The Pumpkin Patch Post

It is clear that going to the pumpkin patch is a required activity. This is especially true in the NW. My feeds have been full of pumpkin couples, pumpkin babies, pumpkin toddlers, pumpkin sorority sisters, and my favorite, pumpkin spice lattes! PSYCH! I don’t care about your latte. I will admit that they are deloish though.

I have made 2 observations during this pumpkin season:
1. Pumpkin patch pictures are CUTE!
2. Everyone looks better in a pumpkin patch. Which is weird, because apparently orange is a tough color to wear. Whoever said orange is the new pink is seriously disturbed. –Elle Woods.

Now I will force you to look at my pumpkin patch pictures. They turned out cute, even though fog frizzes hair.  Pumpkin magic. Enjoy!

Brian likes to do weird stuff like gaze into the distance. I don't quite have the hang of it... considering I look like I'm about to cry, or vomit, or both. Usually I cry when I vomit. Overshare? Whatever. 

There are so many pictures of me looking at him! It isn't what you think though, I am usually just asking him to "please smile normal."

I know that first one looks fake, but I swear to you, it was real laughing! Pumpkins are hilarious! 

Didn't you know!? 

And I leave you with the most important photo of the day. Mini horses. Not only is my roommate obsessed with mini horses, but I assume these guys would have been friends with Li'l Sebastian... RIP.  

The Perfect Medicine

So I was sick last week. Just a stupid cold, but still! I hate being sick. Although, It's not as though anyone enjoys illness. I'm pretty sure I had a fever at one point, or at least I think I did. I don’t have a thermometer or anything. I am not a mom and I am not a doctor’s office… so I feel like that explains why I don’t have a thermometer. I do have a meat thermometer. Would that have worked? I mean, humans are technically meat right?

I figured out I had a fever when Marina walked into the house wearing running shorts and I was on the couch in my puffy down coat with the hood up. The aches and chills could have tipped me off, but it took that special visual for it to sink in.

The good news is that I am extra awesome and healthy now! I also spent the weekend in Black Butte with a few of my lovely friends.

A bloody, coffee and cards, the perfect medicine!

Leather pants like Ross Geller.

Yesterday I saw 4ish posts about leather pants. I live in the Pacific NW and am not as bold with my fashion as many. There are plenty of folks here who are, it is just that my city is pretty casual. Because of this, I do not rock a full leather pant. I have my own toned down NW version though, leggings with faux leather panels up the side. They are as bold as I’m probably going to get.

I love them because they make me feel sassy. They also make me feel like I am channeling my fave character from Friends, Ross Geller. So ridiculous and perfectly pathetic!

I love Ross and his leather pants:

- Fart noises on the couch

- Shrinking from the sweat/ legs expanding from the heat

- Powder to absorb the moisture

- Lotion to get them back up

…Poor Ross. How could he know that the lotion and powder would make a PASTE!?!

Anywho, I plan on wearing my leggings often. Especially now that fall is here! Luckily these leggings will also help keep me from a "Ross like" situation. Don't worry, I will check on you full leather pants people if you haven’t come back from the bathroom. I will always assume you are potentially coated in a baby powder/ lotion paste.

PS. If you say Ross isn't your favorite character, you are lying. Or you haven’t watched the whole series. The divorces, the leather pants, the kundis, the teeth, the spray tan, the margaritas. Seriously!

Things I don’t care about.

This mostly in regard to social media.

1.) Your Paleo diet. Or the fact that you made Paleo food. Piggy back: your vegan diet and your juice cleanse. Although, if I was doing a juice cleanse, I would tell EVERYONE! Just to brag and to get sympathy.

2.) Your Crossfit life. See this post.

3.) Your baby’s digestion, bowel movements and vomit. I like looking at pictures of your baby, but I don't want to hear about the other stuff. I want to have kids someday... please don't scare me away from it.

4.) Your latte foam. We have all seen pretty latte foam! (Addendum: if it is in the shape of an animal or something unique, feel free to post.)

5.) If your sports team is winning. I clearly need to quit Facebook and Twitter during football season. If I see one more waste of a post that says “Goooo Ducks! #WTD” or “Beaver Believer” or “Let’s go Hawks!”... Obviously the weekend and social media can no longer go hand in hand in my life. (Addendum: If your comment is funny or clever, feel free to post.)

For the record: I am guilty of plenty of lame posting. Like tons!! And I will continue to post pictures of my friends, my boyfriend, coffee and bloody marys as much as my little heart desires. I don’t care if you already know what they look like.

On a completely unrelated note, yet something I do not care about, Grey’s Anatomy is still on! I saw an add while watching Modern Family. I thought about it for a second and realized that I used to watch in 2006!!! Give it up Grey’s. You aren't ER. We all stopped watching MANY years ago.

This post may seem negative, but really I am just telling the truth for one little blog post. For the record, each annoying post is canceled out by at least 4 that I enjoy! I swear, I am not a miserable person.

Do you have a sense of self?

What kind of question is that!? Makes you think, right? Ummm... yeah, I developed it while eating string cheese and watching E! News. Okay, I’ll take it seriously.

I think some super important self-development time in my life just happened over the past 4 years.

I was single, I was working, and all of a sudden I had the responsibility for taking ownership of who I am. It wasn't college life, or circumstances, or family, or a relationship. It was me. Alone. Finding out who I am as an individual. I was deciding to find a church, I was deciding how to live, and I had to stop depending on others and my community to define me. I went to church alone, started volunteering, started dating (kinda/ not really.. I didn't date. That is a lie).

The past 4 years have been a challenge, but they have been fun. They have shaped me into who I am now. I know that this will continue in different ways, but for now, I feel really good about how God has used this season of my life. I seriously cannot even imagine being in the relationship I’m in now without having had that time to develop a sense of self. If Brian and I kept dating right after college, I would probably still be that same co-dependent girl. I would let my circumstances and surroundings define my relationships and faith. Herd mentality, you know? Having the opportunity to discover who I am, as an individual, was seriously the best gift ever.

I think a sense of self and self-confidence go hand in hand as well. We all have our insecure moments… especially around meanies or intimidating people, but in general, self-confidence is necessary in order to be a functional human being whom others want to be around. Go on! Discover who you want to be! Many years ago, Destiny’s Child told us to be independent women.  I may not be quite on the level Beyonce and co. were singing about… as all of my immediate family members live in the same city as me. But I’m trying Bey! Give me a freaking break!

I know this GIF is from the Survivor vid. But it is WAY better than the ones from Independent Women. Get off my back.

I hope that answer was serious enough for you! If you want to get to know me for reals, you can come over and we can read tabloids, watch ABC family and eat some cake and/or ice cream. Preferably both.

Apparently I take questions, so if you have any others, let me know! They could be thought provoking things like, “Who is your favorite character on Pretty Little Liars?” Or as serious as, “If you could perform one spell from Harry Potter, what would it be?” See! I am super deep. You can thank the past 4 years for that.

“Coffee” or “A coffee”

Alright folks. Brian and I have an ongoing disagreement. It’s not so much a disagreement as it is a debate laced with him thinking I’m annoying. Can’t win em all!

When I am going to go get a specialty espresso beverage, I call it “getting a coffee.” If I am having drip coffee at a restaurant or brewing it at home, I call it “having coffee.” But really, even if I go get drip somewhere and bring it home, I say “a coffee.”

This drives Brian insane. He says, “It is just coffee!!! There is no 'a' in there!” I clearly disagree. If I am ordering a prissy drink like a 2 pump pumpkin spice Americano with room… that isn't coffee, it is a coffee drink. I feel sort of bad that it annoys him, since I don’t even know when I say it. Except that I don’t feel bad at all due to the fact that I’m right.

Look! It's Brian with "A coffee."

Can I get some input here? Am I a crazy person for saying “a coffee” when I am referring to Starbucks type coffee bevs?

Even though I annoy Brian, he somehow manages to love me. It must be all that voodoo I did to make him date me. Sometimes he even likes the songs I share with him. So let’s take a cue from Whitney and #backthatazzup. Today calls for some some Betty Who:

You can download some free Betty Who here! I am currently obsessed.

Bikes, floaties and fomo.

Summer is coming to a close and once again, I missed out on some major things. Not things that can be made up for either. Once a year stuff! It is like I have Portlander fomo. Let’s review some facts. Summer in Portland is awesome! Temperatures are steady and comfortable, it isn't humid and the city takes full advantage! We have festivals, brewfests, outdoor concerts, you name it. Don’t get me wrong, I did plenty of fun summer stuff. BUT there are some things that happen in Portland that I have always wanted to do, yet have never made happen.

1. Bridge pedal. Bridge pedal happens every year and somehow I miss it every. single. year. It happens in August and looks just lovely! You get to bike over the bridges, they close the roads (and freeway) for you and you experience the best views of the city. Yet, I have never been able to make it happen. It should basically be illegal that I have never done it. Oh well… until next year.

2. The Big Float. This is another PDX event that happens once a year. I mean, they have only done it twice… but I have effectively missed both. This is probably one of the coolest Portland things that happens. Period. Yes, the festivals are cool and stuff, but getting on your floatie and taking over the Willamette in the middle of your beautiful city on a hot summer day?! Yes please! Again… until next year.

Although I missed these two events and they have made a home on my bucket list, I am thrilled that is almost fall. I have already started using pumpkin and marinara in my foods. Don’t worry, I don’t mix them together.

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