Autumn Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipe

Step 1: Pick your pumpkin. (Carve it, duh!)

Step 2: Scoop out all the seeds from the inside of your pumpkin, and rinse thoroughly,
making sure all the excess pulp and funk is washed off and your seeds are shiny and clean!
Dry your seeds with a paper towel (I wouldn't suggest doing this for too long because they
all stick to the towel and it's super annoying. But just make sure they're dry enough).

Step 3: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Step 4: In a bowl, drizzle 2 tsp of olive oil on your seeds and stir so they are all nicely coated.
I used 2 tsp per 2 cups of seeds. Try and keep them all IN the bowl because they're really
hard to pick up when they fall out hehe.

Step 5: Put your freshly coated seeds evenly on a baking pan and sprinkle generously
with your favorite savory seasonings! I like sea salt, garlic, & paprika on mine :)

Step 6: Bake your seeds in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Then take them out, give them a stir,
(maybe add more seasonings if you like a lot of flavor like me!), and then place them back in
the oven for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy to your liking.

Step 7: Let seeds cool, and serve with hot apple cider. A movie and a cozy blanket pairs nicely too ;)

If you have more of a sweet tooth, I suggest sprinkling your seeds with cinnamon, sugar, and a weeee bit of nutmeg.

Bon Appetite, loves!

♥

Appalachian Trail Adventure

Many people seem to have this preconceived idea of what love looks like. How it should be, where it should take place, and how it all plays out. To me, love is adventurous. It is not defined by chocolates, roses, and fancy hotel rooms, but by the time you spend together, the conversations you have, and the memories you make. We went backpacking on the Appalachian trail for 3 days to celebrate our 1 year of marriage, and I would do it all over again if given the option. So many people seemed uncomfortable or even disappointed when I told them we were "roughin it" for our 1 year, which is so strange to me. Spending time with my husband far away from the comforts of home, "good" food, and technology was so beautiful and relationship building. We leisurely hiked to the top of the mountain, without a care in the world as to what time it was, 'when is dinner', or following a scheduled routine. We lived by island time (or forrest time), in search of water and a place to call home. After bathing in the golden hour sun, we hiked down into the valley and instantly felt at home amongst the trees. Giddy as anything when we found a small stream of mountain water, we began setting up camp and gathering fire wood and water. Within less than a half hour we were stumbled apon by another couple. What were the chances? This day, out of all the other places in the woods, this same valley. We ended up sitting around the fire with them long into the night sharing stories, laughing, and fellowshipping; talking about everything under the sun. They even made us dinner since it was our anniversary. It felt like we had known each other forever, almost as if we traveled there together. Thanking God for good food, friends, and blessing, we settled into our little 1 man tent for what seemed like the longest night of my life. IT WAS SO COLD. Sharing 1 small wool blanket, closing my eyes PRAYING that when I opened them it would be morning... I must have done that at least a dozen times before I saw daylight permeating through our tent. I woke up feeling like a survivor haha. Ray & Jamie had left before we woke up so we enjoyed our morning together playing cards, making pancakes over the fire, and of course... eating more s'mores. The rest of our trip? Well that looked like beautiful views, good stories, full bellies, and of course leaf collecting. I can't go anywhere without bringing home a souvenir :)

♥