to grandmother's house we go

this weekend my dad picked me up in the city and we headed upstate to visit our extended family and the family pumpkin patch. i would just like to say that my dad is a good road trip buddy because he let me listen to taylor swift the whole drive and showed great interest in my explanations of which ex-boyfriend each song was about.

our family has operated a pumpkin patch for the last 30 years and it is quite the beloved institution in upstate new york. there are so many fun things to do, and they have added at least one new attraction every year. this year was also the third annual pumpkin patch mud run 5k, which was very fun to watch. pictured above is my grandma's house, where my dad and his seven siblings grew up. for october it's decked out with pumpkins and storybook characters. also pictured is the barn, with the snack bar, halloween gift shop, and apple cider donuts straight from heaven. on the lower level of the barn there is a movie theater, hay maze, and farm animals. not pictured are the farm market, go-carts, hayride, four-story treehouse, giant slide, and corn maze. all my childhood memories of october are fond ones of playing at the farm with my cousins, and all my teenage octobers were spent making donuts or working in the gift shop and snack bar (and dancing to ghostbusters in the barn after all the customers left). because i was out at BYU, i hadn't been to the pumpkin patch during october since i was in high school, and it was such a treat to visit again while it was up and running.

i love my family, and the pumpkin patch really is a special place. my grandpa passed away four years ago, and my dad is currently working on putting together his personal history. i was reading some of it while visiting home recently, and i was really touched by what my grandfather had shared about the farm, and his lifelong mission to make it a place that would teach, support, and uplift his family and the community. he had a lot of goals for the farm and the pumpkin patch, and among them were creating opportunities for his grandchildren to learn to work, have fun, and make memories. i can't imagine a better place to have done those things and i am grateful for the pumpkin patch and for my grandfather's legacy of love and hard work.

between general conference, quality time with the fam, and unlimited donuts, it was a pretty perfect weekend. if you're ever in new york in the fall, be sure to make it to the pumpkin patch!

hello, busiest month of my life.

how is it already august?
today was my very last day of work for the summer.

can i just say... HALLELUJAH

no more fertilizing basil plots or staking pepper plants or setting up sunflower trials for this girl. tomorrow we leave for bethany beach, delaware for the weekend. we've spent some time there almost every summer at the beach house of our very good friends. have i mentioned it's on a private beach and it's right on the water? this is the view from the screen porch. it's okay if you're jealous.

photo by liz

i plan to drink orangeade to my heart's content, finally wear the romper that's been hanging in my closet all summer [not too many opportunities to wear a cute romper on the farm], swim in the ocean all day long, and hopefully make my farmer's tan a little less pronounced while still avoiding sunburn. right now my arms are almost literally black and white... tan lines are cool, right?

then girls camp starts on monday! i've been spending this whole week getting all the crafts supplies and everything we will need together and planned out and i'm anxious for camp to start, besides the fact that i still need to pack... after camp i will be home for a grand total of 2 to 3 days before we pack up again and head to manhattan! i am beyond excited for our new york city vacation, and once our time in NYC is up we will be getting home, packing the rest of our things for college as quickly as possible and starting our cross-country drive the very same day! i am looking forward to and also a little apprehensive about our drive to utah since none of us have ever driven such very long distances, but i'm excited to share the experience with cat and liz and i think it will be a lot of fun/craziness. i love being home in new jersey but i really can't wait to be out in utah again and moving into my apartment [!!!] and starting classes. oh man oh man it's gonna be so good. august is already going by so quickly.

here's to summer sun and fun!

be cool.

via weheartit

manual labor in 100 degree heat + humidity is not my favorite. so naturally, this week wasn't my favorite because that's what i spent 40 hours doing. but it's all good, and you know why?

popsicles.

i'm pretty sure popsicles may be the only reason i survived this week. the heat really was brutal, but we had the bright idea to stock the freezer at work with lots and lots of popsicles and, let me tell you, a freezer full of popsicles does wonders for morale. and heat stroke.

another reason i survived this week?

paychecks.

after more than a month of working full-time without seeing a dime, i finally got some of my paychecks. and i'm pretty sure that's one of the best feelings. money, sweet money. not to sound greedy or materialistic or anything.

some other things that made this week bearable:

-this movie trailer. i won't tell you how many times i've watched it because you would definitely judge me.

-discovering this website. keep calm and carry on has become sort of cliché, but this is by far the best version i've ever seen. hp foreveeeeer

-yeah, yeah, call me a dork, but i can't stop thinking about the hunger games. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO WAIT 285 DAYS FOR THE MOVIE? okay don't hate i might have just started a countdown...

-tie-dye friday. or if you say it like my co-workers so it rhymes, "tie-dye fri-die." now that i actually work with some girls, unlike in past years where i've always been way outnumbered by middle-aged men, [no offense, guys] we actually have some fun at work. and we decided wearing tie-dye on fridays is a must. so we made it official.

that's it. hope you have a wonderful saturday.