First, buy a pumpkin without any clue what to do with it. Second, ignore pumpkin stored in the drawer at the bottom of the refrigerator for almost two weeks. Third, finally take pumpkin out of the refrigerator and purée it (not knowing what to do after purée-ing). Fourth, google recipes for pumpkin soup. Fifth, make do with whatever ingredients available at home to make a decent pumpkin soup. Sixth, get help from auntie Gilda who is THE kitchen maestro. Seventh, "celebrate the small victories" with awesome lucky first homemade pumpkin soup, yummy!