I went home, made some caramel apples from scratch (ordeal of the century), and watched Edward Scissorhands. I also had an appointment for waxing, which is always a good time (*tear*). Matthew came over at 4:30. We watched Nightmare Before Christmas, and then we went to Trader Joe's to pick up some comfort foods. We had a Trader Joe's feast where we shared a Chicken Pot Pie, Butternut Squash mac & cheese, and regular mac and cheese. We cooked all of them in the oven and watched Signs. Matthew was super into it and shushed me like five times.
Tuesday, October 22, I saw Maleficent: Mistress of Evil by myself. $5 Tuesday is my favorite, and thankfully Cinemark is never as crazy as Megaplex. Reserved my seat on the app, walked right up and got my popcorn, and went into the movie. I enjoyed it a lot, but not as much as the first one. Angelina is so beautiful though.
On October 23, I wrote [a blog post.] I got so many amazing and beautiful and sad responses on it. I had so many women message me and tell me that in one way or another, they could relate. I think this represents the need for a really strong societal and cultural shift. I am thankful I know so many strong and amazing women who will raise daughters to stand their ground. I also got a massage on October 23, which is always a beautiful thing. And! I got to go to my grandma's house because my mom made my favorite dinner: chicken & dumplings. So good. I stayed over there way too late just talking.
On Thursday, October 24 Matthew and I went to see Zombieland 2. We loved it. I hadn't seen the first one in so long that I didn't fully appreciate all the references until I rewatched the first one on Sunday after.
On Friday, October 25, Ashleigh, Matthew, and I went to Cornbelly's. We watched the dog stunt show, sat by the fire, got some food, watched the pig races, and did the haunted attraction. I was impressed with how quickly the line moved. And I got legitimately scared a couple of times--screamed out loud. And also in the midst of a scream, threw my shoulders up to my ears and got a really bad neck cramp. So that was fun. Kelsey and Tanner were there, too, so that was fun to see them for a little bit.
Since it was Dine O Round in downtown Salt Lake, on October 26 Matthew and I went to Copper Onion when it opened. We both did the 3 courses for $40 option. I got potatoes, mushroom fettucine, and pudding. Matthew got spaghetti squash, pork, and cheesecake. All of mine was really yummy, but my stomach wasn't happy later. We picked our pumpkins at Harmon's afterward.
On Sunday, October 27, I made a coffee cake using a mix from Trader Joe's. I went on a really cold walk as well. I got caught up on Riverdale and watched some Halloween movies (Practical Magic and Zombieland). Matthew came over for a little bit.
October 30, Matthew and I went to try Midici pizza with a coupon I had. It was good! We went to Cornbelly's for about an hour where he magically made friends with a dad standing by the fire. He is just the friendliest and loves to shoot the sh-- with pretty much anyone. So opposite of me. Not that I'll be rude, but generally won't try to push the conversation forward. Actually, the wife of the guy Matthew was talking to was sitting right next to me, and we didn't talk at all. I guess we have extroverted partners. Anyway, we came home and carved pumpkins with some Halloween music on.
On Halloween, I did my workout as always, and dressed up as Hermione (as always). I hauled my chili and some other supplies to work for our potluck. I think everyone was really excited about it. After work, Matthew and I just watched some movies and hung out at home. We had NO Trick or Treaters. I feel like this is only the second time I've been home at my condo for Halloween since I moved in, and I had no trick or treaters then either. So strange.
And I tried to run more during October, but not this week with the insane temperatures we've been having. I've even been too much of a baby to go outside to get to the clubhouse for the treadmill. But I finished October with over 26 miles.
Also was able to start donating plasma again on October 23. I had to have three blood samples taken 7-10 days apart because I kept having low protein. But I'm glad to be able to get some extra monies again.
Books I read in October:
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook)
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
It's Not What It Looks Like by Molly Burke (audiobook)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (audiobook)
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (audiobook)
I am currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing, and I am LOVING it so, so much. It's all I can think about right now. I need a few designated hours to just sit and finish it.
Overall, I feel like I took pretty good advantage of my October, and had plenty of pumpkin cookies, caramel apples, and pumpkin spice treats.
October has been good to me. Matthew and I sat down in September to plan out our October.
I started a workout program on September 30: 22 Minute Hard Corps. I've done this program more times than any other. I really enjoy it because the workouts are short and challenging, and I can accompany the workouts with a run, which I have been doing MWFSat.
On October 1, I decorated my house with all of my fall and Halloween decor. Most of it is courtesy of my grandma. And I'm thankful I have previous years' photos to look at so I can remember where I put things.
On October 3, I walked to a nearby pharmacy to get a soda, and ended up with Elder Oaks walking behind me. Without saying enough to get struck down, I'll say that I didn't have the urge to speak to him like I would have if it were Elder Holland. Elder Oaks often says things that are difficult for me to process, which may say more about me than it says about him. But anyway, he was walking to the Church Office building, and I wasn't going to bother him.
That evening, Rachel and I went to Cornbelly's. We walked around, got treats, saw the goats, and hung out at the fire pit and talked about life, as only Janae and Rachel can.
October 4 was so fun because it was the Donut Taste Off. Matthew had his test earlier that day for mortgage licensing, so I figured this could either be a good consolation activity or a good celebration activity. Sadly, he didn't pass his test. But he has started studying again for his next on on November 13. And he was great company at the Donut Taste Off in spite of the test that day. The group of ladies to his left just adored him. He's quite the socialite and charmer, you know. Kristine came too, and didn't end up bringing her stepson. But it was fun to see her and take some fun photos.
If you were wondering, my favorite donut was the old fashioned from Jack's. I liked the cronut bar from Darla's pretty well too. Nothing else really did it for me, to be honest.
Before the Taste Off, I did some laundry and cleaned my house so that I wouldn't have to do it on Saturday. I had listened to 31 April Conference talks in 31 days to finish on Friday, October 4. I can't say it was a life changing experience, but it was certainly good. I typically try to do that before each conference, because thankfully my friend Danica posts something about it like "hey, start tomorrow to be done on time."
On October 5, I did my workout in the morning and lay on my couch with intentions of listening to conference. But I'll be honest, I was mostly scrolling on my phone. And I'm OK with it because I'll re-listen to the talks, and I was able to read/discover [this post] which I thought was so, so good. Please read it if you haven't yet.
That afternoon, Matthew and I went to In-N-Out and Crumbl. We picked up his niece at the Conference Center and gave her a ride out to Grantsville to see Matthew's parents and sister who was in town. They ordered and ate Mexican food. I was satisfied with my In-N-Out and Crumbl earlier and didn't want to feel sick, so I passed.
Sunday morning, October 6, Matthew came over, and I made bacon, eggs, and Rhodes cinnamon rolls, which didn't rise very well. They've probably been frozen for too long. Next time I'll just buy some from Village Baker.
Also on October 6 was Matthew and I's 8 month anniversary from our first "date" at Alita back in February. This was a super special day for us. And I feel like it's weird that on one hand, 8 months has completely flown by, and on the other hand, it feels like we've been together forever. It's weird to think of life being any other way, or of being with any other person.
I got a little emotional and needy in the next couple of days, and thankfully I have the best partner in the world to be able to reassure me of his love and devotion. He sent me the best and sweetest texts. The folder in my phone of text screenshots just continues to grow.
But on top of sending me loving words, on a night I expected he'd go straight home from work at 7, he showed up at my house at 7:20 with a dozen roses and some Talenti mint gelato. Who is this man, and how did I get so lucky? He is so good to me.
On October 8, I went to Trader Joe's after work and got all the pumpkin things! Pumpkin pancake mix, pumpkin almond milk, an actual pumpkin, maple butter, cinnamon fragrance brooms, chocolate covered Espresso Beans, and some Turkey Chomps. I love Trader Joe's.
After Trader Joe's, I had a Yelp Elite event with Brittney at the Mountain West Cider downtown. So much food! It was awesome. I wore a Harry Potter shirt to the event rather than dressing up. We got free donuts from Madbrook, a sample from Core Life, a bag of Vegan Rob's Cheddar Puffs, San Diablo churros, s'mores, and hot chocolate. It was fun to visit and talk with Britt.
On October 9, I had a trading class after work that actually ended up being a repeat of the same class I took in May. I wasn't thrilled with it. But I spent the evening chilling on my couch after that.
On Thursday, October 10, we went to Pizza Studio and Cornbelly's. It was freezing and totally empty there, so we didn't stay long. I also lost my debit card, which I wasn't terribly stressed about. If you're going to lose your debit card, it's best to do it at Cornbelly's, right? It's fine. I put in my name at the Lost & Found, deactivated my card on my Mountain America app, waited for it to turn up, and got myself a new card on Saturday.
On Friday, October 11, we ate dinner at my place and hung out watching Parks & Rec until Castle of Chaos opened at 7:30. The line took a really, really long time. But I got several good scares and really enjoyed it. Matthew got scared too.
Saturday, October 12 was basically a normal day: workout, groceries, laundry, and cleaning. The best part is that we went on a drive through the Alpine Loop, and got free pizza and s'mores bars from Papa Murphy's on our way home. Matthew and I had a rough conversation but ended our evening civilly, as we always do.
Around 8:30, I headed to Cottonwood High School for Kelsey's NPC bikini competition. She worked so hard, and I was so happy to be there to cheer for her for her 20 seconds on stage.
October 13, I went on a walk, listened to Oprah, and got ready for church. I met with my ministering sister, who, as it turns out, is a therapist. She seems really down to earth and cool, which is the kind of person we need more of at church. It was a beautiful day on Sunday, too.
I made some chicken, and Matthew texted asking if he could come over to see me and to do some laundry. After we have hard conversations and misunderstandings, I always feel the urge to protect myself and pull away. I'm very aware of these inclinations because of my intense study of Brene Brown, and my own self-awareness of my tendencies and response patterns. I'm thankful that my partner wants to lean into hard discussions and wants to come talk with me instead of pulling away. He reassured me that he loves me and likes me a lot, and listed a couple dozen reasons why, and he reiterated his desire to spend his life with me. Again, I'm just so grateful we both try so hard to understand each other, that we're both willing to talk, and both willing to apologize. A great relationship doesn't happen on accident, and I am so glad we both have the same goal in mind.
Monday, October 14 was a sad day at work. My coworker was unexpectedly let go, and I came to the office after he had already left. The atmosphere was pretty heavy and sad. Kelsey texted me to ask if I was busy that evening. That's an emergency red flag question for an introvert.
I told her the things I was contemplating doing with my time, and then she asked if I'd want to get Waffle Love. Being that I was JUST thinking about Waffle Love, and that it was National Dessert Day, and that I had enough calories saved, I said heck yes. So after work, I ate, stopped at Biomat for my blood test results (still low protein :( :( :( ), got more blood taken, stopped at Matthew's work for a kiss, and went to Dollar Tree to get some things for work. Then I headed to Draper for Waffle Love with Kelsey. It was a little fluffier and not as chewy as usual. But it was still yummy.
October 15 was a regular day. I decided to take advantage of $5 Tuesday and go to the movies. The concessions line was insanely long, so I didn't get into the movie until 15 minutes late. I missed the previews, but not the beginning of the movie, thank goodness. I saw Joker. I really liked it a lot, but it wore really heavy on me afterward and took a while for me to recover.
October 16, Matthew and I met up with his brother, SIL, and their kids at Cornbelly's. The weather there was awesome! We walked through the unhaunted Creature, watched the menfolk lift the bale of hay, and watched most of the dog stunt show. We left pretty early. That day was rough because I had really bad neck and lat pain, likely from sleeping weird, and then doing chin-ups and leg raises.
October 17, Rachel and I met up at Cornbelly's with some ominous weather in the forecast. We made it to the bathroom, and to the goats before the weather turned gnarly. It was so windy, it blew my hat off my head, and blew dust into our eyes and mouths. I had grit in my teeth from the wind blowing up dirt. Disgusting. We were both on the same page and decided to leave. Rachel hadn't eaten, so I drove us to Mo Bettah (but I had already eaten, so I just got a Chantilly cake to try). We chatted and then moved our conversation over to Starbucks, where I got a skinny hot chocolate courtesy of Raytch. It's always good for my soul to sit and talk with Rachel. I sometimes get too chatty, so I hope she feels heard too when we spend time together. But I know she's always been the listener in our friendship, and it's something I'm aware of and try to work on.
Friday, October 18, my sister came into town for a Tool concert and asked me to watch her little one for the night. I picked her up after work and took her to my place to hang with the cat for a little while. We went to the playground at my complex and made a new friend named GG. Uncle Matthew came over after work, and we headed down to Cornbelly's. (Yes, I went to Cornbelly's three nights in a row.) We didn't make it to the Candy Cannon for any candy. But Elayna did pick up a rolled up $1, and I got lots of free kids meals at Texas Roadhouse. Too bad I have no kids. We went and fed the goats, went to Corn Cob beach, watched the dog stunt show, sat by the fire, watched the pig races, got her face painted, watched fireworks, did the corn maze, and rode the big slide (like 17 times).
On Saturday the 19th, I got up and ran and did 22 Minute Hard Corps. I started some laundry--four loads that day total. Thankfully, I didn't have much cleaning to do because my roommate did a lot of it the night before. So I finished up and got in the shower, and Matthew wanted to stop by and see me since he had to stop at his work for something. Rachel came down, and we went to Author Con, which was a little bit of a desolate wasteland. We got lunch at the Habit and sat and talked books and writing at Starbucks. Around 7, Matthew picked me up to head down to his brother's house for his birthday party. There was pizza and indoor s'mores, cupcakes, Muddy Buddies, and more. It was fun to hang out. Matthew brought me home and stayed for a couple episodes of Parks & Rec before heading home.
Sunday, we met Shivani, Michael, and Elayna at Park Cafe in Salt Lake for breakfast. Michael had the Michigan hash, Shiv had the French Toast Foolishness, and Elayna pecked at some pancakes. They really liked the food, and I was so happy. I went home, made some caramel apples from scratch (ordeal of the century), and watched Edward Scissorhands. I also had an appointment for waxing, which is always a good time (*tear*). Matthew came over at 4:30. We watched Nightmare Before Christmas, and then we went to Trader Joe's to pick up some comfort foods. We had a Trader Joe's feast where we shared a Chicken Pot Pie, Butternut Squash mac & cheese, and regular mac and cheese. We cooked all of them in the oven and watched Signs. Matthew was super into it and shushed me like five times.
Tuesday, October 22, I saw Maleficent: Mistress of Evil by myself. $5 Tuesday is my favorite, and thankfully Cinemark is never as crazy as Megaplex. Reserved my seat on the app, walked right up and got my popcorn, and went into the movie. I enjoyed it a lot, but not as much as the first one. Angelina is so beautiful though.
On October 23, I wrote [a blog post.] I got so many amazing and beautiful and sad responses on it. I had so many women message me and tell me that in one way or another, they could relate. I think this represents the need for a really strong societal and cultural shift. I am thankful I know so many strong and amazing women who will raise daughters to stand their ground. I also got a massage on October 23, which is always a beautiful thing. And! I got to go to my grandma's house because my mom made my favorite dinner: chicken & dumplings. So good. I stayed over there way too late just talking.
On Thursday, October 24 Matthew and I went to see Zombieland 2. We loved it. I hadn't seen the first one in so long that I didn't fully appreciate all the references until I rewatched the first one on Sunday after.
On Friday, October 25, Ashleigh, Matthew, and I went to Cornbelly's. We watched the dog stunt show, sat by the fire, got some food, watched the pig races, and did the haunted attraction. I was impressed with how quickly the line moved. And I got legitimately scared a couple of times--screamed out loud. And also in the midst of a scream, threw my shoulders up to my ears and got a really bad neck cramp. So that was fun. Kelsey and Tanner were there, too, so that was fun to see them for a little bit.
Since it was Dine O Round in downtown Salt Lake, on October 26 Matthew and I went to Copper Onion when it opened. We both did the 3 courses for $40 option. I got potatoes, mushroom fettucine, and pudding. Matthew got spaghetti squash, pork, and cheesecake. All of mine was really yummy, but my stomach wasn't happy later. We picked our pumpkins at Harmon's afterward.
On Sunday, October 27, I made a coffee cake using a mix from Trader Joe's. I went on a really cold walk as well. I got caught up on Riverdale and watched some Halloween movies (Practical Magic and Zombieland). Matthew came over for a little bit.
October 30, Matthew and I went to try Midici pizza with a coupon I had. It was good! We went to Cornbelly's for about an hour where he magically made friends with a dad standing by the fire. He is just the friendliest and loves to shoot the sh-- with pretty much anyone. So opposite of me. Not that I'll be rude, but generally won't try to push the conversation forward. Actually, the wife of the guy Matthew was talking to was sitting right next to me, and we didn't talk at all. I guess we have extroverted partners. Anyway, we came home and carved pumpkins with some Halloween music on.
And I tried to run more during October, but not this week with the insane temperatures we've been having. I've even been too much of a baby to go outside to get to the clubhouse for the treadmill. But I finished October with over 26 miles.
Also was able to start donating plasma again on October 23. I had to have three blood samples taken 7-10 days apart because I kept having low protein. But I'm glad to be able to get some extra monies again.
Books I read in October:
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (audiobook)
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
It's Not What It Looks Like by Molly Burke (audiobook)
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (audiobook)
Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson (audiobook)
I am currently reading Where the Crawdads Sing, and I am LOVING it so, so much. It's all I can think about right now. I need a few designated hours to just sit and finish it.
Overall, I feel like I took pretty good advantage of my October, and had plenty of pumpkin cookies, caramel apples, and pumpkin spice treats.
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