Happy Halloween!

These are the cupcakes I made for the Trunker Treat at church on Saturday. Actually, they were made for the cake walk, but you get the drift. The best part was having nephew Max come and to see his amazing Thomas the Tank Engine costume that the brother made. Somehow, I didn't get a picture though. I'm not sure how that happened. The brother will have to share a photo.

We also had yummy dinner together at my place on Sunday. With the parents and the other brother and family here, we had a housefull and a really nice time.

Ako Pa

Literal translation from Tagalog: "Still me."
Meaningful translation: "I'm the man!" (or woman as the case may be, as Tagalog has no gender specific pronouns- gotta love that.) or "I Rock!"

Megan wrote an Ako Pa blog with a list of all that she has accomplished, giving herself the proverbial pat on the back, and proclaiming, with pride, to the world Ako Pa! She then challenged readers to do the same.

Here’s mine:

• I learned to speak fluent German, in part by living in a language house where only German was spoken.
• I served a full-time mission to Switzerland for 18 months.
• I graduated from college with a BA in English and a minor in Music.
• I was certified to teach English and German in the state of Idaho.
• I successfully taught high school English and German for four years.
• I transitioned into a career in technical communication.
• I wrote three award-winning user manuals for HP products.
• I sang with the Opera Idaho chorus.
• I married a fabulous man who loves and respects me.

I’m feeling pretty good about myself right now!

Autumn "To Do" List

Autumn is by far my favorite season of the year. I'm not super fond of the heat and I love when the air starts to get crisp, the leaves change, and the days get shorter. It's this time of year that I get in the mood for projects of all kinds (that I don't always finish) and enjoy baking and cooking. Just like Annzy, it makes me think there are a few things I need to do to make this Autumn complete. This is my Autumn "to do" list, which must be completed by December 21st:

• Have a fire in the fireplace
• Buy fabric for more baby blankets
• Crochet around at least one baby blanket
• Make Evelyn's rolls
• Make homemade soup to go with the rolls
• Walk a half marathon
• Watch 42-Up and 49-Up documentaries
• Clean up the yard for Winter

I'm looking forward to it already. If you're really lucky, I might share some rolls with you!

Six Degrees and Pipe Dreams

Today, I was reading Annzy’s blog about things to accomplish in the Fall. (I’ll make my own list on that for later, but that’s not what this post is all about.) So, Annzy wrote her list after reading Erin’s blog on the topic of feeling “dark and twisty”. Erin’s blog was referring to Kim’s blog about Pipe Dreams (that apparently make her feel “dark and twisty”). Funny thing is, I had already read Kim’s post about Pipe Dreams after linking to if from Megan’s blog. Megan is in my ward and is a pretty cool gal that knits a lot. So, I know Ann and I know Megan and I read both their blogs and it was really funny to see that I could connect blogs with only five degrees of separation. I just had to share.

Now, for my pipe dreams. I have a few:

• I always thought I’d get married in my 20’s and have three kids. That was clearly a pipe dream. Getting married at 39 changes some dreams.
• I wanted to be an opera singer (but never wanted to work that hard at it). I love to sing, but never really jumped all the way into that pond.
• I love to teach and really thought I would go back after just a couple of years in the business world. Instead, I let my credentials lapse and have now spent almost ten years working for the man. Maybe going back to teaching isn’t 100% a pipe dream. It might still happen, but I don’t know when.
• Perhaps being a size 10 is a pipe dream too. Since I haven’t been that size since 7th grade, it might be a bit much to hope for.

So, anything you don't have a clear path for achieving sounds like a pipe dream to me. Maybe later I'll post on the dreams that I think might actually come true.