Since returning from my trip back East, Spain trip prep has become a full time second job. Seriously. But I think I have all my shit in order, including ATM/Credit cards without international fees (Go Schwab!), a travel adapter, my safety whistle, and gifts for the host family. Most importantly, I’ve whittled my shit down to just one carry-on luggage, which is AMAZINGLY minimalist for me. Three weeks, remember? Yeah, I rock.

This weekend was another packed couple of days. John and I hosted our first annual chilli cook-off. I was convinced ours was near the top of the list, but I dunno, guess our taste buds are totally different from everyone else’s. We were dead last. What a bummer. But the party was still fun, and I got to see a bunch of people whom I hadn’t seen in ages. Then today, we went to a monster pumpkin patch south of HMB– Arata’s. They also had a crazy maze and petting zoo (goats!!) which was cool. Have you ever noticed that goats have the strangest body shape? From map view, they are diamond-shaped because their abdomen area is so oddly bloated. Very weird creatures. The wonky eyes really freak me out actually. They would be cute otherwise… Anyways, we carved our pumpkin. The design was John’s idea (something he had seen on a TED talk or something?) with my handiwork. I thought it turned out pretty adorable.