1. In 3 days, Mark and I will be NOLA-bound. I’m so excited! Friday night, we’re seeing Book of Mormon. Saturday is pretty much open for anything, and Sunday we’ll be in the Superdome watching the Saints (hopefully) beat the Bills. Can’t wait!

2. I am kind of sad to be missing the Bikram studio’s 3-year anniversary party this Saturday, though. I hope they all have fun—and good luck to those in the running to win 3 free months of tuition!

3. This past weekend was pretty fantastic. We took advantage of the beautiful cool weather Sunday and had a picnic lunch (Panini Pete’s takeout) at Bayfront Park. We went walking along the nature trail (I had no idea there was a little beach and pier down from the main one and will certainly come back!), but our walk abruptly ended when we heard/saw something slither through the leaves. I didn’t tell Mark that I was 99% certain it was a snake until we were off the trail (he’s as terrified of snakes as I am of lightning).

4. These s’mores pancakes might be the most ingenious breakfast I’ve ever seen. I really need to make these one weekend (especially since we’ll probably never go camping and make real s’mores after the snake incident). 😉

5. If you drink it, what’s your favorite pumpkin beer? I’m a big fan of O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer, but the Stevens Point Pumpkin Ale is terrible—it’s incredibly heavy on the nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice. This past Sunday, we tried Fairhope Brewery’s “Pumpkin Up the Jam” (and, yes, I sang my order to “Pump Up the Jam”), and it was a perfect balance of spice, pumpkin, and bitterness (and at 8.5% ABV, I believe, it was a strong one).

6. So, I’ve discovered my new favorite nut butter (for now): Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter! I do still love Nutella, but I don’t love the amount of sugar in it. This, though, is perfect. The roasted hazelnut flavor really shines through, and it’s totally suitable for breakfast. Or eating one’s feelings after a long day at work, straight out of the jar with a spoon.

7. How horrible is the smog in China? I can’t imagine living like that, not even being able to leave the house without being assaulted by pollution. So sad.

8. I never thought it would happen (given the dirty atmosphere in which I work), but I actually enjoy wearing skirts/dresses to work. I’m so happy for this week’s cool weather because it means I actually get to wear some of the fall skirts I bought last year. I always buy “work clothes” that I never actually wear to work.

9. I finally broke down and bought some Honeycrisp apples…for $3.89 a pound! Essentially, I ate a $2.00 apple with my lunch today. But it tasted like autumn, so it was completely worth it.

10. I debated for a good minute whether or not I should’ve capitalized “autumn” in #9. I think I’ve been doing both lately, but according to this site, it’s not necessary to capitalize them in sentences. Glad I no longer have to lose sleep over that one!

Happy Tuesday, friends!