Happy Halloween

So, here I sit. I opted to let my husband take the kids door to door this year in their endeavor to sucker people out of their candy. I am pretty sure they pulled the same racket last year, but I have no proof (Jeromy had our camera overseas, and I didn't have a camera phone then). Anywho, I thought that while I sat here waiting to dole out gumball after gumball, that I would write down who came to visit me this year. I was quite surprised. I didn't know there were so many famous people in our neighborhood!
First to visit me was Optimus Prime. He's shorter in real life than I figured he would be. Indiana Jones made his way up my sidewalk next, brandishing his whip. He had to trade it for his candy bag, which his mom carried for him, so he could claim his treasure. I think Mom should have been dressed as a boulder if she was going to walk behind him.... that would have been funny. The Burger King escorted several pirates to my door. His head really is that big. Austin Powers has a pet frog that he has taught to say 'Trick or Treat'. I had to ask the next one to be sure, she was a Power Ranger..... is that show still on?
There is a lull here. I guess I will take a moment to say that the weather has been unusually cooperative. It had been raining ALL day. I kid you not. It was raining when I got up, when I took the kids to school, when I went to the store, when I had lunch with my daughter, when we came home from school and even when I announced that it was left over night. Then all of a sudden the rain stopped and the clouds broke apart and it's been that way since. It's cold..... but it isn't raining. I figured since it was Washington it would be natural for kids to Trick or Treat with umbrellas and coats, but I guess this year it wasn't to be.
So, The Grimm Reaper just stopped by with his friends. Tobey Keith was dressed as a blond woman and is apparently dating the Wolf Man. Best of luck to them. Oh, Look.... Buzz Light Year is holding hands with Snow White! Sweet!
Awesome.... an assassin just stopped by followed by a girl holding her brain announcing that it was "nutritious and delicious"..... oh, wait... those are mine! I guess they are done, and by the look of those bags I should probably go dig through their stash to make sure it's 'Safe' *Wink Wink* Perhaps some quality control measures might have to be implemented. I would willingly sacrifice myself to taste test any suspicious chocolaty substances.
Happy Halloween!

Smells Like A Winner

On a recent trip to Burger King I read something interesting. On the bag containing my Burger and Fries was a statement titled "Smells Like A Winner" It went something like this:
"You always hear sports announcers talk about the 'Sweet Smell Of Success'. But none of them ever really explains what that smells like. We'd like to propose it's the scent wafting from this very bag. Of course, we could be wrong. But we don't think so."
To you, Burger King, I would like to say..... "I respectfully Disagree". The sweet smell of success actually smells nothing like Flame Broiled Burgers and Crispy Fries. It smells more like 10 foot tall stalks of corn, with a hint of muddy earthiness.
We went to Kent to get some pumpkins for the kids to carve..... side note..... don't let your 10 year old daughter, 8 year old son and their equally aged friends be in charge of hunting for the pumpkins. Trudging out to the edges of the pumpkin patch is not for the faint of heart, and all they provide you with to haul the heaviest pumpkins they have is a cart with no sides. It takes "Off Roading" to a whole new level.
The Pumpkin Patch not only offers monstrously heavy pumpkins for your creative carving pleasure, but it also offers fresh made Kettle Corn and Corn still on the Cob Roasted and Slathered in enough butter to make you question if it still qualifies as a vegetable according to the Food Guide Pyramid.
Here's the best part.... They also have a corn maze! Yes, that's right! They will be more than happy to let you pay 7 dollars per adult, and 5 dollars per child to go GET LOST! After handing over the proper amount of Washington's we were each given a map and a skeptical look. Perhaps I don't look like the type of person who could successfully brave a field full of corn in the shape of a space ship and it's alien without getting myself lost or injured. I pay no mind to the murmured concerns of the staff and head to the entrance of the Maze with my family. Perhaps the staff had some validation to their concerns. You see, while I may have an uncanny sense of time, my sense of direction is actually pretty pathetic. But what they didn't know, was that I had a secret weapon! My husband, who has no sense of time AT ALL, is blessed with 'an innate sense of direction'. He could have found his way to every point in the maze without ever looking at the map. He's just that cool.
So, with my own version of GPS at my side I stepped confidently into the maze. What I forgot to take into account was the enthusiasm of the children. The minute they stepped foot in the maze they scattered like gumballs on the kitchen floor! As I attempted to get them to come back I looked to my husband for some help. He didn't seem bothered. And then I realised why. Apparently, unless you are him, you will run around in circles in the maze. Sure enough, within seconds of their disbursement all of the children were back in front of us wondering how we got there before them.
My husband quickly gained control of the situation pairing us all up and promising that if we just followed him, we would reach every check point in the maze in no time. I was to play the part of Caboose for the duration, as I seemed most likely to make sure that no one got left behind. I was also given a map to follow..... like it would somehow help. My husband actually snorted at the idea of using the map to guide us, but agreed, just to make me feel better.
So, with the song "following the leader" from Peter Pan playing in full swing in my mind we set off trailing behind my husband. Just when I was beginning to think I had definitely seen that stalk of corn somewhere before, my husband triumphantly announced that we had found the first marker. We all stamped our cards and looked toward our fearless leader for the next move.
It continued on in much the same way for each of the 12 checkpoints with my admiration for my husband and his phenomenal navigational skills growing at each one. We exited the maze a mere 40 minutes after first entering. My husband looked a little smug, but I suppose in the end he deserved it. Because of him we were able to experience the "Sweet Smell Of Success" for ourselves. Which made me crave one of those roasted corn cobs.......