Whew!

Whew, it was another busy week! After attending Gather last week, I had to spend Monday through Thursday evenings reviewing my Pioneer Day edits. It's nice to be on the opposite end of editing for once. I appreciate most of the edits, because they will make my article better. But I am a professional, so it's validating to see where the editor is wrong and I can point out in the Chicago Manual of Style what it should be. It's good to have another part of the process finished!

On Monday, I noticed something furry out the window by our front door, so I opened the door to see a "trash panda."

My parents spent several days at Wasatch Mountain State Park, which has been a fall tradition since 2018. I joined them Friday night, my first time in their latest trailer. They have bought three trailers in the last five years, and it seems like they've finally settled on one they like. The trees in the park have changed spectacularly. I went on a short run on Friday night (just under three miles):

And then on Saturday I went on a run just under seven miles, with a climb of about a thousand feet. I went on a trail that had lots of switchbacks, which prevented it from being overly steep. I made it to an overlook called 'Ale of a View.

Fall really is the most spectacular season!

Back on St. Patrick's Day, I attended a National Parks concert. They announced that they were moving their annual Superbloom music fest from southern Utah to the Gallivan Center downtown. I bought a ticket for myself at that time.

Six months later, I've been so busy that I didn't care to go to the entire music fest. I went to the Gallivan Center in the evening. There were some other bands playing, but I've found that live music really is more fun when you know the songs. So I stuck around for the National Parks, because they're the only one of the bands in the lineup that I follow. My cousin Joe happened to be working at the event, and he came and said hi to me, but it was hard to have a conversation because the music was loud. The National Parks always put on a great show. In March they released a new album, 8th Wonder, which I rank in the middle of their discography. This week they released an EP with four of the songs featuring the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, so they had the orchestra join them for two songs last night. It was a fun concert, but I was still recovering from a full busy week, so I didn't stay for any other bands.

Now I'm hoping to be able to catch my breath this break, going on fall runs and finally getting the Halloween decorations up.

Next weekend will be general conference. So here's a totally inappropriate ranking of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, according to how much I look forward to hearing them speak in conference:

1. Uchtdorf
2. Holland
3. Gong
4. Renlund
5. Rasband
6. Christofferson
7. Stevenson
8. Nelson
9. Bednar
10. Soares
11. Eyring
12. Andersen
13. Cook
14. Ballard
15. Oaks

***

Buckle up, because this week's pumpkinundation roundup is going to be big, since I have to make up for last week too.

I've found that dried apples often have a weird flavor and texture, so I was pleasantly surprised with Trader Joe's Honeycrisp Apple Granola. It has a nice apple flavor without any of the weirdness. 7/10.

I am glad that the Maverik Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin no longer has a heavy-duty plastic container, though maybe that makes it less sanitary. It has little chocolate chips on top and big ones inside. It's one of my favorites every year. 8/10.

Favorite Day Pumpkin Spice Whipped Dairy Topping tastes like Christmas to me. I don't know if I would guess it was pumpkin spice, but I like it better than plain whipped cream. (Favorite Day is one of Target's store brands.) 7/10.

Great Value Pumpkin Spice Flavored Syrup also has a nice flavor, even if it's an artificial flavor. (Great Value is Walmart's store brand.) 7/10.

Trader Joe's Pumpkin O's are OK. They have a rough texture and a mediocre flavor. 6/10.

This Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Butter has been in my cupboard for five years, because it makes me mad. It feels greasier than regular lotion. But the most infuriating part is that it's marketed as pumpkin body butter, but as far as I can tell, the only pumpkin is pumpkin seed oil. And it has more coconut oil than it has pumpkin seed oil. So they should really call it Coconut Body Butter. 3/10.

But the Trader Joe's Pumpkin Body Scrub is new, and they suggest pairing it with the body butter. This one actually has more of a seasonal scent to it, but it's weird, because it feels like putting cake batter on your body. I don't really get the point of it, but I've never really cared about a skincare routine. 6/10.

This is my first time having Trader Joe's Pumpkin Ginger Mini Hold the Cone! Ice Cream Cones. They have a strong ginger flavor, so it's refreshing to get a change from the usual plain pumpkin and cinnamon. And I like the little size, though I don't like the plastic packaging inside the box. 8/10.

Trader Joe's Caramel Apple Mochi is great! Mochi is ice cream surrounded by a soft, doughy cover. I've had another brand that I didn't really care for. But I liked this one! It has a nice caramel apple flavor. 8/10.

The Fiiz Pumpkin Spice Frappe doesn't have any pumpkin in it, though I didn't expect it to. It's OK. 6/10.

I got this Beloved Apple & Cinnamon Bark Shower & Bath Gel on clearance in the end of 2021. It's fun to have an autumnal scent in the shower. (I would have to start an OnlyFans to show you a picture of me using it.) 7/10.

And I guess I will just say the same thing about the Beloved Pumpkin & Tonka Shower & Bath Gel, though I have no idea what tonka is. 7/10.

I was excited to try Wiley Wallaby Candy Corn Drops, just because it's such a weird, random thing. It's candy corn–flavored licorice with a candy coating. It has the fun texture of Good & Plenty, but the candy corn flavor is less aggressive than black licorice. 7/10.

It's been a few years since I've had See's Candies Caramel Apple Lollypops. See's Lollypops are massive, indulgent suckers, and I like this caramel flavor with a touch of apple. (They also make a Pumpkin Spice version, but that one tastes like plastic, so I didn't but them this year.) 7/10.

Carmella Creeper is a brand new Monster Cereal, and unlike the others, this one actually has a seasonal flavor: caramel apple! Carmella is the zombie cousin of Count Chocula, and I love the artwork. I've never met Carmella, but I already know her personality. It has a definite caramel flavor. But here's the thing: no one actually likes the Monster Cereals. They only sell because they're seasonal nostalgia. The internet tells me they used to be better when they were made with oats instead of corn. I do like it better than all the other Monster Cereals except for Count Chocula. 6/10.

Bruges Pumpkin Pie Waffle doesn't really evoke pumpkin pie to me. I thought the glob on top might be pumpkin pie filling, but no, it's cookie butter. So I guess the waffle itself is pumpkin, but it didn't really taste like that to me. And you don't usually put chocolate on pumpkin pie. It was very sweet. 6/10.

Favorite Day Candy Corn Crunch Bark Crisps put a winning combination—candy corn and peanuts—in a white confection. It's definitely sweet, but I like it. 7/10.

Safe + Fair Pumpkin Pie Granola is fine; I don't know if I would recognize it as pumpkin pie. It's better than the All-American version they make for the Fourth of July. 6/10.

The Fresh Market Pumpkin Cake Roll was tasty and well received at the dinner I took it to. 7/10.

Favorite Day Apple Caramel Crunchy Clusters are pretzels with apple-flavored caramel. I love salty and sweet together. 8/10.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Frosted Mini Wheats have been around since 2015. They have an artificial flavor. But Frosted Mini Wheats is one of my favorite cereals (they're filling and have a lower sugar ratio), so I appreciate having a seasonal variety. 7/10.

Softsoap Pumpkin Spice is a passable soap. 6/10.

Favorite Day Candy Corn Crunch Trail Mix has honey peanuts, candy-coated pretzel bites, candy corn, and raisins. Candy corn and peanuts go great together. I don't love the raisins. 7/10.

The Fresh Market Pumpkin Donut isn't very flavorful. It just tastes like a generic donut. 6/10.

In the past I have loved Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, but they're not as good as I remember. Maybe I'm tired of them. But I swear they used to have actual pumpkin in them, and now I don't see pumpkin on the ingredients list. So maybe they changed the recipe without telling anyone, and it's not as good anymore. I still like it though. 7/10.

The Fresh Market Apple Cider Donut also didn't have much flavor. 6/10.

In Provo, I had this JJ Burgers Pumpkin Shake. Note that they called this a pumpkin shake, not a pumpkin spice shake, but I didn't detect any pumpkin at all. It just had an artificial flavor. 6/10.

Good & Gather Caramel Apple Granola didn't evoke caramel or apples to me. It was OK. (Good & Gather is another Target brand.) 5/10.

I had this pumpkin bread at the Mormon Land recording. It was tasty. 7/10.

I was disappointed with the Chip Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie. Chip is my second-favorite cookie place (after Goodly, which seems to be struggling). Lots of places make the pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, but this one wasn't very pumpkiny. 6/10.

The Crumbl Apple Cider Muffin Cookie wasn't very interesting. I know apple cider donuts are a thing, but are apple cider muffins? I really just thought it tasted like a snickerdoodle. It was fine as a snickerdoodle, but disappointing for how it was advertised. 6/10.

Harmons Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are what you expect from such a cookie. I've had them before, and I liked them better than I did previously. 7/10.