Hiding From The Great Pumpkin

Halloween season use to be a process leading up to the big day.  There were the trips to the fabric store to select a pattern and material for the perfect costume, a trip to the pumpkin patch, decorating the inside and outside of the house.  Carving the pumpkin required a family meeting--a lesson in the democratic process of voting [on the carve patterns].  There was the constant lessons of how to say "trick-r-treat"...because nothing gets my goat more than a plastic pumpkin stuck in my face by stretched out arms, expecting candy without a cheerful prompt.  There was annual chili supper with the neighbors.  Then when I returned to work after seventeen years as a stay-at-home mom--thinking of a costume for myself to match the office theme was an additional chore, a fun and welcomed chore.  Halloween was magical in all its ghoulishness.

Now....

Work is no longer peppered with elementary holiday sweetness, it instead has been mentally exhausting,  So, when Halloween night begged an invitation to hide out in the dark, we took it!  King Ralph and I sat in the living room in the dark, only the glow of the TV to add light to the room.  We ordered a pizza and wings and calculated our escape from the garage to fetch our food.  First we stopped at the grocery store each selecting our own seasonal selection of beer and a Redbox movie. Now here's the funny of it all.  As we drove up our street we saw only a solo trick-r-treat-er.  She had a car following behind her...parents don't like 35* Halloween nights after a week of 80* temperatures. Almost every house on our street was dark.  The young took the fun else where, and the old (I guess King Ralph and I tossed ourselves in this category) hid in the dark...from no one.  How hilarious is that?!

While King Ralph and I hid in the dark tossing back beers and munching on pizza and wings, our girlies were out putting a mark on Halloween. D was performing at the NATS (National Association of Teachers Singing) Recital.  Which is a BIG deal to be selected by your college professor to perform. D was the only non-senior from SEMO selected to sing.  Although D felt great about her performance, sadly it didn't progress to the next round as she had hoped.  I sent her this text: Remember what Karen Carpenter sang "don't worry if it not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a song."  Take this experience as a moment in life to grow and learn from. These are the events that will help shape you into a stronger person and a better more compassionate teacher. And most of all, never forget...your momma ❤️you! 😘😘😘😘😘😘 

Meanwhile, Princess A took to the highway to visit M at MSU where they donned the matching costumes M had created for them.

While in the back off the mind you can hear Jack Nicholson saying "all work and no play make Jack a dull boy."

King Ralph and I spent the rest of the weekend going to the movies, shopping, eating yummy foods and lounging on the couch in our pajamas. 

Happy Fall Back On the Clock!