Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween. I mean really love it. I love to decorate the house, I love to dress up, I love scary things and I absolutely love little kids in costumes coming to my front door! Halloween is a reward for the end of summer, in my opinion. And, I got the best Halloween Party Favor in history at a party 7 years ago! The silver candelabra on the table was inherited from my exhusband's grandmother. It was in horrible shape when I got it and although I know I should polish it and have it fixed, alas, it works so well for Halloween. It's extra special, too, because it was purchased with Green Stamps! Remember those??? David is always dressed for the occasion. When we had my brother and sister in law's wedding reception at my house, I made David a veil and he wore pearls. It amuses me, and it's all about me. This is my all time favorite Chloe Halloween costume! It began as a costume for a Christmas play, in which she was cast as the Ghost of Christmas Past and the Music Director and I thought it would be a hoot to dress her as a dead celebrity. She loved it so much that she wore it for the next Halloween. Just lovely! I even have live decorations! Although, Ozzy is too large to fit into that basket this year, he sure gave it a try and he had that same look on his face that I have every spring when I try on my skinny white capri jeans. What the hell happened?!?! My favorite Halloween party was seven years ago at my friend, Angela's house. I was single at the time and a couple of friends were trying to fix me up. Flattering, but scary. My girlfriend Toni told me, "My boyfriend has a friend you just have to meet. He's really nice and very good looking". Another friend said, "I'm bringing a friend who is Italian and a massage therapist." So, I went to Tulsa for the party. I mean, hell...who am I to say no to a man smorgasboard? And...it's extremely flattering to have your friends want to fix you up. Maybe I'm not crazy after all? The party was great. The house was decorated beautifully! Lots of fun people in cool costumes. Mine was admittedly lame. I wore the witch hat that you saw up there on David and a black frothy top and jeans. But hey, I was a single woman with two kids and I didn't think I needed any additional help scaring anyone off! I met the Italian massage boy. Nice, big, muscular. But not a lot goin' on upstairs. He seemed awfully young and the last thing I needed was another child. Not really my type, but a nice guy. I went outside to the picnic table area and was visiting with Angela's husband and some other guys who I thought worked with him. There was one guy that caught my attention. Pretty eyes, great smile...everyone else wandered off but we continued to talk and we laughed at the same things. Hmmm. Eventually we were interrupted as my friend, Toni, joined us. "Oh, I see you two have already met." "Gerald, this is Jana. Jana...Gerald". We both kind of lit up, realizing that we were who we were. He had thought that I was Angela because I had been hanging out with her hubby when he first saw me and although he was enjoying it, thought I was a little flirty for a 'married' woman. We talked and hung out all night and at the end of the evening, Gerald gave me a fireworks-inducing-foot-popping kiss that was unbelievable! I gave him my phone number. He called two days later and every day after that while we long distance dated for almost three years. Admittedly, Gerald did most of the driving. It was about three and a half hours each way and just more feasable since I usually had the kids here for at least one night of the weekend. Our long distance romance ended on August 7th, 2004, when we got married in Tulsa and he moved in with the kids and me and it's blissful, 'close up' romance now. So tonight we will put out the scary stuff in the front yard, blast Ozzy Osbourne music from the house and have a ball! We'll remember the party where we met and be thankful that we both showed up. Happy Halloween to everyone!