A New Year

I'm not one to make new year's resolutions but I have given this upcoming year some thought. There are some things I want to accomplish and improve on.

*Get more involved with the Burn Institute
*Raise even more money for the Breast Cancer Walk in October
*Work out more
*Save money
*Go on a real vacation.. maybe even out of state!
*Pay off atleast one school loan
*Cherish what I have and not dwell on what I don't have
*Figure out a whitty comeback for people when they give dating advice
*Spend more time with my nieces and nephews

I am sure there are lots more things to work on but I will start small. I am truly thankful for all I have. Sometimes I loose sight but I want to focus on that more in 2009.

So to all.. Happy New Year. Hope it is all you want it to be!

Cookie Capers Part 2

I have no idea where this last week went! Friday I spent the entire day baking cookies. I didn't quite get to 50 dozen but I did make 41. It is a close 2nd :) Everyone else from the ECC did a tremendous job pitching in to help. From making a million cookies themselves to buying supplies or giving cash to help with supplies.. it was a real team effort.

Ash and I took on North county. We started Ramona around 9am and headed out the 78 to Intermountain, Witch Creek then on to Hwy 79 where we hit a few other stations. Stopped in Temecula for lunch and to meet up with a Battalion Chief for the USFS Trabuco District. Cruised down the 15 to Red Mountain, Miller and Deer Springs then back up Old Hwy 395 to Old Castle and made our way to Valley Center and Rincon. We got Back to my place about 540pm.It was a long day of driving but I had SOOOO much fun talking to everyone at the stations! We spent a good 20 minutes or so at each station. Some a little longer..

The drive was beautiful! Snow capped mountains, open fields...ahhh.. The only bummer was Ash wouldn't pull over to let me play in the snow on the side of the road. She said it was " dirty and full of junk". Kill-Joy...just kidding. It did look a little yucky in spots so I guess it is best we didn't stop.(Warner Springs Area)

Witch Creek Area

Gloria and Staci took on South County. Staci said they also had a great time talking to all the people at the stations. I am sure they really enjoyed the llllooooooonnnnggg drive way out East to White Star. Patti took care of Battalion two and few of our rural stations. I haven't talked to her yet but I am positive she had fun too.

I have to say (in a non-biased sense of course) that I work with the most amazing people on the face of the planet. Not Just everyone in the ECC but everyone out in the field. I had some great conversations yesterday. This will be a Christmas/Holiday season I will never forget. Everyone was so thankful.

I won't lie.. on Friday I looked at the grand scheme of things and got a baby-bit overwhelmed. I was worried we wouldn't have enough cookies or no one would be able to help out. I was worried for no reason. It all went perfectly. OH... and I didn't make a total fool out of myself.. much. I mis-judged a step at Witch Creek (it was larger than I thought) BUT I did not fall. I gracefully kept walking. Ashley and I were cracking up. Leave it to me to make a dork of myself in front of firefighters. Then there was the little mishap at Deer Springs Station 12 (they dont know about this so shhh). I remembered I had a card for them in the car so I started jogging towards the deck when I hear my friend lovingly yell "Watch out for the stairs". I clear the stairs no problem but my leg smacked right into one of the chairs on the deck. Ouch. I don't think it made a loud noise so they all think I had a day without any injuries. Let's keep it that way, shall we?

I forgot to take pictures at the stations but here are pictures of preparations:

41 dozen...



Decorating about 18 dozen sugar cookies! Lisa, Staci, Bob and I

Cookie Mania!


60 plates of cookies.

Cookie Capers Part !

Over 1000 cookies made... delivered to 55+ stations... over 300 miles drive by 3 teams.... Reactions from our firefighters.. PRICELESS!

*Details and pictures to follow :)

Today is the Day!

COOKIE BAKING DAY!!! That's right folks.. today Operation Christmas Cookie Capers is underway! I have been baking since about 9am. As of this blog I have about 17-18 dozen cookies made. My goal is 50 dozen... Whew! They are the easier "drop" cookies like chocolate chip, oatmeal chocolate chip, peanut butter, and chocolate with reeses pieces. I also have dough made for sugar cookies and a ginger spice cookie. Those will be cut out with cookie cutters so they will be a touch more time consuming. Then off to the family baking at Jim and Jessica's tonight. Tomorrow I am heading down to work for all of us to decorate the cookies and put them all together for the stations.

Staci, Ashley and I spent yesterday planning out our routes to all of our stations. Last count was 50-55 stations. Holy Smokes!! I am SOOO excited though. I plan on taking pictures at all the stations. I know the people at the stations will love the cookies. My ECC counterparts are also at home baking their little hearts out.

I will be the first to admit I have nearly bitten off more than I can chew this holiday season. Between MASSIVE cookie baking, homemade christmas gifts, a baby shower last month, baking a baby shower cake and a birthday cake at the start of next month, treat bags for everyone at work, and christmas shopping.. I have just about lost my mind. When you look at that list it can be overwhelming. Isn't this what Christmas and the Holidays are all about though? Doing things for other people. Knowing the smiles and joy these things will bring to other people makes it all worth it. I love the holidays.

Advice

Being single during the holidays is sometimes sad. There's the stockings hung on the wall.. all grouped together in their little families.. except your lonely little stocking at the bottom all by itself. A house full of people and fun then returning home to complete silence. Defening silence that never seems to go away. Making dinner for one every night. Day-dreaming about a nice guy kissing you under mistletoe. Decorating your tree alone. No date to the office christmas party (again.. third yr running). Watching couples snuggled up in a horse drawn carriage rolling down the street. As if these things don't grate on your emotions enough, you have the constant advice pouring just enough salt in the wounds to make it burn a little more.

It never ceases to amaze me how quick people are to give such advice. The lastest was " you need to get married". Hmmmm... Now why didn't I think of that? As much as I appreciate everyone's care and concern I also dread it. Most people don't realize that on a daily basis (for real) I am given advice about my dating life. Here are some of my favorite examples:
"You should get out more"
"You need to date someone"
" Do one of those house exchanges like on 'The Holiday'.. maybe you will meet a guy"
" Join a theater group"
"Meet someone at church"
"You should have a baby"
OH the list goes on forever. I am also asked why I am (or not) doing these things. I really have no answer for any of you. There is no "magical" way to meet someone. I meet lots of people every day. What people don't get is that it wears on me. More than anyone really knows. Trust me.. I am fully aware of my dating situation. It has been a little over 7 (long) years since my last relationship. There have been prospects but usually one of these excuses comes out:
"Im too busy to date"
"I like you but I don't want to date you"
"we're going in two different directions"
"im too old for you"
"im too young for you"
"i dont date people I work with" etc etc etc...

I by no means feel like my life is horrible just because I am not dating someone. Quite the opposite actually. I have the most incredible family in the world. I am so blessed. I hold my nieces and nephews and I am overflowing with love. Nothing can beat the feeling of a child calling out your name and running to you with open arms. Coffee and pedicures with my sister in laws are priceless moments. Joking around and getting picked on by my brothers is a way of life and i love it. I hope that never stops. My parents will always see me as their little girl eventhough I am grown. I love that. I have a best friend who is a sister, a confidant. Her husband and precious children are family. Sometimes I lose sight of all this. The advice gets me down and makes me dwell and think on what I don't have in my life. I want to be thankful for what I do have every day and be encouraged that God knows the plans he has for me.. for hope and a future.

So I may be single once again this holiday season but I am rich in family and friends. There are great guys out there and one of them will sweep me off my feet one day. Until then I agree with Carrie Underwood's new song: "The Boys I Meet" . Click on the song title and enjoy.

I like to share

I decided to make a smoothie for dinner while I was at work the other night. I got kind of full so I just set the cup aside to wash before I went home. As the next dispatcher walked up to me to do a cross over, I stood up and grabbed my cup.

In one quick move my smoothie cup slipped out of my hand, poured the smoothie down my shirt, onto my pants..hit the floor. It made lots of splatters on the floor, cabinets, drawers, chairs... and much to my horror... the other dispatchers pants and shoes. It was everywhere!

I grabbed a mass amount of paper towels and attempted to clean up my mess. It is amazing how far it all splattered. The command center smelled fruity fresh for hours. And the other dispatcher.. what can I say.. I like to share :)

I Love Lucy

This Thanksgiving took a few unexpected turns to say the least.

I have been totally on edge for the last few weeks knowing my BFF was due to have her little girl any day. Around 2:30am on Thanksgiving morning my phone finally rang with the upbeat tune of "Life is a Highway" and I jumped up like a pop tart fresh from the toaster. Now.. for those of you who know me there is absolutely no "jumping" out of bed in the mornings where I am concerned. My old roommate, Valerie, used to spring forth from her bed when her Rooster alarm clock went off EVERY morning while we lived together. It drove me crazy. (Love you Val).

I quickly got stuff together and high-tailed it to the hospital. Jess and Andrew got there a few minutes before I did. I couldn't believe I was there! I missed the birth of her other two and I was elated that I would be there this time.

It was a long morning full of walking the hallway with Jess. I think we had some of the best bonding time during our walks to and fro. I was constantly thanking God for the memories we were building at that moment. For weeks I had been telling her that I would be right by her side to be strong and hold her hand. During contractions Andrew or I would stand behind her and rub her back and let her work through the pain.

Towards the end I started to crumble a little. I couldn't handle seeing her in so much pain. It was ripping my heart out. At one point I almost stepped out of the room because it was almost too much for me to watch. Instead I just gave her my hand as silent tears rolled down my face.

When it came time for her to push I looked like a tourist with a still camera in my left hand, a video camera in my right hand and another still camera around my neck. I am surprised the pictures didn't come out blurry because I was shaking so much. Lord only knows what the video is like... it may just be of the ceiling. Sorry guys! Yet the whole time I stood strong for my friend telling her I could see her baby's head and that she was almost here.

I again had tears in my eyes when the doctor put this little girl on my friends chest. I stood there thinking how precious and priceless this moment was. How I will never think of November 27th the same. I will always remember watching my amazing friend deliver her baby girl. There are no words to describe what an incredible job Jessica did. Andrew was incredible too. He stood like a rock by her side the whole time, whispering in her ear how much her loved her and that she was doing great. Even now thinking of those moments makes me a little choked up. I will wait a lifetime to have love like that.

I love this little one so much. She may not be blood related but her and her brothers are just as much my niece and nephews as Alissa, Justen and Peyton are! So it is my pleasure to show off my newest "niece" Lucy Eden LaTour:

Thankful

Each year I try to sit back on or around Thanksgiving and think about all that I am thankful for. A few days ago a dear friend of mine lost his father. It was a very unexpected death and my heart is so sad for him. He's an amazing person and I hate to see him going through such a tough thing. In light of those circumstances, everything has been put into perspective for me... more so than usual.

Every day I try to tell atleast one person how thankful I am that they are part of my life. I've been trying to get better about telling people I love them. Sometimes the words "i love you" can seem so scary depending on who you are saying them to. The truth is, I love every single person that is in my life. I love them with all of my heart and soul. I hope you all know that. I enjoy doing things for people because it is a physical/tangible way to show someone I care.

I would like to list everything I am thankful for but that would make this the longest blog ever! What I ask of you this Thanksgiving is that you take a moment and tell atleast one person you love them. You never know what tomorrow holds. And to my friend.. I love you more than you know and you are in my prayers. Stay strong.

I've been swooped..

There I was standing in the plastic storage bin aisle of Target, minding my own business, when I was swooped. I was trying to decide which under-the-bed storage bin to purchase when I noticed the exact same ones I already have at home. Perfect! they will match. So I pick one up to verify dimensons.

All of a sudden this woman rushes down the aisle with her son tagging along. She bends down to look at the lids and says to her son "Yep Johnny* , these are the right ones". In one swift move she swoops down and grabs ALL of the lids on the shelf and took off. Not a single lid, speck of dust, chipped piece of plastic was left. Seriously??? Who does that? Clearly I was looking at the same storage bin that she was! What good is a storage bin without a lid? I was super annoyed at this point. I checked all of the other lids and not one of them was the right size. Thankfully someone that worked there was close by and they were able to find a lid for me. People never cease to amaze me.

In a place like Target it is hard to stay annoyed or angry. There's always some type of shiny object to distract you from the storage lid snatchers. Oh please, oh please, oh please, people of Ramona.... vote to have Target come to town! Think how many jobs a shopping center woud provide for the community. Plus if people are already out and about shopping in town they are likely to cruise main street, grab lunch, maybe buy some stuff from the locals. Oh a girl can dream. I'm trying not to get my hopes up about it. Heck.. who am I fooling? they are already up!

* Names were changed to protect the innocent (or cuz I couldnt remember his name).

ER!

OK I know.. 3 blogs in one night.. I am out of control! I just had to share my OMG moment of the night. So here I am watching ER and this girl pops up on the screen.. "OMG Its Emily Rose"!! I went to college with her at Vanguard. Isn't that just insane? She was an amazing actress in college and I knew she would do great things. And she was always the nicest person. Her, my other friend Shannon, myself and a couple roommates used to have "dance parties" in our rooms. Just dance around like big nerds to music and crack up laughing. I haven't talked to her in years but I am so proud of her! This is the last season of ER but what a foot in the door! Check her out.. she's the blonde on the right. She also landed a role on Brothers and Sisters .......

I attached her bio to her name. Check it out.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

"Truvy:What are you colors?

Shelby:Blush and bashfull!

M'Lynn:Her colors are pink and pink.

Shelby:My colors are blush and bashfull

M'Lynn: That sanctuary looks like it's been hosed down with Pepto-Bismol

Shelby: I like Pink. Pink is my signature color."

The above exchange between ladies from "Steel Magnolias" seems so fitting for the baby shower we just had for Jessica. The day went better than I had ever expected. Jessica does so much for others and she deserved the absolute best. By-golly I think we pulled it off this time! I was blessed to have help from her mom and sister in laws. The deal was to plan it and not tell jess any of the details... but frankly.. that is impossible for me. We've been best friends for 13 yrs now. She is literally the other half of my brain! I HAVE to call her and bounce ideas off of her, have her listen as I talk through an idea. I think she was still surprised with what she saw.

The day was perfect. Even the part where I made up a game. I had a basic idea about what I wanted to do for the game but hadn't figured out the logistics. So about 5 minutes before we started I thought of the idea. The teams got so into it they thought of team names that incorporated the baby shower theme!!! We had the "Sugar Mamas" " Sugar Babies" and "Spice Girls". I loved it.

Sometimes I get ideas in my head but have a hard time executing them. Fortunately they turn out better that I expect(usually). The cupcakes were not at all what I had wanted to do but they were adorable. I have gotten so many compliments on them. Here are some pics from the day:

Official

Back in my last blog I mentioned the ideas of everyone at work getting together and makng bunches of cookies for our fire stations. I was so fired up at the idea I couldn't even sleep that day! I am still super fired up! The best part is that everyone at work is totally on board for it! so the "official" name is (another drum roll please)

(1st annual) "MVICC Christmas Cookie Capers"

I will be the Caper Commander for North county and I designated my friend Staci as the Caper Commander of South county. Before I could make a sign up sheet people were asking where they could sign up to help! So I developed this: ( see if you can actually read what the cartoon says! funny stuff)

The excitement of everyone else makes me want to run out into a green field with my arms wide open bursting into song singing " the hills are alive with the sound of cookies"... ok so it doesn't have as much ring to it as the original version but you get the point. :)

Uncontained Excitement

I may be biting off more than I can chew with a new project I thought of yesterday. Most days, on my way home from work, I listen to KSON. Cliff, Morgan, Tanner and Tori (aka Cliff & Co.) crack me up! They are extremely entertaining. There's non-stop laughter during my 45min drive home. I am sure some people think I am crazy and wonder what in the world could be so funny... especially when they see me in the car by myself. anyway.. Yesterday Morgan was talking about Operation Baking Gals. An organization that bakes cookies and sends them overseas to our Military. HELLO!! Can we say organization after my own heart? We all know how much I L-O-V-EEEEEEEEE to bake! So I got home and looked up the website. I am seriously considering signing up. I love how KSON supports our Military 1000%. It doesn't matter whether we agree with the war or not, our men and women are over there fighting for our country. Regardless of our political views, we need to support them.

Being part of the fire service I have realized that people in a public service career really have a thankless job. Although I fully support our military, I wish people on the home front would support our Fire Service and Law Enforcement more. When was the last time we heard our national anthem dedicated to those who step in front of bullets, cut people out of cars, and run towards flames while the rest of the world runs away from them. Sometimes it makes me sad to think that large fires like we had in 2007 and 2003 push people to finally say thanks to those FireFighters and Police officers. Usually what we get is newspaper articles about what we did wrong during those . Its tough on our hearts and it makes us say " but what about everything we did that was right".

wow ok.. bunny trail.. back to the project. So anyway, thinking about this stuff yesterday morning got me thinking about Christmas. Last year I designed a Christmas Card and sent it out from the Dispatch Center(ECC) to all of our stations and cooperating agencies. It came equipt with a picture of all the dispatchers. This year I want to do something different, more personal.

SOO (drum roll please) I am organizing a HUGE cookie thing(catchy title to follow shortly). The plan is to have all of the dispatchers from Cal Fire and US Forest Service make cookies or donate supplies for cookies. One part of the plan includes making a bunch of sugar cookies and inviting the kids of our ECC Staff to decorate them the Saturday before Christmas. We will divide the stations among dispatchers and we will hand deliver the plates of goodies to all of our fire stations a few days before Christmas. Our dispatcher center, for those of you that don't know, is interagency with Cal Fire and US Forest Service. Our stations span across Southern California from Orange County all the way down to the Imperial County line. Take a look at a map of Southern California to check out how enormous that really is. Off the top of my head, we will be delivering to some 60-75 fire stations...possibly more. Talk about an enormous project. The few people I talked to this morning are totally on board with the idea! I am so excited I can't even stand it! I have a little over a month to get organized.

With my BFF, Jessica's, baby shower coming up this weekend I am trying not to get ahead of myself and go crazy with planning. One project at a time! I love doing this kind of stuff. I think I need to simmer down just a little though. I need to get some sleep before work tonight ;)

Clarity

Nothing brings more clarity to ones mind than sitting on the beach, listening to music on your iPod and watching the waves crash to the shore. I spent a small portion of my morning hanging out on Carlsbad State Beach. The wind was whipping and the sand was blowing but it was a great place to sit and clear my head. I am not a huge fan of seagulls so the only thing that kept me from relaxing 100% was the fear that a seagull would fly over and douse me with bird doo. Yuck.

It rained my whole way home so by the time I got here I was ready for a hot cup of coffee and to light my most favorite fall/winter candle. Spruce & Citrus. It smells exactly like a Christmas Tree. I would like to carry it around with me everywhere so could I smell it all day long. My purse isn't quite big enough for that and hanging the candle on a string and putting it around my neck may be considered a bit much to people. Wait until you smell it though.. you may change your mind.

Today has done wonders for the things that were weighing on my mind. The beach was exactly what I needed. Eventhough it was really cold. I even got a good laugh when I watched a surfer trying to be cool but ended up hitting himself in the face with a surfboard. No worries, he wasn't hurt. He just got a little bop to the noggin. I couldn't help but laugh. Mostly because I could see myself doing the same thing... if I was a surfer.

Voting Confessions

Here's a confession for you.. I didn't vote yesterday. I am sure some of you just passed out reading that. My dad probably being the first. But before you get all huffy about it, let me explain.

I watched both Presidential and Vice Presidential debates and through out the months I have been totally undecided. I liked and disliked things about both candidates. The way McCain bashed Obama in some of his speeches was undermining and childish in my opinion. To me Obama was more respectful towards McCain. Both stood on issues that I agreed and disagree with. However, on occasion I felt Obama was somewhat of a schmoozer (sp?).

Being a Christian, most people would expect me to vote and to vote for McCain who stood against issues such as abortion. People say it is my responsibility. Let me ask you this though: If I am undecided on which candidate to vote for and it is my "responsibility" to vote.. is it right to do "rock, paper scissors" or flip a coin to choose who to vote for? Is that really the responsible way of handling things? It was also a very historical election but is it right to vote just because it is historical? For me, I believe I made the right decision on not voting. My heart was not in the right place and I wouldn't have been able to stand 100% behind my decision.

I have mixed feelings on Obama winning. In some ways I think it is a good change for the USA. We have made leaps and bounds when it comes to racism and I think that shows in the results of the votes. I believe it was time for a non-white person or a woman to be President and/or Vice President. In other ways I am wondering how Obama will change things and if our economy will really get better.

I think people forget that 4 and 8 yrs ago Bush seemed like the cure-all to many people. Most people stood behind the war in Iraq shortly after 9/11 but as time went on people became bitter and resented the fact that our troops are still over there. Think of the tremendous pressure put on the President of the United States. Bush was far from perfect, as we all are. Obama is also far from perfect. He will make decisions that none of us like but I also believe he may make some changes we will like. Atleast that is the hope I have.

So here's the thing.. whether you like it or not, Obama is the new President-Elect of our amazing country. If you believe in our country, believe in our president... whether you voted for him or not doesn't matter. Stand as one country together. Fight to keep the freedom we have worked so hard to obtain. Be gracious and keep an open mind.

Even at this moment, knowing the results, I am not sure who I would have voted for. So there you have it folks.. the confession of a non-voter.

Festivities

Let's just say I have been a bit behind on the blog lately. So much has gone one. Last week seemed to fly by. I actually had all 3 of my days off and of course, I was sick. I got a bit of a cold sometime early last week. This is a very rare experience for me. I think my last cold was literally 5 years ago. When I returned to work on saturday I was super congested and friends out in the field kept texting " what's wrong with you".. Thanks for noticing. I am mostly back to normal now.

Wednesday I mostly just hung out at home but I did muster the energy to finally carve my pumpkin. I love how it turned out. It had a small resemblence to "Bob the Tomato" fron Veggie Tales though. not on purpose..

I was hurting for some BFF time with Jessica so she lovingly invited me up to her place on Thursday to hang out. She let me sit on her couch with a blankie and just veg out. We took the kids outside at the end of the evening and I got a kick out of watching them ride their bikes down the driveway. Jessica and her pregnant self drew a "road" with sidewalk chalk down their driveway turning it into the LaTour speedway.

It was all fun and games but my energy and the way I was feeling starting going down hill. As I left the LaTour's I felt like I had been run over by a truck. So I just came home and slept.

Finally Halloween was here and I couldn't wait. I had procrastinated on buying candy and it resulted in getting second best candies. I mean, twizzlers? YUCKY. Others love them but I am Red Vines girl 100%. The rest like Nerds, M & M's, Baby Ruth are all classics and I was able to obtain some of those. I raced down the hill to get supplies for the Goodie bags I was making for all the kids. I found things like cracker jacks, boxes of animal crackers, play dough, pencils, stickers, and glow sticks for all of my little ones. I loved having all of them come over and show off their costumes. I've always wanted to be a fun aunt and make holidays and occasions special. Unfortunately Alissa and Justen were at their mom's so they couldn't stop by. I did get to see them in their costumes a week earlier when they stopped by my work after their school carnival. I have yet to give them their treat bags though.. can we say slacker?

In a moment of nostalgia I picked up some small treat bags. Way back when; my Grandma Ferguson used to get these little white treat bags and fill them with candy for all the neighbor kids. A day or two before Halloween we would spend a few hours putting 3 or 4 pieces of candy in hundreds of these bags. Kids used to line up at her door to get these treats! I only got a bag of 40 though. Much to my dismay I only had about 5 Trick or Treaters come to my door. There are a ton of little kids in my complex and I was hoping they would make a lap around here before or after conquering the Main Street festivities. And a side note to my family: I didn't not stand outside my door yelling " I have candy" to the neighbor kids like I threatened. My candy handing out time was limited because we were celebrating my Dad's bday. So.. I packed up all my candy and treat bags and headed to Jimmy and Jessica's. I was sure they would get more kids there.. not so much. Maybe only another 5 or so.. in which Jessica and I raced to the door in hopes to be the one to hand out our candy.

It was a good week eventhough I was plagued with a rare illnesss. I know many christians don't celebrate halloween because it is deemed an "evil" holiday. But when I thought about it.. having a "harvest party" with costumes, games, and candy is STILL a form of celebrating. You are just calling it something different. I highly doubt most of the kids running up and down main street know the real history behind halloween. I doubt most adult know as well. Take a look at the link.. its kind of an interesting story.

Bates!

Today was the annual family trip to Bates Nut Farm. We had a great time as usual. We talked a lot about how this year was so different than the other years. The first year it was freezing cold and last year was super windy and the day all the fires started. I am fairly certain I just finished getting all the dirt and hay from last year out of my eyes 3 days ago! About half way through our trip it got mighty hot. So what do we expect next year? Snow?

Much to our surprise there wasn't a huge line of cars waiting to get into the place. There were plenty of people there but it seems the King family and about 14 other stragglers are the only ones that didn't get up at the crack of dawn to pick out the world's best pumpkin. Trust me, I'm not complaining. Whether we get there at opening or 5 minutes before closing, there would be plenty of pumpkins waiting for us.. so why go so early?

I didn't have a hard time picking out a pumpkin this year. I turned around and there it was... practically screaming " pick me! pick me!" and waving its non-existent pumpkin arms in my direction. Slightly flawed on one side but one perfect side just waiting for this years carving creation.

My poor family gracefully put up with my incessent picture taking (with my new Panasonic Lumix camera). How can you resist the Kodak moment when there are wood cut-outs of farmers and their families and a tractor stenciled with "Bates Nut Farm" on the side?

I brought the crowd to a halt and ushered them into perfect picture taking form constantly throughout the day. They may poke fun BUT who was the one that had their battery charged yet forget to actually put it in their camera, bring the camera with yet forget to take it out of the diaper bag or realize that their camera is M.I.A. and is lost somewhere in their home... not I!! ;) The day was full of hay rides, corn/hay mazes,pumpkin hunting, food, and did I mention picture taking?

Brian, Katie, Peyton and I made a quick trip to Rincon CDF station to see Miss Becki after we left bates. Peyton loved her and we met the sweetest little station kitten. Of course all the guys turned to mush when they met Peyton. Then off we went to Jimmy and Jessica's for baking/goodie making and dinner and yes.. more picture taking. The guys took the kids outside and carved pumpkins while the ladies stayed inside to make all sorts of sweets.

Jessica made some yummy Fudge:Maple and Rocky Road along with some sugar cookies (always a family favorite). Katie made cupcakes and I made Apple Cider Donuts and Caramel Corn.

The Apple Cider donuts were a new adventure. The Julian Pie Co. makes the yummiest apple cider donuts. I thought I would be ambitious and try making them myself. The recipe is actually pretty easy and they aren't that hard to cook. We all know I am not the world's most graceful person so working with a whole pot of boiling hot oil was a little nerve racking. I ended up with a couple minor burns on my wrist and finger. Not too shabby for someone with my caliber of grace. However, I did successfully cover myself and Jessica's kitchen in flour and cinnamon-sugar. My dad always used to tell me I dirty ever dish in the kitchen when I cook one thing. Tonight I think I started to believe that. I looked around her kitchen and to my horror.. I had stuff everywhere! I was literally using 3 countertops! Oops! I am just going to use the excuse that I wasn't in my own kitchen, therefore I was a little out of sorts.

The food was great, all the goodies were sugary and super yummy and the company was exceptional as usual. Everything was divided up for each household and we all went on our way. I am super tired now. Who knew baking and searching for a pumpkin could take so much energy out of you?! I love my family though. I am so glad we have started these types of traditions. I look forward to the years to come. Until then I have a pumpkin to carve and many chores to do. But I think for now I am just going to sleep. My carved Pumpkin pics to come soon!