{Rick Mereki Films}

"3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food ....into 3 beautiful and hopefully compelling short films.....

= a trip of a lifetime."

EAT

LEARN

MOVE

These videos make me want to travel again and explore all the different cultures of the world. What a rich experience he must have had doing this. So much to see, do, taste, learn, and experience. 

Which one is your favorite? I can't decide. 

{Mississinewa 1812}

The annual fall Festival of 1812 is my favorite event of the season. Traveling reenanactors set up camp for three days in the woods to provide the Marion locals with a taste of history and entertainment. They go all out with the outfits and olden day vibe, and when you're there, you do feel like you're in another time period. It seems kind of corny, but after you have experienced this once, you will want to return each year for the battle reenactments, nellies famous noodles, and the bottled beer of the root (that is root beer....not real beer). 

This year Jordan and I went with our friends Hannah and Lawson. We bought homemade rosemary frank & mint soap and matching 1812 pottery mugs!! It was the best. 

{Carl Pendle's Foraging Wild Mushrooms}

Here is a bit of inspiration to start out your new week. A short film about chef Nik Westacott and his love for mushrooms, by Carl Pendle shot with his Canon 5D. I hope this makes you as happy as it made me.

beautiful right? And what a unique hobby! I want to cook in the woods. That should be added to the fall checklist.

{Follow me}

Guess what?!

A Spoonful of Life was chosen for The #Cooking Daily Newspaper in their October 4th #food section. @GoodBlogPosts1 found my "Meals This Week" post via Twitter! The #Cooking Daily is part of a bigger paper known as Paper.Li. I had never heard of them until now, but they seem to be legit. I am pretty excited and I thought I would share this news with you all. 

Also, I want to ask you a favor. If you are a regular reader of this blog, I would love to know that. It would help me if those of you who do read this on a regular basis could "follow me." It's as simple as clicking the tab on the right that says "Join this site." This way I can know who my readers are and also get a count on how many people I have following this site.

Thank you so much for your support! Have a great Wednesday :)

{10 Fun Fall Things}

Source: madisonrawlings.tumblr.com via Madison on Pinterest

As you all must know by now, I am obsessed with fall. Every year towards the middle of summer I start to plan for the upcoming fall season. I really could go without summer altogether. I am usually freezing cold in an air conditioned building or sweating like a pig in the relentless humidity. I never know what to wear because of this problem. Plus, summer activities just don't bring me as much joy as the fall ones do. What is so great about fall? Let me tell you.

Fall brings changing leaves and perfect crisp weather that is reliable and welcoming. Fall draws you in with its colors of burnt orange and red, smells of campfires, cinnamon and cloves, and flavors of pumpkin and granny-smith apples. Fall is also the best season for fashion. Life is just extra comforting when you get to wear big warm sweaters, blue jeans, and leather boots.

If you don't agree with me about fall being the best season there is, then I challenge you to take part in the following activities. I guarantee that your life will be enriched and you will end the season with a changed mind and new passion for autumn.

Source: mochatini.org via Van on Pinterest

10 Fun Things To Do in the Fall: 

1. Pick apples. visit an orchard. drink their apple cider.

2. Bake pumpkin goodies. pumpkin muffins, pie, bread, cookies....pretty much anything with pumpkin is amazing.

3. Camping trip. Do it early before it gets too cold. Take in the smells of camping because you can't get that anywhere else. I prefer camping in the woods where you can sit around the fire and tell scary stories, but that's not everyone's cup of tea I suppose.

4. Carve pumpkins. Go to a pumpkin patch. Do not buy your pumpkin at the grocery store! Pick out your own unique pumpkin and carve that sucker. Make a party of it. And you must bake the seeds, they're delicious.

5. Visit a corn maze. Okay, this one is hard, because you have to find a good corn maze. Some of them are lame, but if you find the ones that are somewhat challenging, it can be really fun. It's better to do this one in the dark when things are spooky :)

6. Have a Scary movie night. If you don't like scary movies, then have a fall movie night. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but there are certain movies that are perfect to watch in the fall. Examples: Cold Mountain, The Village, and Dan in Real Life. I watch all of these multiple times during the fall.

7. Take a Hike. If you are a hoosier, this might be a challenge. But hey, "hiking" can be a simple walk in the woods. If possible though, find a mountain and climb it (or large hill). Soak up the view from the top.

8. Attend a Football Game. In High School, I remember loving the fall because of football season, and I would go to every game I possibly could. I think my favorite things are the pep band and the hot chocolate from concessions. yum.

9. Make caramel apples, cider with spices, and homemade hot soup. Hello comfort food in the chilly weather. All three of these things will make your house smell like heaven.  

10. Halloween party!!! One of my favorite things about fall is Halloween. To make the most of it, you should create a killer creative Halloween costume (like our Jack and Jill from last year). Pass out candy to the trick-or-treaters, and make sure you aren't giving out crappy candy, or the kiddies will not want to come back for more next year. I think its fun to host/attend a party where there are things like bobbing for apples, dancing, good food, and costume contests. If you are really looking to have a good time, find a haunted house to go to. Make sure you do some research, because some of these places are sketch and/ or real lame. (hint: if it doesn't freak you out and make you scream and lose your breath, than its probably not worth your time). Enjoy this night, it's the best.

Source: piccsy.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

If you do all of these things and still don't love fall, than you're a crazy person.

{meals this week}

Being a full time student = no time to cook real food. 

Well, maybe there is time, but by dinner I'm just too exhausted and overwhelmed with homework to make an extravagant meal for two. Sometimes Jordan and I ask our on campus friends to kindly swipe us meals at the college, or we just make something easy like soup and sandwiches. This week we had a day of breakfast for dinner. Red Berries tea, Cheerios, and oatmeal. I was content. Today I went next door to the girls' house for a meal cooked by our new friend, Lawson. He made a fancy shmancy and delicious dinner for us: tomato basil soup with mushrooms, pesto pasta, seasoned mozzarella & tomatos, baked brie crescents, and garlic cheese bread. Our stomachs were full and to be honest, we were all pretty impressed.

 Now I am inspired and determined to try cooking at least one real meal a week. We will start there and see if I can stick to it. Wish me luck.

{Machine Gun Preacher}

Last night my friend Bethany and I were sitting and talking on my front porch like girls do. She told me about this new movie, and I instantly wanted to see it. This is going to be a great film. A true story that is happening today in our world. Go here to learn more about Machine Gun Preacher. 

{write a letter to someone you love}

Lately I have learned the importance of a written note, a letter, or even a little message typed up in a word document. This small gesture of love makes a huge impact and in some ways goes beyond words spoken and not saved. I like the idea of writing letters to those people who deserve to hear a little encouragement, affirmation, or just a nice bit of acknowledgment for all they do that seems to go unnoticed. This inspiration has come from our friends Kyle and Kelsey Lantz, as well as my favorite bloggers at todaysletters. I am going to be more intentional about this writing letters thing.

Source: bellacosas.tumblr.com via Delores on Pinterest

Letter #1

Dear Husband,

Thank you for waking me up so we can take a breakfast trip to Starbucks. I loved my egg and cheese sandwich + latte meal.  I know that you hate washing dishes just as much as I do, and your willingness to help our around the house does not go unnoticed. I recognize that I am a bit crazy when it comes to cleanliness and clutter. Sorry for that. I am very glad that you drive me to work at 6:00am so I don't have to walk all alone in the dark. Waking up that early is hard enough, and sacrificing 30 more minutes of sleep is even harder. Oh, and you really are the best husband because you let me choose the music in the car, even if it's a country song or two (which I know you despise). I love you more than Taco Bell cinnamon twists and original tart JuJuBerry!

Love, Al

{"why conservative christians flock to a gay bar"}

"He believes that too many Christians don't understand the complexity of the small number of Bible verses that mention homosexuality - he also thinks that gay people are often too quick to dismiss Christianity....

He admits that some churches will continue to focus on "healing'"gay people of homosexuality - while others will simply welcome and affirm gay people on their own terms...

He says that the Marin Foundation simply wants to get gay people thinking about Christian spirituality in its broadest sense, without a disproportionate emphasis on sexual morality."

Read this article

This man's ministry gives me some hope that the church might be able to turn around and change its actions towards the gay community. The church has caused so much damage already, but this picture is a sign of reconciliation, forgiveness, and love. I am so glad to hear stories like this one. 

{Chopped}

I couldn't resist. I have spent the past two weeks debating whether or not I should cut all of my hair off.  Everyone told me not to do it. 

Well, I caved. 

I had proudly rocked the mid-back length hair for four years. I loved it, but it was hard to manage, and I hated putting it up for my McConn shifts. I was trying not to do the typical "cut your hair once you get married" thing, but it just makes too much sense. Now I understand why every new wife follows this pattern. 

Thankfully I had the support of Mr. Shepherd. He was happy to hear that I would no longer be able to plop my hair into a messy bun on the tippy top of my head (he really hated that look). He was so happy that he made a little video of the hair chopping experience. Or maybe he just did it because he is obsessed with his new iphone...

Either way, I am happy to have a new do with a feather for flair.

What do you think?

{Friday Night Lights}

Jordan and I are finally caught up with Man Men, which has been our favorite show for a long time now. After we watched the last episode, we realized that the new season wouldn't be out on DVD for a while. Our next move was finding a new show to rent from our friend family vid. 

We gave Friday Night Lights a try, and it surprised us. This show is actually legit! And sort of addicting if I'm being honest. We stayed up until 4:00am one night watching this thing. 

We finished the first season in only a few weeks, but I've heard there are plenty more to keep us entertained for the rest of senior year. 

{Mr. Shepherd}

The guy in the photos

If you read this blog then you may have started to notice the same guy showing up in Alli’s photos…that’s me. I have spent the past three years either in the forefront or the background of this lovely lady’s photos…and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since I’m living the life she is blogging, I figured it was about time I hopped on board. So here is my first post. It is just one of many to come.

{Butternut Squash Soup}

Ingredients:
- butternut squash
- 1 small onion
- carrot
- celery
- potato
- nutmeg
- cinnamon
- chicken broth (about 32 oz.)
- italien seasoning
- salt & pepper
- 2 tbsp. butter

Peirce the squash with a fork, bake in the oven at 400 degrees for one hour.  Melt the butter in a pot on the stove, chop and add veggies, add seasoning, let cook for about 5mins. Pour the chicken broth over the veggies until covered. Bring to a boil, add the rest of chicken broth, cover, simmer for about 40mins. After squash is done, peel the skin and scoop out the seeds. Cut squash and add to veggie pot for a few minutes. Transfer the soup to the food processor in sections until the entire pot is pureed.

( I know, it looks like baby food. Never mind that.)

This whole process took me a little over an hour. You can alter the amount of veggies you use or add your own seasonings or other fun ingredients to it. I have heard that adding sour cream to this soup is great too. I didn't measure most of it because I was making it up as I went along. By the time I was done I ended up with a giant bowl of soup that is going to last me all week :)

You know what else? Plain butternut squash without any of the other veggies is real tasty too. So if you only have the squash, go for it.

Fun fact: In Ireland, all the soup is pureed. You never know what's in the soup, it just tastes really yummy. It's almost like solving a mystery.

I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did. Please tell me if you end up using this recipe!

{Back to School}

It was my last first day of school on Tuesday. It's a surreal feeling being back at IWU after living in Ireland for a semester, becoming a Mrs., and starting a whole new stage of life that involved bills and house work. I have this strange feeling like I don't really belong here anymore. But I guess I expected that once Jordan and I had made our plans last fall. We knew everything was going to change, and change for the better.

The best part about starting school is the season. Fall. And with fall comes pumpkin spice lattes at the bucks. In fact, I think I just might head over there right now to get myself some fall goodness in a cup.

{our wedding video}

We are so thankful for our talented videographer Cory Hiemann. Cory is a friend of ours who knew exactly what we wanted and also understands our taste and personality. This video couldn't be any better. I trusted that he would make something that would capture the day beautifully, and he did just that and more.