a fall retrospective

The very wintery weather today make a fall season retrospective seem appropriate. 

Fall was wonderful. In between the hours and hours of studying, we made some time to enjoy the season, with 

photo trips to the mountains

family birthdays

a peaceful and surreal weekend in an abandoned lake town

instagram photos of seasonal baking

i now extend a warm welcome to winter. i look forward to several mugs of hot cocoa, time with family (home for thanksgiving in one week!), knitting, knitting, and knitting.

education gap

Two incidents in my accounting ethics class today reaffirmed to me that some accounting students are missing some crucial aspects of academic understanding. 

Professor: "What did Machiavelli write?"

Student: "The Little Prince"

Professor: Talking about Ayn Rand and her philosophical views

Another student: "Didn't she write The Scarlet Letter?"

I suggest the addition of a couple of extra literature courses to the accounting curriculum. 

cloudy with a chance of curry

We drove home to Midway tonight in a cloudy rain drizzle.
I made red coconut curry and rice.
We ate red coconut curry and rice with glasses of cold milk and an episode of Psych.



I listened to a fantastic Spotify playlist and kitchen danced.
I love my nights at home with Mr. Z.




{on my playlist}

• Origins, by Tennis
• Blood, by The Middle East
• Mountain Sound, by Of Monsters and Men
• The A Team, by Ed Sheeran

oversight

As detailed in my previous post, I love being in this stage of life. Sometimes, though, after grocery shopping and filling up the car with gas again, I let myself feel worried. I feel hungrier, more tired, and overall less happy.

Today, after filling up the car, I was busy worrying and neglected to replace the gas cap. After making the drive from Macey's to the law building with the door to the gas cap open and the cap sitting on the bumper, I finally noticed my oversight. By nothing short of a miracle, the cap was still perched on the bumper, unmoved. Miraculous.

This miracle was a direct communication to me from the Spirit, telling me to stop worrying. My Heavenly Father has got me covered. My family's needs will never be neglected and chalked up to oversight. If He can save me from losing my gas cap, he can certainly keep me and my husband fed, sheltered, and cared for.

new version of student life

I always hoped to have a year or two as a poor, married student, and this year is it. I love it.

I love carpooling down to campus in the morning and listening to a podcast (and sometimes sleeping or applying my makeup). 

I love driving and sharing our inherited Oldsmobile Bravada that is a unique shade of kelly green. We call him The Hulk.

I love managing our minimalistic budget with collected receipts and shared accounts. 

I love talking to Johnny over our occasional study break games of pool. 

I love capitalizing on the free food offered on campus. I donated blood today chiefly for the good of blood-needing patients, but also because the Red Cross snacks are excellent. (We certainly can't afford real brand Fudge Shoppe cookies.)

I love eating all of our leftovers.

I love dreaming of the cheese I'll be able to use in my mac n' cheese someday. For now it's housebrand. Speaking of which, Target brand "Chickadees" are a disappointing substitute for Goldfish.

I love making our wedding giftcards stretch to cover as many living expenses possible.

I love packing our lunches every night for the next full day on campus. 

I love meeting Johnny in the law building at the end of the day and helping him on his way out of study mode. 

I love making goals for the future when we have a salary, knowing that the habits we're developing now will help us get there. 

We lack for nothing. We eat steak at Sunday dinner each week, enjoy dinner out when my parents are in town, and splurge on Redbox movies. Frankly, we're spoiled. 

I've never been happier.