The last day.

Ahhh!!! This is like the last day for me to post in November! And by "the last" I mean "almost the last". Lets see...what has happened in my life in the last month? My sister's birthday, also finding out I'm officially going to be a real aunt!! Very excited about that, even though I somewhat dislike the term aunt. Maybe I'll try to pick something else, like...Jedi. I can be Jedi Mallory, not Aunt Mallory.

What else happened in November? Thanksgiving happened, but mine was probably like yours so no need to go into detail.

It's raining a lot, I should probably go check on that leak in the laundry room and see if its overwhelmed by liquid yet.

Also in November I decided to have another party for my youth group girls on December 10th. I also wrote part of a song. Those are some of my pointed attempts at becoming who I want to be. I think. That is, I think who I'm trying to become is who I want to be. The goings a little rough, partly because I have only a rough estimation of where it is I'm going. Mostly because I have no clue where I am right now, or who I am. I'm heading in the general direction of...somewhere. Oh, and I've lost a couple pounds since last week. That is one destination I know how to get to, even though it isn't fun. At all, but the direction is called Not Fat. 

Ok I didn't want to go a whole month with no bloggings. Preferably I would have several a month, but I've been a little distracted. Here's hoping.

Spaghetti Squash

Yes this is a blog about spaghetti squash. Why? I'll tell you why, because its amazingly delicious. Magically delicious even, if the lucky charms advertisers will let me say that...Here is what happened when spaghetti squash was created. God's like psh, you n00bs want to eat noodles from a box? I mean you'll actually have to take it OUT of the box to cook it?? Oh but you want fast food??! Here, put this spaghetti squash in the oven and forget about it for an hour, then BAM! Noodley goodness!! No preservatives, no HFCS, no added artificial colors or flavors! Take that food industry!!!!!!Props to this website (Kudos for these pictures) that told me just how easy the best thing that ever happened to my oven would be. Guess what else, if you aren't feeling like the laziest person in the universe that just cooked something, you can take the seeds, take approximately 47-53 seconds and separate the stringy stuff from the seeds then make a delicious snack! I am not a professional cook person teacher, so I can't give you specifics but here is my two thoughts: One, cook them like you do roasted pumpkin seeds. If you've never roasted pumpkin seeds there isn't much I can do for you. Knock on your neighbors door until one of them feels bad enough to tell you how. (Told you I wasn't a cook teacher person!) Way number two: Add a small dollop of butter, moderate amount of cinnamon, and an extra yummy amount of your preferred sweetener ex: sugar. (I tried using Truvia, which is my new love). Stir until stirred well, then spread it out on a baking pan/sheet/object. I can't remember how long I baked it for, like 20-30 minutes. Just don't burn them. Then take them out and eat them! But don't burn your tongue. 

Caution: things coming out of the oven are, more often than not, hot! 

Lastly, go buy another spaghetti squash and repeat process until optimum happiness is achieved.

Whats in a title? A blog by any other description would be as meaninful.

At least this one would, cause I got a big chair, a blanket, a cup of coffee, and a Bible. My next plan of action is to sit on the chair, put on the blanket, drink the coffee, and read the Bible. Its probably the first right thing I've done in a while. Not that I spend the rest of my time stealing from old ladies, or taking candy from babies, but I have a lot of hobbies that make it easy to not focus on... anything. But this blanket, its like an iron clad blanket and it won't come off of me until I have spent some time with my Savior. I figure if I claim to know him...I better actually do it. Because at the end of my life its going to be my word against His. And guess whose word wins out? Here is a clue: One of us spoke the other one into existence.

Now and laters

In such a now now generation, where results much be instant, the more instant the better, I pray that God will help me wait on him. Like Psalms 27:14, I need to learn to wait on the Lord. Be strong, and take heart. Its hard, especially when I see something in me that needs to change. Lord can't you change it now?! I see now what I must become...just make me that! I heard from someone, some time ago, that if it took 20 years or what have you, to develop or "learn" a bad habit or character flaw, that it can't simply be "unlearned" in a couple days or weeks. If only I could remember that more often, especially when I need to have a "be strong and take heart" moment. His timing is best, He proves that basically 24/7, but even if he didn't I certainly prove that my timing leaves much to be desired time after time. Amen.

Container of Organs.

Me. Singing this song. Because I like to sing, and I like this song.

My trip to Chicago.

              Blue-Tongued Skink                 

Well, we had to battle sore feet, an un-tooth ache, sleep deprivation, and schizophrenic hobos. But I got to pet a blue-tongued skink------>

Bunch of scared college kids

  
    
and watch a bunch of college kids run away from a skunk.

Cute skunk

Oh, not to mention the WILD PIG ROADKILL!  Not kidding. It had tusks and everything. Sorry, no pic of that. Really though, we went to the Shedd aquarium and had a good time, minus the foot problem and un-tooth ache. We got pretty lost driving around the 14 museum-like looking buildings next to the aquarium. Luckily, thanks to the time zone difference, we had plenty of time to find it since we arrived in Chicago just at the beginning of rush hour...4am their time. Once the parking garages opened we parked, and walked/limped to the navy pier. 

Navy pier was very cool, you can see the spot we watched the sunrise from in this pic.

At that point I was having some serious first world problems, lacking in some American comforts, including food and a restroom. Finally, at the end of the pier, we found a public restroom and some vending machines! I'm pretty sure we weren't breaking and entering...it was unlocked? Anywho everything worked out perfectly for us to watch the sunrise from the very end of the pier (which was off limits depending on which route you took). Me, Don, animal crackers and a scaredy seagull. Believe it or not they won't all swoop down and snatch a French fry from your greasy grip. Where was I? Oh yes, the sunrise. Well it rose, as expected, then we dodged a multitude of joggers as we made our way back to...not on the pier anymore.
Then we found a snazzy little breakfast place where we shared out breakfast (literally) with a presumably homeless guy and a schizophrenic. Except the latter didn't eat any of our potatos. Maybe because the hobo didn't finish them he figured they weren't all that tasty. Or maybe he was just too involved in the heated political conversation he was having. With himself. Guess we'll never know, huh?
So after our cozy communal breakfast we made our way to the Shedd aquarium, which was quite a walk. A fact that we unfortunately didn't realize until the hurting left foot turned into a hurting left body. I just thought of baby monkey riding on a pig, and it gave me the strength to keep on keepin' on! If you have no idea what i'm talking about, refer to the link on the comments section. Not now though, read the rest of my post first.
Sure enough we eventually got there. It was a pretty big ordeal, we spent the better portion of the day there so I'll just summarize:

Whales, fish, and dolphins too

Goldfish eat eachothers poo

Blue tongued skink, a running sink

Poison frogs and turtles on logs. 

Jelly fish, well worth the mention

A theater with 4 dimensions

Some penguins and tropical birds

And a parrot that said no words.

      Sooooo.....that about sums it up. On the way back to our car we decided against the 4 mile walk or so walk, and opted to ride the water taxi! Amazing the car didn't give out in the water. No, no, no, silly! It was a boat taxi! Very fun.We didn't eat anywhere else in Chicago, although I'm told we drove past a famous building. 
      From there we hit the highway, took more pain killers, and bought a new pair of shoes. We decided to stay at a hotel that didn't appear to have any drug dealers checking in (which is more than I can say for the first place we stopped at) and prepared for the next days adventures at Wolf Park in Indiana!

I've recently become a biker.

I have an appointment next week to get "mom" with a heart behind it tattooed on my arm.

No no no, not that kind of biker. A bicycler. The more humanly powered device of the two wheeled variety. And from day one of riding, it was like I aquired some membership card without the flat rectangular part to put in my wallet. I suddenly had a kinship with other bikers. Together we fight rude groups of sidewalk hoggers, obnoxious automobiels zipping by in their 4 wheels of speed, old ladies that don't know how to back out of their driveway, and right turners on red. We have carved a path on those busy roads not paved with sidewalk. We nod knowingly to eachother when passing one another accros the road. We happily veer off the beaten path to let the other cyclist through when entering a narrow path. We bikers must stick together, for we are all we have. We are too slow for the cars yet too fast for the pedestrians. If we don't look out for one another, who will?