october thirteen

Bucket List Update

Carve a pumpkin

I really wish I could be starting off this post by crossing off two things from the bucket list, but instead it is only one.  We had this great plans to go visit the pumpkin patch and carve pumpkins but with the weather being so weird lately, all the other things we had to do and Bez leaving for two weeks, the timing just wasn't right. This, however, was not going to stop me from carving a pumpkin this October.

October is the greatest month of the year- except for maybe December.  I love the weather changing. I love Halloween. There is something about October that brings a really happy feeling to my soul. I wish October could last forever.

Last year was the first time I had ever carved a pumpkin in my life (shocking, I know). So this year, I went into the experience with the highest hopes and the most spectacular intentions.  My pumpkin last year was so magnificent.  I think I was actually in love with it.  This year, I had quite a difficult time making a decision on what I actually wanted to carve on my pumpkin.  My finally decision came down to an elephant, Harry Styles or Iron Man.  Bez decided on Captain America so I figured I would go with Iron Man and our pumpkins could be friends.

So we picked our pumpkins (not from the patch). I was kind of disappointed that they didn't have any really tall pumpkins. I am secretly (not really a secret now) partial to the tall geeky looking ones. That's a common life thread and a story for another day. 

Little did I know, I should have been picking out a pumpkin that was taller seeing as I had trouble getting my pattern to fit. First dagger in my road to a meltdown.

 

So my carving is coming along lovely.  I feel like a pro.  Then, my pieces decide to cave in and break.  At that point I had an actual meltdown.  I threw a large chunk of pumpkin across our living room. I sat down on the floor of the kitchen and was on the verge of actual tears. Bez stood there and just said "Get up and finish this pumpkin. It will be fine." I wanted to throw an epic childish fit over how it wasn't going to look good but I refrained.  I was moments away from tossing the entire thing in the trashcan but I realized, what good will it be if I don't finish it?

 Eventually I 'finished' my pumpkin.  It didn't come out looking like the pattern because I had to put some pieces back in that weren't supposed to stay in there.  Does it look like Iron Man? Sure.  Am I happy with it? Sure. Could I have done better? Hell yeah.

My pumpkin did not turn out as good as the one I did last year. And looking at the two pumpkins side by side I realize how much of a failure mine was. It makes me sad that the one of us that is supposed to be the more creative one failed miserably. I can't ever win.

There's always next Halloween.