All the Things

Last night as we went to bed, I said to Luisa, "We made it." Did we survive some cataclysmic event? Did we climb Everest? Did we win a pie eating contest? No, no, and no. We made it through October.

When our kids were small, we got together with our close friends who also had kids and did all the fall things. We went to pumpkin patches and corn mazes and did Halloween big. As the kids got older, we did less and less but now, as they become tweens and teens, I know these festive days are numbered. So, when the kids come to me and say, "Let's do all the things!" I do my best to make sure we do all the things.

We spent an entire day at a corn maze and the kids did every single activity available. We all went through the maze, though the adults and kids went their separate ways.

They buried each other in the corn pit and raced on the pedal cars. They shot potatoes from sling shots and corn cobs through some sort of pressurized gun. They went through the petting zoo and raced rubber ducks. They even rode the little animal train.

They seemed to enjoy every moment and for one day, they seemed like kids again. Maybe that was the draw for them. It was certainly an unexpected gift for me.

They wanted to have a party with Halloween-themed foods and movies, so, we all worked together to make that happen. Our friends hosted at their condo and the kids had soda and pizza. There were also pumpkin muffins and a pumpkin vomiting guacamole and Halloween cookies. The kids picked out movies and actually took the age range into consideration. While they watched movies, the grown ups went to East Lake Brewery and had dinner and drinks. Definitely a new era.

Digital projections are the way to go

This past weekend, we headed out for a haunted hayride and haunted house. The weather was perfect - mild and clear - and as the tractor made it's way through the cornfield, we all admired the stars (before creatures started jumping out of things). Then, we held onto each other tightly as we made our way through the haunted house that seemed to go on forever, leaving me with a stiff neck from the tension. 

Then, we decorated our house for Halloween for the first time in years and met up here last night for soup, trick or treating and candy. 

It was a fantastic month. It was an exhausting month.

This is why we fell into bed last night tired but victorious and just as I was about to fall asleep, Luisa said, "And NaBloPoMo and NaNoWriMo start tomorrow." Somehow, I fell asleep despite that comment.

We survived October. Welcome to November! I'll "see" you right here every day for the next month.