October Happenings

Dave and I are sitting on the porch, enjoying our fall weather (sunny, 72 degrees, a light breeze, a couple little clouds in the sky).  This is how it has been for most of October.  A much appreciated change from the hotter weather that we've had since we moved here mid-August.  We've only had a couple of colder days just this last week, but that was a pretty cold couple of days for this time of year (65 degrees was probably the high).  So we feel spoiled.

Our October has been a lot of fun! I think this is one of my favorite times of year because the weather cools down, there are so many fun holiday activities, and I love all the squashes that are harvested and are so cheap right now.

***Edit!***I forgot to mention that we watched General Conference at the beginning of the month.  I love listening to the words of the prophet and apostles of Jesus Christ.  If you missed some of their talks, or want to listen to them again, you can find them here.

Dave and I went to his work Halloween party on Saturday the 13th.  Guess who we are!

In case you can't tell, he's Shaggy and I'm Velma.  I LOVE this turtleneck sweater that we found for me!

Here I am at  27.5 weeks.

Last weekend we decided to do really get into October celebrations.  On Friday we had our own Octoberfest.  We baked bratts, sauerkraut, onion, and apples and ate them on rolls.  We also drank (root) beer and watched Strange Brew.  This is an absolutely zaney movie that only tangentially deals with Octoberfest, but it is really fun and funny to watch.

On Saturday we took our last dip in the pool in our complex.  It was BRISK!!  They don't heat it at all, and even though the weather is still pretty nice, it is now too cold to swim.  I did a few little laps in it, and then I had to get out.  Dave didn't even stay in that long.  Does this mean that we are becoming true Nevadans???

That night we went to a play in St. George, "Nightfall with Edgar Allen Poe."  It was a play adaptation of "The Raven", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Tell-Tale Heart."  It was in a small theatre so everyone got to feel like they were close to the action.  It was very well done.  I forgot to take pictures at the theatre, but here are some of the program (I love the artwork on this) and me.

 Here I am at 28.5 weeks.  Officially in the 3rd trimester!

This Thursday we decided to get a 6-month membership at the Rec. Center, since it has so many facilities that we want to use (indoor pool, racquetball court, weights, exercise classes, elipticals and treadmills).  We've gone a couple of times to play racquetball, but it's $5 per person each time for non-members, and a 6-month membership for both of us is only $160.  So if each of us goes 3 times a month, it's already worth it.  And with the cold months coming on, we are planning on using it a lot.

And the food this month!  A couple of weeks ago we bought carnival squash for the first time to use in a stew.  We still have one left and we're going to roast it for one of our meals this week.

Also, Dave had a pumpkin-carving activity at church with the young men in our ward, and brought home all of the seeds for me to roast.  I have given away a few bags of them already, and we still have so many of them.  I love pumpkin seeds!

 And tomorrow we are going to have stew in a pumpkin.  This is one of my favorite meals to do this time of year.  The first time I had it was when I was on my mission, and I was amazed.  I had never heard of something like that.  But I found that I really liked stewed pumpkin, and I try to do it every year.