Truth Tuesday

Who's feelin' a Truth Tuesday post? I'm feelin' it. Here goes. A few quick truths for your Tuesday night, brought to you by Kelsey.

• Brian spent the last hour and a half in our garage, building the scene for our trunk-or-treat. Why can't we just put a bowl of candy in our trunk and call it good? I don't really know the answer to that question. But I do know that if everything goes according to plan, we will have the coolest trunk-or-treat vehicle in town. 

• This past weekend, I had a double date planned with my sixteen-year-old sister. We were going to a haunted house. I was abnormally excited all day leading up to the date. I think a part of me felt like a young high school kid again since we were going to hang out with young high school kids. When we arrived to the haunted house and got in line, I felt all cool and hip being the big sister doubling with her high school sister. But all the coolness instantly went away when a lady mistook me and Brian for Lexi and her date's parents. Do I really look old enough to have a sixteen year old?! 

• This past Sunday, I had a big bowl of Halloween candy for the kids. After church ended, I gathered my things from the Primary room (including my big bowl of candy) and went to find Brian. Sidenote: We have a lot of old people in our ward and they are all adorable. Anyway, an older lady wanted a piece of candy and I was like, "Sure, take whatever you want!" Then I instantly had this long line of old people. They were just grabbing candy bars and then thanking me and telling me how thoughtful I was. I realized suddenly that I was standing right by the door. I think they assumed I was just passing out candy to ward members (and that's kinda what it turned into). In the moment, I found it a lot funnier than it probably is. But I seriously lost it when we got outside to the parking lot. We are talking crying from laughing so hard. I hope they don't expect me to bring them candy every week now. 

• Same day of church in Primary, a boy requested that we sing Super Mario Brothers. The chorister was all, "Sorry, that's not a church song." But I was just all perplexed and wanted to ask him, "How in the world do you sing Super Mario Brothers? 

• Remember how years and years ago, women were banished when they had their period? Well, sometimes I don't think I would mind that. As long as banishment involved a sofa, ice cream, and lots of good movies.

• I already have our Halloween costumes for next year planned. I'm feeling like an overachiever. Or maybe just a psycho.    

And just for fun, here are some photos of Halloween looks from the recent past:

Costa Rica: Sloth Sanctuary

I figure I better blog about our trip to Costa Rica before it's really old news. I can't believe it's been two months since our awesome vacation!

Our first full day in the country was spent at the Sloth Sanctuary over on the Caribbean Coast. The Sloth Sanctuary is basically the WHOLE reason we even went to Costa Rica. Random, right?

You see, most normal people have things on their bucket lists like, "see the Great Wall of China" or "go skydiving". I have things on my bucket list like, "go see the sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica". I can't even remember how or when I first heard about the sanctuary. I just somehow discovered it and then knew I had to go.

To anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica, I would highly recommend adding the Sloth Sanctuary to your list of things to do. It did not disappoint. The people who run it are incredible. They take in injured and orphaned sloths. The goal is to nurse the injured ones back to health and free them into the wild. With orphaned sloths or babies born in the sanctuary, they will stay their whole lives since they don't really know what it's like to be a wild sloth (I feel like wild sloth is a total oxymoron, by the way). I love sloths (don't they just look like the best cuddlers?). Really, I'm just an animal lover, so being in close proximity to these creatures was exciting for me. We learned a lot of random facts about sloths, like that they only have one bowel movement per week. Who knew?  

The only downside of this part of the trip was getting there. The main airport in Costa Rica is in the middle of the country. Granted, the country is relatively small but traffic if unpredictable. Looking it up online, the destination time from San Jose to the sanctuary varied from two to five hours. We left early that morning to leave ourselves plenty of travel time. It ended up taking us four hours because we got stuck waiting to cross a bridge for an hour. Not fun. However, the drive was breathtaking. At least we had a lot to look at. Driving was also quite the adventure. We rented a car and BWell drove. There were a million one-lane bridges. On some of them, you couldn't see the other side. So you kind of would just cross the bridge and say a little prayer that a car wouldn't be coming from the other direction. Poor Brian, he was a trooper during our journey.

We arrived to the sanctuary before our lunch was quite ready. That left me and Brian time to meet Buttercup and have her all to ourselves. Buttercup was the first sloth at the sanctuary and basically the reason the sanctuary was started. She is 22 years old and just a sweetheart. When we entered the room and saw Buttercup on her swing, I forgot how to breathe and almost started crying. I am such a dork. I think between waking up early, our frustrating drive, and then just coming face-to-face with a sloth . . . it was just a lot of emotions. But really, look at how cute Buttercup is . . .

I felt like she was almost human. Like you know how Yoda from Star Wars is just this adorable little dude but then he's full of infinite knowledge? That's how I feel Buttercup is. Buttercup is Yoda. 

After we ate lunch with Buttercup, we went on a boat ride. We spotted some sloths sleeping in the trees, watched lots of pretty birds, and our boat guide even showed us some baby bats living in a log.

After the boat tour, we paid a visit to the injured and sick sloths. It was heartbreaking. A lot of them get electrocuted in power lines, some get hit by cars, others are abused. The worst story we heard was about a particular sloth who was set on fire by two stupid teenage boys. That poor sloth will probably never fully recover. It was sad to see so many of them hurting but nice to know they were in a safe place. We were able to pet and feed the injured adult sloths.

Then there were the babies. Oh, baby sloths, be still my heart. Baby sloths must be one of the top five cutest things in the world.

My favorite baby of all was actually very bad at being a sloth. A sloth's whole purpose is to use as little energy as possible. They eat a lot and sleep a lot. But my favorite little sloth acted more like a monkey. He was such a showoff and he immediately stole my heart. He kept doing tricks. Then he'd stick his little face and hands through the cage at me. I died. I died and went to sloth heaven.

 

This was such a great way to start off our trip. Luckily, our ride back to the hotel didn't take near as long. We even stopped and ate dinner at a restaurant on the beach while it was pouring rain . . . and then played on the beach in the pouring rain. It was magical. Sloths, beaches and rain. Yes. 

Up next on the vacation posts, you'll hear about how we took a sketchy little airplane to the most beautiful land on earth called Arenal, where we stayed in the middle of the rainforest and in the shadow of a volcano. Zip lining and river rafting adventures included. 

Hoarding Gourds

Brian and I like holidays a little too much. Especially Halloween. We currently have a graveyard in our lawn, a skeleton sitting near our front door, and a glass bowl full of skulls on our dining room table. Oh, there's also a giant spider hanging from the ceiling above the dining room table.

Needless to say, our trip to the pumpkin patch was sort of intense this year. Our poor friends we recruited to go with us probably think we are a couple of crazies, but they keep agreeing to hang out with us, so we must not be that bad.

We've lived in our bungalow for a year now. A YEAR. My, time flies. We moved in last October, so we didn't get to deck the halls for Hallow's Eve as much as we would have liked. This year we are making up for it. Last year we managed to buy a few pumpkins, but they looked rather pathetic sitting in the corner of our very large deck. So this year . . . we were ready. We were prepared to buy ALL the pumpkins. We piled big ones, small ones, warty ones, smooth ones, green ones, orange ones, and white ones into the back of the pickup truck. 

Then when we got them all home and arranged them very nicely on the deck, Brian and I both agreed we needed more pumpkins. But we refrained because we aren't millionaires. I'm certain that's what millionaires blow their money on too; pickup loads of gourds.

Anyway, I look forward to our pumpkin patch trip each year. I'm really quite sad October is about over. Just this morning as I was drinking my orange juice, I got rather depressed when I saw the sell by date was in January. January is a sign that all the best holidays have ended. So let us all learn a lesson from my Simply Orange Juice. Time is valuable and life is short. Take some time to celebrate the everyday moments with friends and family. Especially if those everyday moments have anything to do with Halloween. Who knew I'd learn something so profound from a fruity beverage?    

Sunday Best: For Monica

dress: Old Navy, tights: vintage, boots: Old Navy, necklace: Amalooo Jewelry & Art

My friend Monica was in town this Monday, and it was so great to see her after a year of being apart. Monica is a person who just radiates light. You want to be near her because she makes you want to be brighter and better.

Sadly, there are a few people in the world who aren't like this. There are people who are toxic and constantly negative. These people sometimes crush down on you like a heavy weight. You still want to love them, but it can be draining. 

Monica isn't a heavy weight. She's a balloon person. She makes you feel like you have hundreds of colorful balloons tied to your arms and legs and they just lift you up, up through the air. Yes, I understand it's not logically possible for balloons to lift you off the ground . . . but let's just pretend we live in the world of "Up" for a moment. Monica is one of the many lifter-uppers I'm blessed to have in my life. And while she was in town, she randomly said to me, "I miss your Sunday Best posts on your blog. They're my favorite." Of course she said this basically because she's nice, but I thought I'd make the effort to do a Sunday Best just in case she was also being honest :). So this one is for you, Monica! I'm so glad I got to spend a day with you! 

These photos aren't the best because my camera is dead. And I seem to have misplaced my battery charger. I ordered a new one off Amazon so hopefully it arrives soon. And since I bought a new one, I'm willing to bet my lost one will turn up as soon as the new one arrives, which wouldn't be entirely bad. Having a back-up is always a good idea, right? So since my camera was out, BWell took these on his phone and I think they turned out just fine. 

I love this dress. Brian bought it for me a few days ago while we were in Old Navy. It was an awesome price, the cut is just lovely, and stripes are always in style! I see myself wearing this dress a lot in the future. If you haven't been to Old Navy lately, hurry your bum over there. I've been on an Old Navy kick. I just think there fall items are cute as a button (which is such an odd expression).

Happy Sunday! Here's to a great coming week. I'm going to focus my energy on being a balloon person.      

Truth Tuesday

• When you pull into our driveway, it smells like apple cider. Our kitchen counter is currently covered with apples. I love having an apple tree (one that's very good at doing it's job, btw). Send me all your apple recipes. I'll send you apples in return. 

• Brian and I are already in full-out Halloween mode. We have serious discussions each night about our super epic Couples Halloween Party. This will be the fourth year we've held the party. I sent out Facebook invites and so far only two people have responded that they are coming . . . and those two people are me and Brian. I'm having major panic attacks. So help relieve some stress in my life and respond to my party invite. Even if you say no, that's okay. But say yes! Because it's going to be super fun. And if you want to come but don't have an invite, heck, come anyway. We aren't the exclusive type. In the meantime, while I wait for you to RSVP, BWell will continue to tell me to simmer down because it's only the beginning of October. 

• On the topic of Halloween, we bought a skeleton and spent way too much money on him. I think we may leave him up all year to get our money's worth. We're already way too attached and gave him the name of Eugene. 

• I like to tell myself that I could care less what anyone thinks of me. And when it comes to my hair and dress, that might be true. However, when it really comes down to it, and I absolutely hate admitting this about myself, I am constantly worrying what others think of me. I'm an over-analyzer (duh, I'm female). I sit and fret after I run into someone in the store thinking, "Did I say the right thing? Was I friendly enough? What if they think I'm rude? What if they think I'm weird? Do they hate me? Did I come across as snooty?" I think we all, in a way, want everyone to like us. Right? I am a people-pleaser. It's one of my many downfalls. So while I try putting on a front that I'm a bold and brave individual who is not swayed by the opinions of others, I'm actually this timid girl who just wants to be liked by all, even sometimes at the expense of not liking myself. However, every day I get a little bit more secure with myself and who I am, and I realize a little bit more that it's okay if everyone doesn't like me. People won't like me. It's a fact of life. So I guess it's more important that I focus on liking myself and the person I am. It's a journey, but I think I'm making progress. 

• I like vegetables more than I like fruits. 

• I'm really struggling at getting up in the mornings. I used to be like the Energizer Bunny. When my alarm went off, I'd instantly pop up out of bed, ready to start the day. Now I hit snooze one too many times and dread coming out from under the covers. It's a bad deal too, because I like to work out in the mornings before work. If you have any suggestions for this sleepyhead, send them my way. I'll try anything.   

• I think I like listening more than I like talking. And I'm okay with that. Honestly, I feel like there are too many talkers in the world and not enough good listeners. Being a good listener is like a forgotten art. I have a very long list of things I'm bad at. However, I think I'm a pretty good listener. It's one of the things I like about myself the most. 

I think that's enough silly truths for now. I need to go to bed so I can (hopefully) get up early.