PUMPKINS!

Remember when Kelsi and I dressed up as pumpkins for Halloween? Well, combine that with a serious homesickness for Midwestern fall foods, flavors and colors, and you can see why I have been missing pumpkin in my life lately. No more, my friends. South America tropical climate and all I made it my mission this weekend to get some pumpkin-y goodness happening in our apartment.

The beginning inspiration...

Saturday afternoon I spent the weekend laying out at the pool (yes, fall in a tropical country is so hard, I know) and stopped at the grocery store on the way home to discover the cutest little pumpkin ever. I decided to make good on several conversations with coworkers lately and test out this making my own pumpkin puree business. I came home and declared to Kelsi and Stetson, "I'm going to roast a whole pumpkin." {directions here} Roast it I did, and in just 90 minute there was warm, soft, pumpkin-y deliciousness ready to blend into pumpkin puree. I even saved the seeds to roast later! Win.

Roasted pumpkin being cut into slices to scoop out the seeds!

Homemade pumpkin puree, no preservatives or Cub Foods necessary! 

Two containers of pumpkin puree later and we left the apartment to go to dinner. I woke up this morning with pumpkin on my mind, used the online dictionary to learn nutmeg (nuez mostada) and cloves (clavos) in Spanish, and headed back to the grocery store. A successful mission later and I had all the supplies for pumpkin baked goods of all kinds. Now what to use my precious pumpkin puree for??? I started with pumpkin muffins and I could not be happier. {recipe here} 

 Pumpkin muffins! They're orange!!! YAY!

 Cinnanon, nutmeg and sugar on top! Porque no?

If ever a muffin could change your life, this is that muffin. Seriously people. I woke Kelsi up from a nap to make her eat a warm one. She wasn't even a little bit angry about it.

With a bit more pumpkin to use up (don't worry, I still have one container in the freezer!) Kelsi and I made afternoon pumpkin spice lattes. Move to a foreign country for three years where pumpkin spice lattes don't exist then go through a 10 step process to make your own. You know what it will taste like?  Happiness. In your mouth. I'm still milking mine as I type this.

Pumpkin spice latte! In Colombia!! Cheers to fall flavors! 

Now....what to use the second container of pumpkin puree for??? Suggestions? 

Two Orange Dresses, A Trip to the Fabric Store, & Friday Night Craft Time

...and you too can make yourself an adorable Halloween costume!! Inspired by the legendary "Slutty Pumpkin" costume idea from one of our favorite television shows, Kelsi and I decided to go traditional with a twist for our Halloween costumes this year.  However, upon seeing the Katie Holmes version on the actual show we were in no way prepared to sport costumes with holes cut out for eyes, nose, etc. We're just not those type of girls pumpkins. So our version was more cute pumpkins with boots. I like it better :) 

{image here}

After finding the PERFECT orange tube dresses (only in Colombia...) the pumpkin idea came to life and all we needed was to pull it together. Pull it together we did with the purchase of fabric, leggings, headbands and a Friday night sewing session that lasted 5+ hours and included a bottle of wine. End result? The cutest two pumpkins you've ever seen :)

You'd pick us first out of the patch. 

 Pirates apparently scare pumpkins.

 But aliens who light up? We're cool with them.

 Halloween treats in the form of eyeballs!

 Group photo before the party really got going.

One rocker, one pumpkin and one Cheshire cat - we get along. 

Roommate love. Obvio.

Since the Colombian mayoral races are taking place this weekend, thus resulting in a weekend of Ley Seca AKA no alcohol sold from Saturday to Sunday and a discouragement to gather in large groups, we held our annual Halloween party a weekend early. The past two years our friend Tara held the party on her rooftop, but now she is teaching in Indonesia, so we headed for a different rooftop in Cali at Amanda, Jeff & Courtney's apartment complex. With their awesome rooftop, Stetson's party planning skills and Kelsi and I decorating, the whole party was a total success! 

Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays, because when it comes down to it, who doesn't love the idea of dressing up to be something or someone else if only for a night?? AND stay tuned for how the pumpkin theme has stayed with us throughout October...

Happy Halloween friends!

Landslide Schmanslide - Let's Go to Los Termales!

Amidst rampant reports of landslides, washed out roads, and inoperable hot springs pools, Katie, Stetson and I made the executive decision to stay in Salento for one more night and forgo our previously planned trip to los termales (hot springs) in the nearby town of Santa Rosa. I called on Saturday morning to cancel the reservation after not being able to reach anyone at the lodge for the previous 12 hours and we resolved to make the best of one more day exploring Salento!

Around 1 PM on Saturday we found ourselves sitting in one of so many cute cafes in Salento, enjoying a lazy day exploring town, when my friend Samantha called to say that someone from the termales had personally called her to ask when she was arriving. Sam also had a friend in town and we were all supposed to meet up at the termales that night. The woman on the phone assured her that all was fine and she could indeed come to the termales. After I called the termales again and received the same information, we figured why not and set off for Santa Rosa ourselves.

Two 45 minute bus rides from Salento later and I knew we made the right decision. After catching a cab in Santa Rosa we were rolling along the lush, green hills of the countryside, climbing further into the mountains near the hot springs. The scenery on the way there did show us a bit of washed out road, but nothing in comparison to the somewhat falsified news reports we had been hearing in Salento. And the gorgeous river and looming San Miguel waterfall more than made up for the road.

On the phone in a Salento cafe discussing the possibility of going to Santa Rosa.

We were greeted by an adorable old style lodge, friendly staff and the place practically to ourselves because so many people were scared off by the news reports. Stetson, Katie and I settled into our barely large enough room with a definitely not-large-enough bathroom and waited for Sam to arrive with her friend Lisa. They arrived shortly after us and we wasted no time jumping into the warm hot springs. After that bone-chilling hike in the rain the day before, the hot water felt absolutely perfect! After that we enjoyed dinner in the main dining room and an epic game of Uno in which I had half the deck and still came back to win. 

 Stetson and Katie make their way down the stairs from our room into the main dining room.

Hot springs! 

 An aerial view of the hot springs and lodge.

 Katie and I soaking up the warm water.

The next morning we enjoyed a typical breakfast of eggs with arepas and bread before heading for massages! Katie and I both got a half hour massage, which was fun and felt so good on our sore hiking muscles. We also had some time to walk up a short path to the base of the San Miguel waterfall for a photo shoot. 

At the base of the San Miguel waterfall.

 Katie jump shot!

My jump shot!

We enjoyed some more time in the termales, took showers (outdoors! overlooking the waterfall!), ate lunch and began the long journey back to Cali. I am so glad that Katie got to see this beautiful part of Colombia and that we were able to share it with good friends! I will most certainly be back in the not-so-distant-future....