Note:
-I married a pumpkin carving connoisseur.  Max takes these things so seriously, but claims it's because it's his first Halloween in three years.
-Max also tagged along with me and my dad to his first ever BYU football game. I think he enjoyed himself, minus the cougar fight song. He refused to sing along with that.
-Witches night out this year was another success!
-If you're not into really, really scary movies, (like me) anything black and white will do. Cape Fear, Twilight Zone episodes, Rear Window... some of our favorites this year.
-And I'm always amazed at how much we get into our murder mystery dinner parties. I almost convinced myself that I had actually had an affair with Al Capone in 1928.

And wish us luck as we throw our first (ever) Halloween party. Homemade root beer and trick-or-treat bags all thanks to Pinterest will be on the menu, (ps. remind me to tell you which gift bag not to recreate, because it's impossible to be that cute, and I wasted two boxes of brownies on it) - anddd no UVU dances for me this year, thank you very much.

And thank you, dear month of October, for always being so great. I'll be missing you these next 11 months, until we meet again.

picnic with sara.

Sara and I went on a fall-esque picnic a few weeks ago, carrying our grocery bags of candy in one arm, and our knitted sweaters over the other. The sun was warm enough as we ate too many Oreos, and the yellow leaves fell perfectly into our laps. So we caught up on the past two months in only two hours, and it was reaffirmed without needing to be said: we will always be kindred spirits.

Atticus Finch.

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... 

but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. 

The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

-Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Once the leaves started changing colors, and the sun became a little bit more orange than yellow, Saturdays weren't our favorites anymore, but Sunday nights were. Fall is a favorite in so many ways, but so many of my reasons is simply because of home. Growing up, we had our ritual Sunday night walks, Sunday night movies, and best of all: Sunday night snacks like cinnamon and sugar toast, and marshmallows, and hot chocolate.

It somehow became a tradition along the lines that the first movie we'd always watch together as a family during the season was To Kill A Mockingbird. It was always my dad's favorite, and naturally, became one of mine too. My eyes always sting when I see Atticus sitting outside of Tom Robinson's jail, with his lamp, in his chair, reading his book. It just said so much. I always felt so much. I still do.

This movie, (and most especially), Atticus Finch has and always will be an out-of-the-ball-park-sort-of favorite; and with my dad in town for the weekend, Max gets to join in on the Christensen tradition and I just couldn't be any more excited for my Sunday nights again. Happy (conference) weekend!

first unofficial day of fall 2012.

"The First Unofficial Day of Fall" is a tradition three years running, so I thought why not continue the celebration? It's kind of like Thanksgiving, because there's no specific date, really, it just always happens to fall on the second Saturday in September.

So we celebrate it.

As tradition would have it, we usually kick off the day by listening to Christmas music, eating french toast, making trips to the library for old black and white scary movies, and snacking on a batch of homemade caramel popcorn... so the un-holiday was celebrated again! Nat King Cole sang about chestnuts roasting on an open fire, we ate (and ate) all-you-can-eat french toast at Kneaders, (first time, by the way, and it was amazing) And we ended the night up the canyon taking pictures of barely red and golden leaves, with our black and white scary movie of choice: The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

May any made-up tradition that includes all or any of the above, always continue.

my sunday afternoon walk.

I had two favorite things about yesterday:

1. An afternoon walk.
2. And a family dinner.

When we cracked open an egg and noticed two yokes in the center, we made a wish for good luck. And then I went snap happy on a walk up the canyon and later was introduced to just about the funniest person alive. If I could have a new roommate, I'd probably pick Fredrick, The Protector of Faith.*

*(warning: this film is not g-rated).

a sticky sweet saturday afternoon.

I like extra sugar in my oatmeal for breakfast, at least on Saturday mornings. I like making plans last second, and catching up with people I care about for longer than expected. I like sleeping in and wearing my hair in curls that I did yesterday morning, and reading over old letters from my brown box in bed. I like my new library card that even came with a frog on it, and I like conversations with Mom and Dad. I like reruns of Modern Family (where has this show been all my life?!) and I like going to the store to make s'mores in a jar with old friends tonight.

I like Alfred Hitchcock movies and apple pie in the fall,
I like driving past the football stadium and hearing the crowds cheer,
and I like Saturday afternoons most of all.

taking it all in.

While sitting underneath blankets and scarves in our leather jackets, we tried to take all of autumn in. It was the first time in seven weeks I think I really let myself think about nothing at all, and I made only one mental note: I need to do this more often.

The drive through Sundance all the way up to Aspen Grove surely has to be one of the prettiest things I've seen in all my life. Especially when it came to the yellow leaves on the aspen trees; they were so bright it looked like gold, and we even had to listen to this Coldplay song twice because of it. Maybe even three times.

And then came our picnic: apple pie, cream soda, and honey butter with bread. Baguette bread, to be clear. I don't know where that idea even came from, (perhaps from our self-scheduled Saturday morning French lessons?) but I'm a baguette-bread-picnic-eater for life now.

And I know I said it last time, (and maybe even last year) but this fall is my favorite. I've lived through 21 of them before, but number 22 seems to be taking the cake. And to be honest, I don't even know why. This semester certainly has been the most difficult. The past few weeks have definitely had more ups and downs and disasters than I can count. But the weather makes me feel like its "my best day" nearly every day - and although I don't know why, I'll take it.

perfect english autumnal days.

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it.
-George Elliot

I'm not sure if ee cummings has anything written about autumn, or else I would most certainly take the time to mention it now -
but I think George Elliot still put it nicely.

And isn't that photo gorgeous?
If only I didn't burn everything I cooked,
I'd make an apple pie this weekend.

(Ask my mom one day about the time I tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich - If only putting cheese and bread into a toaster were all it took)

Maybe I'll stick with hot chocolate for now.

Wishing you all "one of those perfect English autumnal days."
-P.D. James can take credit for that.

photo

first unofficial day of fall.

if i hadn't decided last minute to wear my knee high socks, i don't think yesterday would have been as perfect as it was. but then again, french toast, picking out old black and white movies in the library, snacking on peppermint sticks with mr kindred spirit himself, setting up a tent without instructions, telling ghost stories with caramel popcorn, and mainly smiling so much that my cheeks hurt all day, all went a long way, too.

when we woke up yesterday morning, we decided to declare the day as the first unofficial day of fall -- and all that originally meant was that we were going to wear sweaters and listen to christmas music 4 months too early -- but in the end, that happened to be one of the best decisions i've made in a long time.

feeling like fall

i actually had to wear my sweater last night while we were swinging on the swing set in his grandma's backyard yard,
talking to each other about our summer.

for the first time, it felt like fall was setting in.

and even though i might already miss my carefree summer days,
and promising summer nights,
i'm almost, maybe, kind of excited...
at least to start wearing my sweaters again.
or at least for our "summer cremation" tonight.
(but i guess i'll explain all of that tomorrow)

Dear Summer... It's Time We Say Goodybe.

dear summer,
i thought i'd miss you more too.
but then i went on a picnic, and saw these sunflowers.

and then i started to take their pictures.

and then my best friends moved back for school.

and then i went to my first day of class.
and then i had the most attractive professor for French 101.
(ryan phillippe could easily be mistaken for his long lost twin)

and then i realized, i am much too excited for the fall.

it was fun while it lasted,

but i think it's time we say goodbye.