Pumpkin pals: Happy and Skittery

By the pricking of my thumbs

Something wicked this way comes.

- William Shakespeare, Macbeth

One of my very favorite autumn treats is pumpkin seeds. Baked and salted and crunchy... *drool*. This year, instead of begging for seeds from my more industrious friends, I bit the bullet, bought my own pumpkins, and gutted them myself.

Eeeeeew!

It was more work than I had hoped, and about as much as I'd expected. It wasn't my first time, but it's been a long time. I didn't get as many seeds as I wanted; that's my own fault for getting relatively small pumpkins. Next year, I'll buy larger ones ;-)

I debated whether to go to the trouble of carving them -- I really, truly, only cared about the seeds -- and decided to go ahead and do it. Looked up some simple patterns, bought a package of 50 tea lights (guess I won't need to buy any for about 20 years), and went to work.

I'm pretty proud of how they turned out!

Meet "Happy" and "Skittery"

I liked the idea of carving a "shadow" into the back.
Next year I might go ahead and do a second face...

First jack-o-lanterns at my new place. I admit, I enjoyed lighting the candles and seeing them glow from my balcony!

And the seeds? They were -- and still are -- delicious! I put some canola oil and salt on them, and baked them for 22 minutes. Yummmmmmmmm! I have enough to fill about a 16 oz. container. If I'm really judicious, they should last for a week. Then just another 51 weeks 'til I can carve some more... any sooner than that, the pumpkins aren't likely to last to Halloween night, or so I hear (it's only been four days, and Happy and Skittery already look pretty pathetic. Oh, well).

I already can't wait for next year!

*Updated* Bouquets=a billion. Megan=0

Kristen and Nichole are both safely and happily married, and I enjoyed both parties quite a lot. I had intended to sit out the bouquet toss for both, but when the time came at Nichole's reception, I realized that I was one of very few single gals there. So, I sucked it up and stood in the small group.

You guys, it should have been mine! It was in my hands -- I grabbed a handful of flowers in my left hand -- but one of Nichole's roommates swooped in and grabbed it and ran out of my reach. I was shocked... and maybe a little mad. I couldn't help but throw the handful of flowers at the lucky girl! The video is pretty funny; I don't come out looking very ladylike :P Oh, well!

Story of my life: I have never caught a bouquet at a wedding. I have been SO CLOSE a dozen times, but it's always been nicked by someone else. The girl who caught it this time has caught 44 bouquets. She obviously wanted it more than I, so I guess the better woman won.

This is what I posted on Facebook. I like the way I phrased it:

Tonight I had yet another bouquet grabbed out of my hands. At least I grabbed enough that I had something to throw at the usurper! Oh, well. Guess I'll need to make my luck some other way ;-) #nicholeanddrew #whyiamstillsingle #neverabridesmaidorabride

If that girl has caught 44 bouquets and is still single, I guess that means it doesn't actually work ;) That makes me feel a little less cheated!

The end of the story is that Nichole and her new husband Drew stopped by my house the next evening and gave me a consolation bouquet. How nice is that?! Way better than if I'd caught it initially. Plus, now I have a much better story, right?

Aren't they beautiful couples? I'm so happy for all of them!!

Kristen and Scott

(My camera/phone died during the reception, so I hope other people post their photos soon.

*cough*Nancy*cough*)

Kristen looks great, but who is the weirdo in the back
with a "this caddy is heavier than I thought" face?!

The Groom and Groomsmen and Kristen's Bridesman all had lego
superheros in their boutonnieres. Such a neat touch!

My job: to make sure the bride and groom were hydrated :D
(Also, how cute is that mailbox? I'm sure Kristen got the idea from Up.
I love it!)

Nichole and Drew

Larissa's face cracks me up in this one!

This is my "why does someone always interrupt when I ask for a photo?!" face!!

Quick Wits buddies

Can't wait to find out who gets married next... I have a few suspicions, but I'm keeping my mouth shut until proposals are extended and accepted ;-)

Congratulations, Kristen and Scott, and Nichole and Drew! I hope to be as happily matched as you are someday!

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn leaves

Wedding trivia

I have a couple of friends getting married this week, so I thought I'd take a moment to share what I know about the reasons behind some of the wedding traditions:

Q: Where did the superstition "The bride and groom can't see each other on their wedding day before the wedding" come from?
A: This stems from the time when weddings were arranged for the couple. They kept the groom from seeing the bride before the wedding so that there wasn't time for the groom to decide he didn't think she was pretty enough and back out. Hopefully, since my friends and their future spouses are choosing each other, they will just feel joy as the bride walks down the aisle to her intended!

Q: Why are there bridesmaids and groomsmen?
A: In the middle ages, sometimes the groom would kidnap the bride and get married in secret over her family's objections. The bridesmaids dressed identical to the bride to act as decoys. The groomsmen stood with the groom to beat off the bride's family long enough for the wedding to take place.

Q: Why do brides wear white?
A: This is a fairly modern tradition. Queen Victoria wore white on her wedding day, and her title and popularity were enough to spark a trend that has lasted more than 150 years! Before that (and even now), people simply wore their nicest, newest, fanciest clothes, whatever color they might have been.

Q: Why do brides wear veils?
A: Veils have a few meanings: One is purity and virginity, and the lifting of the veil by the groom is a symbolic consummation of the marriage. Another reason is to protect the bride from evil spirits. A third is to dampen the light radiating from the bride so as not to blind the guests ;) (Okay, maybe I'm being a bit liberal with my interpretation of that third meaning!)

Q: What is the significance of the ring?
A: This blog post has quite a bit to say about the ring, but this is the part I think applies to the historical significance:

A ring in its simplest form is a circle, which means 'forever.' ...Even the materials the wedding ring is created out of appear to be symbols of love and devotion. A great deal of couples select diamonds on their wedding rings; diamonds are literally indestructible and are the "forever" stone you want to select to epitomize your love. Rubies are another choice representing love, keenness and grandeur. While the wedding ring itself is seen as invaluable, the metaphor of the wedding ring symbolized that your betrothed is precious to you.

Q: What's up with all of the flowers?
A: To be blunt, flowers were to symbolize the fertility of the bride, and the new family being formed. Here's a cool article I found about the symbolic meaning of wedding flowers.

Now I'm going to be a little lazy, because these blog posts do a great job of describing the "tossing" traditions:
Why does the bride toss a bouquet?
Why does the groom toss a garter?

This doesn't have anything to do with traditions, but I think this article on The Art of Holding a Bouquet is interesting.

Of course, a lot of modern couples are throwing out the traditions and doing their own thing. Why not? Your wedding should represent you, and if you don't feel like throwing a garter, wearing a veil, or prefer to eat cookies instead of cake, do that! One of my favorite things about going to weddings is to see what they've chosen and think about how well they reflect the newly marrieds.

Did you learn anything new? Any of these that you are particularly tied to? Most of my knowledge is about Western wedding traditions; what are some that I have missed, or that are particular for your family and culture?

Congratulations Kristen and Nichole on your respective weddings! I love your fiancés and can't wait to celebrate with you!

Mini-rants

Note: These are not directed to anyone specific. I'm just venting.

• Don't try to talk me into doing something I've already said I don't want to. I know what I'm comfortable with and I can be pretty stubborn. I have been known to change my mind on occasion, but it takes me a while to learn about, consider, and warm to ideas I might be initially opposed to. Then again, I may NEVER be interested (I'm not jumping out of a plane, sorry!) and you're going to have to deal. Leave me be, and don't make me feel like I must be dumb for not wanting to do it just because you happen to think it's a great idea. Just drop it. 

• Don't preach tolerance and love for all in one breath, and then bash my personal beliefs in the next. I'm not perfect, but at least I can acknowledge when I'm being a hypocrite. Sometimes keeping your mouth shut is a virtue. Give it a try, especially when you know it's probably going to offend a lot of your friends.

• If I complain about something, don't say, "Yeah, well at least you don't have to deal with [insert your current problem here]."
  
  Just because my problem may seem small compared to yours doesn't mean it isn't valid or any less stressful to me. I'm already having a bad day -- don't make it about you so that I then feel guilty and concerned for you on top of it (unless it's something awful, like someone died or you lost your job; I love you and would want to know in spite of the unfortunate timing). Feeling like a bad friend will always ruin my day.

• If I say something like, "I want to lose 5-10 pounds" don't immediately dismiss me and say "you don't need to lose weight." EVERYONE I know wants to lose a few -- or a lot of -- pounds, so don't make me feel like I'm unreasonable for wanting to be my best. I'm very aware of my actual size; I'm not going to go overboard. I try not to say this very often 'cause I know how obnoxious and uncomfortable it is to be around someone who obsesses about his or her weight all the time. Meanwhile, a little bit of support goes a long way.

• Even worse, if I say I HAVE lost weight, don't boldly look me up and down and then ask, "From where?" I know you're trying to flatter me, but it's aggravating and creepy, and marginalizes my hard work. Obviously, I lost it from all over, because that's how it works (I wish I could just target certain problem areas!)

• Lastly, if you have a problem with me or don't like something I'm doing: TELL ME! Don't passive-aggressively punish me, and then tell me it's my own fault when you do something you KNOW will hurt me. Is revenge really so sweet that you want to destroy my trust like that? I don't read minds any better than you do. I'll also be better about telling you when something YOU do really bothers me -- it goes both ways! Like I said, I'm not perfect and I can be somewhat oblivious, but I will apologize and try to fix it if I know the issue is important to you.

I hate it when "Angry Megan" shows up -- I don't like her and I don't like being mad at my friends. I love you guys. Please love me for who I am and don't push me if you see I'm growing upset. I promise to do my best to do the same.


Golly, it feels good to get that out in the open. I feel better. Feel free to continue going about with your lives!

*Updated!* This is Halloween

I say this every year, but someday I want
to dress up as the Sanderson sisters.
I call Sarah! "Amuck! Amuck! Amuck!"

It's that time of year when the leaves start turning red, brown, and yellow, the air grows colder, candy dominates grocery stores, little kids start telling you what they want to be for Halloween, and I pull out my two favorite Halloween movies!

Admittedly, I haven't actually watched Hocus Pocus or Nightmare Before Christmas yet this year, but I think this is the week I will. They are just too much fun, and just creepy enough to get me in the holiday mood, but not so creepy I'll be up all night for fear of falling asleep (have I mentioned that I don't like horror films?). My nephew saw Hocus Pocus for the first time this weekend and spent some time on Sunday quoting and recapping it for me. Haha! Hooray!

Hey! I just realize that's the twentieth anniversary for both of these movies. That's crazy!! I'm glad they've both stood the test of time.

Meanwhile, I love, love, love this rendition of "This is Halloween" from Nightmare Before Christmas, sung by Disneyland's Dapper Dans barbershop quartet. Everything about it is perfect. Hope you like it, too!

(Did you know that the Dapper Dans are equity actors? Now you do!)

*Updated 10-8* I can't resist sharing this interpretation as well. Nick Pitera has some wonderful videos and this is now one of my favorites!


Happy Monday!

Remembering September

Suddenly September is over. It was really busy, just a little crazy, and a LOT of fun! Besides my birthday, Comic Con, and the California trip, here are a few of the highlights:

A family birthday party, wherein I was thoroughly spoiled with 

attention, gifts, and delicious food

An evening at the Utah State Fair with Nichole and Larissa

An alien abduction-themed butter cow sculpture

A quick day trip to see Peter and Starcatcher again with Kate and Brandon

This time I had a wonderful orchestra seat where I
could view the Blache Stache up close in all his glory!

And my dear friends Larissa and Rob were married!

Personalized party favor after the pre-wedding Girls' Night 

Nichole and Melissa, waiting around for the couple to come outside after the ceremony.

Such a beautiful bride!

Here, the DJ told Rob to take a look at Larissa's dress,
and then warned Rob not to get cake on it ;)

The first dance -- Rob is such a ham!

I love that my handsome brother and I share so many friends :D

Some of my favorite party people:
Nichole, Tiffanie, Kristen and Amy

High school buddies kickin' it on the dance floor

The photo booth
(The secret's out: I am a weirdo.)

I attempted to wear heels for the wedding (and church the next day)
for the first time since my sprain. My ankle is not as strong or
as flexible as I'd like, but it's getting better!

Me with the adorable couple
May you have every happiness, Mr. and Mrs. Ferre!

There you have it.  I don't have nearly as much planned for October, and those things that are planned are going to be AWESOME! Stay tuned.

P.S. I managed not to be sick at ALL last month! Woooooot! You have no idea how grateful I am!