Not getting published, but at least I can write fast!

I have been gone a lot this week. I know. I apologize. Okay, not really, because I was working on finishing NaNoWriMo, and I did it!!
As of 9:53PM PST, I became a NaNoWriMo Winner! Please notice the nice little attachment on my sidebar, showing how great I am at writing out a novel at break-neck speed, leaving grammar, punctuation, spelling, and other forms of intelligent writing by the wayside.
I am now bowing to your applause. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Because of said achievement, I'm sure many of you are interested in what I wrote. It was a novel, for sure, and it is not finished, but it stinks. Literally, people, it's pretty much crap. But that is not the point of NaNoWriMo, so I am not ashamed. Okay, I'd be ashamed if any of you found it and read it. Then I'd be humiliated. But that's what editing is for. Hooray for editing!
Side notes:
--The house is still a disaster. Good thing tomorrow is chore day.
--#4 has been sick all week. I'm really worried about him. He seems to be on the mend, though, so let's hope he gets better soon.
--I LOVE CHRISTMAS MUSIC! It's saved my sanity this week.
--I am starting to yell too much again. I need to stop. I'm writing it down so that It'll force me to think about it and focus on calming myself before I think to yell. My kids are too awesome to be yelled at. The hardest part is that I know that already. How do you keep from yelling at your kids?

Pictures and Positivity (yep, it's a word!)

Brandon told me that my last post was depressing. Yeah, it was. He thought it would be wise to think of the positive things about our vacation (which, really wasn't bad) and list 5 things that made me laugh. So, here they are, in no particular order (or level of laughingness):
Number One
#2, in the car, refusing to drink the water from the water bottle because it was "soggy."
"#2, of course your water is soggy. Soggy means 'wet'."
"No, mom! Soggy means 'stinky'!"
"Ummm...no, it doesn't."
"Yes it does!"
"Well, just drink your water."
"No! It's soggy!"
~sigh~
Number Two
BYU beat Utah. And we laughed for joy! Of course, we were near pain when Utah was up 10 to 9 with only 2 minutes left on the clock. But we laughed with great heartiness when Max Hall threw the ball on 4th and 18 --and it was caught! WA-HOO!!
Number Three
Fooling around on my brother's Facebook account. Okay, it wasn't that funny when his girlfriend was worried about some things we put on there, but it was still kind of funny... :)
Number Four
Feeling awesome (not really laughable) that I drove almost the entire way to Idaho while Brandon sat in the back with the kids. I got to listen to Christmas Music and just enjoy some solitude time. Who knew that driving was the way to make the trip tolerable? Exactly! The men have been holding out on us for years...
Number Five
Seeing my sister as a mother of two. Honestly, it's awesome. Okay --not laughable, although it is funny to see her worry about the same things I did/do. Sometimes there's no better way to bond with a sibling than to go through the same experience at the same time. I'm so glad she's finally years into the parenting thing now. It makes it easier to talk with her because we understand each other better. I just wish I could have had more time with her!
Number Five and a half
Brandon's birthday. We drove halfway to Idaho and stopped in Winnemucca on his birthday, but we made sure to give him his presents and balloons before we left. When we got to my parents' house Wednesday night, we had a birthday cake for him (Grandma's famous Angel Food Cake!). He is old now. Okay, not really. But it's fun to celebrate birthdays. Oh, and he's 31 now, btw...

Okay, there's lots more. But these will have to do for now. Thanks, Brandon, for making me think positive!

Side note:
The house is clean. The laundry is....washed....and dried...and....that's better than nothing. The Christmas decorations are up!
Oh, and this morning we went to scripture study. #3 decided that he was above asking for the freshly made cookies and tried to get one off the of the hot pan that was pushed out of reach. He has long arms. He burned his fingers. He cried for a long time and wouldn't rest until he had his blanket ("My blankie! My blankie!") So, we had to leave. I haven't been to scripture study in 4 weeks. Grrrrr....but it's okay. I still learned something, and kids sometimes have to come first.

Pictures from Vacation as Promised. These are all from Blackfoot, ID; we forgot to take some in Provo. Oh, well!

I'll post pictures later...

Could somebody please come clean my house? I have to decorate for Christmas tonight. And I. Can't. Wait! But the house must be clean first. And did I mention that we just got home from our Thanksgiving broo-hah-hah yesterday? Could there be any more to clean?

Oh, and there are ants in the bathroom.

Could somebody please come and convince me to cry? I got the rejection letter from the publisher over the weekend. I was expecting it, but there was truly some hope inside of me. But I haven't cried about it yet. Perhaps I'm in denial? It can't be "Oh, well, I'll try somebody else" because I haven't thought about that. And now NaNoWriMo is suffering, due to the holiday and now lack of motivation. How can one rejection letter cause such carnage? Family members tell me to self-publish. I just can't do that yet. I need to exhaust all avenues, and having had only one shut to me, I'm thinking there have to be more somewhere.

I'll find them. Eventually.

Could somebody please help me be a better friend? I didn't mean to ignore requests of seeing people over the weekend; I just didn't have time. I also tend to ignore emails for days and weeks, because I prefer to blog instead of respond. It's not intentional. I'm just flaky.

Which is weird. I was never flaky until I had children.

Could somebody please remind me of the good time I had this week? I saw my parents, my brother (who finally showed me pictures of his girlfriend), my sister (her husband and my adorable nephews!!), my cousin, and my "aunt" (who always has the best unsolicited advice!). We also spent time in Provo, going to the BYU game (COUGARS WON!! Take THAT, Utah!), and visiting with Brandon's dad. It was a good week. But I still feel let down. Why is that?

Perhaps it's because our renters have their stuff in my house and it looks strange. Perhaps it's because I never get any time to really visit with my family and see my hometown. Maybe it's because I would have loved to have seen friends (mentioned above) in Blackfoot and Provo. And maybe it's because I come home and there is unpacking and cleaning to do. So much cleaning. Before we can put up Christmas.

And did I mention that I love Christmas?

Easy Weekend

We didn't go to the party on Friday night. We totally bailed when we saw the bar/restaurant we were supposed to go into. Instead we went to Union Square in San Francisco and found an amazing Italian restaurant. It was suh-weet!

Saturday was full of football games, scout stuff (this would be Brandon), cleaning, movies, birthday party drop-offs and the like.

Yesterday was very cozy. No potty-training accidents in nursery, no crazy meeting schedules, and we had a great and fabulous dinner at a friend's house. Thank you to our friends! It was delicious.
The only down-side was while the kids were playing at said friends' house, some furniture fell on the children, and there were two injuries. #1 got scratched and bruised her tailbone, but she's fine. I'm more worried about our friends' daughter who got the biggest bump on her head. I hope she's okay!

OUT FOR THE WEEK:
I don't have time to blog this week. We're leaving for Idaho tomorrow night and I've got tons to do. Of course, if there's down-time at my parent's place this weekend, I might write or read or whatever. But I'm not counting on it. And just by saying this, the pressure is off.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!

Christmas Music Time!

I LOVE Christmas music. Love it, love it, love it!

So a couple of weeks ago, I bought THIS and THIS. I'm usually very good about not listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but this year, all bets are off.

I cannot get enough of it! You all know of my love for the Josh boy. But I've found a new voice: Sissel. This woman amazes me. Her voice is one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. Some people go for this. Others go for this. And even others go for this. And that's cool. I love all kind of sounds and voices, myself. I am a respecter of good music. But honestly? Sissel's voice is so pure. And her arranger? Brilliant! I'm just angry at myself for just now discovering her. How lame am I?

My Uncle sings in the MoTab (Mormon Tabernacle Choir). He told me that when she came to sing with them she was sweet, gracious, and blew them away with her spot-on pitch. She also didn't act like a diva, which impressed him even more.

So, if you're looking for Christmas Music, check these two CD's out!

*please note that this is not a paid advertisement. I just like them!

How do you spell Berkley? Berkely? Berkeley?

One way to tell that your good eating habits are finally habits: Making two loaves of delicious banana bread and two loaves of amazing apple-cinnamon bread for Book Club, and upon having less than half of it eaten, giving it to hubby to take to work so nobody in the house eats it. Of course, I was tempted to keep it all and scarf it down. Good thing hubby is stronger in the food temptation area and "suggested" that he take it into work. I just like to pretend that it was my idea.
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"#2, are your clothes put away?"
"ummm...yeeesss...."
"Okay, I'm coming to check."
She runs up the stairs in front of me and into her room. I walk into the room and see nicely made beds and a clean floor. Then I notice #2 leaning against the sliding closet door and looking guilty. I give her the "look" and open the closet. All the clean clothes, some books, and toys are on the closet floor.
"#2, you know you're not supposed to do this."
"Heeheeheee!"
"Fine, whatever." I sigh. We'll clean it later...at least the room looks good...

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Brandon and I are going to a party in Berkley tonight for the half-way mark of NaNoWriMo. I'm almost to 25,000 words, so that would be the half-way point! It's been awesome, watching my characters and plot line come alive as I write. I honestly, honestly enjoy it and have found out that I write conversations better than narration. It doesn't surprise me. For those that know me personally, I could talk myself into exhaustion. One of those great and bad things about me.

I guess it's just a random info week...

Weight Loss:
We've been going at this for a good 18 weeks or so. Brandon has lost a total of 32.8 pounds (he gained .8 this week) and I have lost a total of 26.4 pounds. It's really hard sometimes. One would think that with time it gets easier. And, in some ways, it does. My body loves the way I'm eating now. But the temptation to stop exercising and eat junk is always there. Probably always will be, too.

My husband loves me:
Why? Because I take our children to get their flu shots. I also take them to school. I also cook enough chicken for 40 people for the YM/YW etiquette dinner tonight. And after that, I do the laundry. Yes, he loves me very much.

Potty Training:
#3 is DONE! I don't even have to remind him half the time anymore. He just goes on his own. It feels so good to finally have this step behind us. I have three children potty-trained! Only one in diapers! I'm feeling the joy, people, feeling the joy...

RS (Random Stuff)

New development: #4 pulls himself up to his knees and almost to standing. On the fireplace hearth. Not good. He's also FAST. And there's way too much junk on my floor. Even if I've vacuumed the day before? No good. He finds every teeny-tiny small piece of whatever to put into his mouth. But if I leave him in his saucer? He cries. Exercise is what he wants, so I have to watch him like a hawk.

Miracle: All four children taking a nap at the same time. They did this yesterday. What did I do with it? Blog.

Sadness: My friend who went into the hospital on Sunday morning is still in the hospital and they might have to operate. Could you please pray for her?

Depression: I'm having a down week. I could give you the list as to why, but it's too depressing.

Waiting: No word from the publisher yet. I've been waiting for approx. eight weeks now. According to the card they sent me, I have 5 to 7 weeks left. I'm going crazy with worry. I keep telling myself "They will probably reject you, so just expect it." But I can't stop hoping and praying and begging that they will love my ideas. I just have to be patient. I just have to be strong. I just have to stop thinking about it!

Not a Big Deal

What constitutes a "Big Deal" in your life? I mean, what are those things that totally make you freak out?
Some women, I've observed, freak out over things like poop on the wall. This is normal.
Other women freak out over dirty homes. Understandable.
Children get sassy and ignore you? Freak away.
Someone doesn't show up for an appointment/calling/meeting/responsibility? Get the freak on.

I, however, freak out about everything. All kinds of things. Over the years, I've gotten better at stopping the freakiness for a few moments to assess whether or not it's freak-worthy. And more often than not, the situation is NOT worthy of a freak-out session. For example, is my excess use of the word "freak" going to cause other women to freak out? We may never know...

Yesterday, I was busy doing my calling --primary pianist. Brandon had gone back home with #4 for a short errand during Sunday School. The nursery leaders had been told that #3 was Potty-Trained. He had gone to the potty only 20 minutes before nursery. He should be fine for a while. At least until I went in there in 30 minutes for nursery music (my other calling). However, whilst playing the piano, the nursery leader appears in the back of the primary room with #3 in tow. He had wet his pants. He hadn't even said anything. He just stood there and let the floodgates open. I was very, very, very, very, very grateful it was only pee.
So, there I was, with no change of clothes (they were in the van that Brandon had taken home), no husband to pass him off to, and our primary chorister was a substitute herself, our original one home sick, and she had very limited piano skills.
It was a moment that could have been very, very freak-worthy. But was it?
The sisters in my ward wouldn't allow it to become that way. Sister Counselor went and found a pianist. The nursery leaders said they'd take care of the music that day. I was told to just go take care of it. No big deal.
And so I did. And they were right. No big deal. #3 and I had a nice talk about telling people when we have to go potty; I even got back in time to play for senior primary.
I had come so close to have a fit (a mature, never-let-the-children-know-what's-going-on type of a fit). But why? To what end?
Ironically, the lesson for Sharing Time given by Sister Counselor was on gratitude. She spoke of her mother and how she had taught her children to always think positive. That no matter how bad and awful and crazy life can get, there is something there worth thanking God. We have blessings all around us and we need to see it.
So, here's my list of things that made yesterday's incident wonderful, rather than no fun:

1. It was only pee --no poop! Hooray!
2. I learned how wonderfully laid back my ward can be and how willing they are to help each other.
3. While I was home, I received a phone call to do something that may very well be an incredible experience (I'll blog about that later).
4. I saw that I tend to freak out a lot. And it helped me to reassess and be grateful for the positive.

To top that off, a friend of mine had been taken to the hospital Sunday morning with breathing problems --a condition she's had, but it got very serious. She has three young daughters, who a friend of mine took to church with her. The helpful friend has two daughters of her own and is 8 months pregnant.

And I was upset about a potty-training accident? Shame, people. I felt the shame.

So, how many of the tiny details in our lives really, truly, honestly are a big deal? If I was to take a wild guess, it would be...not many.

What? You want to know MORE about me? Okay!

Amanda (whom I can't seem to stop blogging about) tagged me for this. I did a similar one here, but this one was different enough, I thought, hey, why not? :)

Four jobs I’ve had:
1. Dental Rover
2. Studio Accompanist (for a vocal teacher)
3. Cub Leader/Office Manager at Aspen Grove Family Camp
4. Piano Teacher
Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth)/Pride and Prejudice (Kiera Knightley)
2. White Christmas and Sound of Music (at Christmas)
3. Bend it Like Beckham
4. Emma (either Gwenyth or Kate)
Four places I have lived:
1. Blackfoot, Idaho
2. Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada (for about 3 whole months)
3. Provo, Utah
4. Bay Area, CA
Four favorite TV shows:
1. The Amazing Race
2. The Office
3. The Biggest Loser
4. Pushing Daisies (a new favorite)
Four places I’ve been:
1. Kauai and Maui, Hawaii
2. Mexico (Puerto Vallarta, Cozumel, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas)
3. Canada (BC and Alberta --all over)
4. Caribbean (Caymen Islands and Jamaica)
Four favorite foods:
1. Thai or Indian curries
2. Italian pastas with seafood
3. Mexican fajitas and tacos
4. Any kind of ice cream!
Four websites I visit daily:
1. myfamily.com
2. all my favorite blogs
3. deseretbook.com
4. myriads of writing blogs (like goodreads, nanowrimo, and scbwi)
Four places I’d rather be:
1. In bed
2. In Europe!
3. In Hawaii, snorkeling at Ke'e Beach
4. In Canada, visiting with my grandparents
Four blog buddies I want to tag:
1. Brenna
2. Cristy
3. Rochelle
4. Michelle

And anyone else that wants to play along. Just let me know in the comments so I can come and learn more about you!

Writing and Meeting; Anyone up for a Snacker?

I WON!! I won the gift basket through the preschool bake sale! It was great, too. It had some cookbooks, pretty pink latex washing gloves, icing flavoring, a spatula, a basket, a dishtowel, etc. Picture to come later...
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#3 is having success! We haven't had an accident since Tuesday. Of course, it helps that I make him sit on the toilet every two hours "just to try". :)
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Have you ever had those moments when you realize that you are going to become somebody entirely different than the person you had imagined for yourself?

When I was a senior in high school, I was going to BYU, and I was going to major in Piano Pedagogy. I had won almost every competition I had been in (small potatoes, though, since I lived in a small potato town. Those who know where I'm from understand that I mean that literally. :) ). Piano was my life and I was good at it. But I completely and utterly bombed my piano audition at BYU. At the time, I had no idea what happened. I was prepared. I had everything ready. But my mind went blank and my fingers were all over the place. Of course, I didn't get into the program.
A year and a half later, I had realized I was to be a high school choir director. That was what I wanted. I was good at it. I had been the Drum Major in my HS marching band --I had passed the AP music theory exam. I had taken voice lessons for 3 years. I could direct/conduct almost anything. I passed the entrance class at BYU; my portfolio was deemed "brilliant" by my two professors. But then I bombed my vocal audition. Badly. I had woken up that very morning with a cold. There was no fixing it. My professors begged the vocal dept. to reconsider and let me in anyway. Their reply? "No. She's not even close to good enough."
Six months later, after much prayer, Brandon and I decided I needed to finish school. I majored in MFHD and minored in music. Six days before graduation, #1 arrived right on schedule.
A couple of years later, I was asked if I taught piano lessons. I had done some in the past, but not seriously. I saw this as an opportunity and took it. I've been teaching seriously now for about 6 years and I've fluctuated between 1 and 16 students. Very modest, but very, very fun.
I'm a SAHM. I teach piano (and some voice --although not currently). I want to get my MBA one day --but that will come later. However, miraculously, I've ventured into something I never thought possible.

I'm a writer.

There. I said it. I read somewhere recently that if I want to be a writer, I have to claim it. I have to admit it. I have to openly declare my intentions and call myself what it is I want to be. So, today I declare my identity. I'm not only a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and teacher.
I am a writer.

And one day, others will know me as a writer. And then maybe, I could become other things I want to become. How about linguist? Or therapist (marriage and family)? And then winner of the Amazing Race? Yeah, that last one would be awesome.
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Women over at FMH have a lot of bloggersnackers. For those who are uneducated in the art of a snacker, this is just an opportunity for bloggers to finally meet each other and eat good food. I always wanted to attend one, but since ceasing to read FMH (except occasionally), I'm kind of out of the loop.

But then I thought this: I want to meet the bloggers that frequent my blog and I, theirs. How could we have a Happy Meets Crazy snacker? And then my next thought: Who in the world would come? Honestly, it's expensive to fly, and several of my favorite bloggers live from Texas to Oregon to Utah to Maryland to Southern California. How in the world would we get together?

But Amanda's comment made me desire one, again. I want my weight loss reward to be a Great Big Girl Party! With Bloggers!

So, brainstorm, people! How could we have a snacker? How could we all meet each other? And if we did, where would we be? And how would it work?

Of course, you, dear reader, may prefer anonymity and don't want to meet anyone. Frankly, I don't blame you. But if that's the case, state your reason, please. Talk me out of something that might make me spend money... ;)

Weight loss, potty training, and divorce...

Total Weight Loss as of Yesterday:
Brandon: 33.6
Me: 25.6

TWENTY-FIVE POUNDS!! I never, ever, ever, thought I would be this thin again. Of course, I have a good 12 pounds to go. But it seems attainable now. Four months ago, it felt impossible.

And here's a shout-out to Amanda, who is well on her way to weight loss history, too. Hooray! Don't give up; I know you can do it!

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We are finally doing it, too. The diapers are gone, people, way gone! And the pull-ups are only for night. And the underwear goes on before breakfast. And when he actually goes in the toilet, he gets a car. If he goes in his underwear --I get the car. So far, we've only had 2 successes. But I am not giving up this time! So, if you don't see me for a while (friends that live nearby), this is why. I am not giving up! I am not giving up! We will be going to Idaho with a potty-trained child!

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I am sad for my sister-in-law. She and her husband are getting divorced. It's sad that their relationship didn't work out; and we really like him, too. But they are being very mature about everything --there's no hard feelings on any side. Luckily, there aren't any children. That makes it a little easier on everyone, I think. But it's still a sad thing; I love you, bren! Here's to the future and finding a non-psycho roommate! :)

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I ate way too much Halloween candy last week. Luckily, I still lost weight. I couldn't figure out why I craved so much chocolate! I mean, it was insane, people, insane! Turns out it was PMS. Usually, I'm a big grumpy psycho during PMS --who knew the cure was to eat loads and loads of chocolate?

Catching up on stuff...

...so, I joined Curves a few weeks back. And I love it! My mom joined a few years back and has enjoyed it, too. I really like that it's only women --and I love listening to the "older" generations talking. I learn so much from them. I'm usually the youngest one working out and there is a lady in her 80's that comes! Oh --and the reason for joining? It's too dark and cold now to run with running buddy. So, she joined the gym, and I joined Curves.

P.S. It really works. I've got muscles now I didn't know I had!

...Pink Eye hit our family a few weeks back. Yesterday, it finally finished. Here's #2 the day after Halloween. She was a little sad and poofy.

...for your viewing pleasure! #4 is starting to speak. Well, he babbles all the time, but it's still fun to watch him try new sounds.

P.S. He got his third tooth yesterday! It's the upper right eye tooth. Soon he'll have fangs!

...we're coming to Idaho for Thanksgiving!!!!!! I'm just a tad excited. :)

Say Thank You

I got an email today about THIS website. Xerox is offering a way to send thank you cards to the soldiers in Iraq. It's free and easy! The cards are drawn by children from all over the country, and all you have to do is choose one and Xerox will print it and send it to a member of the armed services. Please do this! Maybe my brother will get your card. :)

November is good. I like November.

BYU seriously rocks. Final Score: 35 to 16. Sorry, Colorado State!

Today was our RS Super Saturday! Wa-hoo! Ten of us were asked to put together FHE kits and then everyone signed up for the kits they wanted. I did mine on Manners. It was really fun, yet very time consuming to make. Of course, I signed up to make the other Nine lessons. I'm thinking they'll be ready to share at FHE around June of 2011. Yeah. Right around the time I get started on my scrap-booking again! But I'm still glad I have them; it's good to think about FHE lessons.

Tomorrow is Stake Conference. I'm accompanying the choir --it's a Stake Primary choir! The kids sound fantastic; it is so fun to play for them. More fun? Getting to have Stake Conference up at the Oakland Temple Interstake Center. I'm excited!

I'm looking forward to the extra hour of sleep tonight. I think I might let the kids stay up late tonight, just so they won't wake up at their regular time tomorrow. Regular time + daylight savings = 5:30AM. Bleh.

This is a public thank you (again!) to Kelly A., whom I've never met, who started reading my blog randomly, like I started reading hers, who, as I mentioned before, gave me the link to do NaNoWriMo. I have written almost 7,000 words (about 13 pages) and I'm still going and going. Thank you, Kelly! Thank you!

My house is finally clean after making the effort (please note: clean does not mean that the laundry is folded!). Last week was havoc week. I didn't take the time to blog about the 10 loaves of banana bread and 8 dozen cookies I baked (from a tub, people. I'm not that domestic!) for the preschool bake sale. I was required (signed up for) to bake 4 loaves of bread and 2 batches of cookies. Each additional item entitled me to a raffle ticket for a gift basket. Since I baked 10 extra items to be sold, I got 10 tickets!! If I don't win that basket, I seriously might throw a fit. But if I don't win, I will know that all is right in the world, because honestly? I never win a raffle. It's true! I'm so used to it now that it usually doesn't bother me. But after baking that bread (and being up until midnight Halloween night doing so), I think I might deserve it. :) I'll let you know.

Final Note: I like November. Although Holidays are coming, and I'm writing a novel in 30 days, and my life hasn't changed too much, there is less stuff for me to do in November. I'm not sure how it worked out that way, but I'm grateful. November is good!

Halloween Happenings

#2 had a party at her preschool last week (I saved the pictures for now). She was a "Puh-pel Pwin-cess!":

#1 had a parade and party at her Elementary school on Halloween. She went as a medieval princess:

Brandon's office had an incredible Halloween! Every Department had a theme and everyone went all out and crazy in decorating. Brandon's dept. had the Circus theme. But there was also Star Trek, Harvest, 80's Prom, Cemetery, and Grease (as in 50's stuff). I cannot even begin to describe the costumes and the decorations! A lot of it was starting to be put away and taken down by the time the kids and I got there, so I really don't have very good pictures of it. But it was fabulous! They also had a pumpkin carving contest --Brandon's is below (#8). [He added some candy to the vomit when we put it on our porch and warned the trick-or-treaters not to binge on their candy.] Brandon stayed in character ("I'm Coo-coo the Clown!") and the kids just loved his costume.

#4 was a clown as well. Isn't he cute?:

#3 was a "Pirate-Vampire!" but he refused a hat or any facial make-up. He was just glad to get candy. Here he is wearing his jacket (costume is underneath, but you can't see it) while we waited for #1's school parade to start:

I decided I couldn't decide on what to be. I started the day out as a Hippie. But the pants didn't fit right (they were too big! Thank you, Weight Watchers! Wa-hoo!) and the headband gave me a headache. So, I found an old dress, labeled a sash "Prom Queen", got out the old dingy wig, stuck some spiders in it (fake), did some dark, dead-like make-up and found a silly crown. I wore this to #1's Halloween party. Then I got home and I hated it (but I wish I had taken a picture!). So, I went back to hippie, but with different pants and a different head-band. Then I got home and I hated it. So I changed into a million things, finally stayed with Hippie, but found a better headband and a FABULOUS shirt! [I'm thinking that from here on out I need to plan ahead for Halloween. It has never been a favorite holiday of mine, but I'm starting to catch the fever!]

Our family went to a friend's house for dinner --they have about 100 people every year for Chilli and cornbread. We finished off the night with trick-or-treating (me answering the door, Brandon going with the kids).

P.S. If you look closely, I have no idea how to draw a Peace Sign. Some guys at the party recognized my Mercedes-Benz sign, though. Ha! :)