I enjoy alliteration.  Can you tell? :)

Halloween weekend was packed with stuff to do.  Not only that, but I sewed costumes for me and Mocha! (As a side note, witch hats suck and I fail at sewing without a pattern :))  Unfortunately, my sewing machine stopped working appropriately.  Fortunately, I have an awesome mother-in-law who let me use her machine :)

I decided Mocha would make a cute witch, but I didn't like a lot of the dog costumes for sale, and then I really didn't want to buy one either :)  I bought some fabric and made her a little hat and cape.  I finished on Sunday, the 16th, and just had to put it on her to see how it looked :)

Since I had taken Oct. 8th off for the temple groundbreaking, I thought it would be a perfect day to host a little Halloween get-together.  I, of course, procrastinated my food preparations, so I didn't make all of the cute treats I had wanted, but there was plenty anyway :)

Yesterday (do you love how I always blog about what I was thankful for the day before? It happens when you get home around 10pm every night :p)

Right, so yesterday as I was driving to work, I was naturally a little late.  However, I was grateful for good timing, or my good fortune anyway, to avoid two things that would have further slowed me down.  As I pulled into the left-hand lane to pass someone, I noticed a cop car behind them, driving down both lanes.  I hate it when the cops slow traffic way down.  They usually don't even let you go the posted speed limit! (Which was 65 turned 55 due to construction.)  I was so happy I was two cars in front of him - one, because I didn't have to get slowed down, and two, because I could drive a little faster than 55 thanks to the car I passed blocking me from the cop's view ;)

Next, at Spanish Fork, there was an oversize load truck getting on the freeway with its two escort vehicles.  Those are annoying because they take up two lanes so you have to get to where it is three lanes just to pass!  However, timing worked out again to where I drove past just as the first escort vehicle was getting to the freeway.  Woot! Yay for good timing so I didn't end up even later to work :)

Can I just say I'm thankful for Fridays? :)  This week went by so fast!  Perhaps it had something to do with only working 6 hours on Monday, and doing that from home.

Yesterday as I was driving to work, I began to realize what a good idea it is to write down something you're thankful for every day.  If you're always looking for something to be thankful for, you'll find it and more.  Then how do I pick one to share with you today?  Plus, it sure is hard to be upset, angry, or sad when you're focused on gratitude.

Okay, here are two things I was thankful for on my way to work yesterday: hawks and Owl City.

I love hawks.  I think they're awesome.  I love that they perch on power poles.  When I find a hawk, I'm always so excited :)  I like to count how many I can find on the way to work. (I think there were only four yesterday.)

I also love Owl City.  (Remember this post about the concert? That's an understatement ;))  Whenever I hear his music, I can't help but smile. :)  I listened to All Things Bright and Beautiful yesterday in the car.  I love this album because most every song speaks to his testimony of the Lord.  From reading his blog, I know he's an awesome Christian, and I love that he can share that in a way that isn't overbearing or like he's using his fame as a way to push an agenda.  He's just out there, doing his things, sharing his blessings, and trying to live the best way he knows how.  Such an example. :)  Anyway, I leave you with vids from the concert this past July.

(Obviously I don't own the rights to the music - those belong to Adam :) ) Oh, and sorry the quality is so poor :\

So a few blogs I read are doing a fun little thing for the month of November - listing one thing the author is thankful for each day.  I'm not one to follow trends really, but as I was catching up, I really want to do this too.  I still have some event catching up to do, but the goal will be to include one thing I'm thankful for each day throughout the month.  Maybe this will keep me regularly posting? :)  Now, I know it's the second, so I'll leave you with two things I'm thankful for.

1 - Friends.  Because I'm a grown-up now (yuck) and I have no hobbies lol, most of my friends are co-workers.  Yesterday, one of my friends had just returned from Vegas where she attended the mission report of the missionary she has been writing for the last two years.  It was a pretty dead night, so later in the evening, pretty much everyone gathered 'round to hear how the weekend went.  It was fun to sit and gossip like I was in high school again.  I'm super excited for her and really hope things work out.  I'm also glad that everyone on our team gets along and that I can think of them all as friends.  It makes work a little more enjoyable :)

2 - Cleaning.  Yesterday, Matt messaged me while I was at work saying he had cleaned the office.  That's a scary thought for me because he's an awful lot like my dad, meaning stuff has a tendency to get thrown away when he cleans.  Fortunately, he just relocated a lot of boxes to the spare room, which is already full of boxes.  :)  It's funny because I had thought about working in the office yesterday, but ended up watching Vampire Diaries instead ;)  Today, I put most of the Halloween decorations away and worked on picking up the house a little more.  It is exciting to feel productive and the enjoy a clean(er) house.  If only it would stay that way!

So there you have it.  Tune in tomorrow for another thankful note - and maybe some more general updates of our activities this past month!

On October 8th, Elder Oaks came down for the groundbreaking of the Payson temple.  I really wanted tickets, but that didn't so much happen :)  The day of, I was rather glad.  It was rainy and cold, so it was rather nice to be able to sit in the stake center and watch the broadcast.  It was such an amazing and exciting experience.  A few people from the area spoke, and then Elder Oaks talked.  Mr. Dahlquist led the choir and congregation.  I cried when he led the opening song - I didn't think I'd ever sing under his direction again, and I'm a dork like that.  Matt laughed at me :)