It's Raining Men!!!

Miss Lucinda and I hit the town on Saturday night.  After I did the Trick-or-Treating rounds with 10 kids.  She dressed as a 50's housewife (think I Love Lucy, red hair and all!) and I dressed in 50's rockabilly. (It's Minnesota, folks, not the west coast.  It's the only time of year I can get away with rockabilly around here!)

Soooo, Miss Lucinda recently moved from the small town where I grew up to St. Paul.  We decided to take advantage of this and hit the St. Paul bars for Halloween.  We had so much fun!

First of all, it was so nice going out and not knowing everyone in the place! (Having grown up in and now bartending in said small town, it's difficult to move 3 inches without knowing someone.)  We were able to talk without interruption, dance without everyone jumping in, and have a "girls night" without any local drama.

The best part, though, was the new variety of eye candy!  I've decided the reason dating has been so difficult is because the majority of fish in my small pond are totally undesirable, familiar faces.  Boy, was there ever variety!  We met men from Morocco, Spain, Finland, and America.  The conversations were interesting and about way more than the stupid World Series (I'm a bitter Twins fan that LOATHES the Yankees.) and football (Yes, I love football, but there are more things worth talking about.).

The night ended with Miss Lucinda giving her number to super hot college Spanish teacher from Spain and me giving mine to The Karate Kid (Yummy lawyer that teaches American law in Spain part of the year.  His Halloween costume was the shower from The Karate Kid).

While we have both been talking to our respective Spanish speaking hotties, neither of us have solidified plans to seem them.  We were talking the other night about it and we both really want to, but....

As you all know, I have been spending time with a man I met at work.  While things have not been intimate, I know that he would be hurt to know I went out with someone else.  We haven't ever discussed "relationships", or where we are headed.  He has, however, made it very clear that he is very interested in me.

Miss Lucinda has also been spending time with someone else.  They too have not set any relationship boundaries, but she wants to be cautious.  She's not the type to be careless with someone's feelings. 

So for now, we choose to tread lightly...  But heres to yummy Spanish speaking men that want to take us out.  YUM!!!

Miss Lucinda

What to Do With All of That Candy?!?!

It's the final countdown to the greatest day of the year, according to me...  HALLOWEEN!!!!  Unfortunately, in the wake of the greatest holiday ever, I find myself at war.  With all of the loot candy the kids have collected, I find myself arguing and rationing acceptable daily allotments and often times bust The Girl for sneaking more than I feel she should have in a day.  Grrrrr...

This year, however, that will NOT be the case.  Why, you ask?  Because if there is one thing The Girl likes better than candy, it's MONEY!!!

It was brought to my attention early this week that there is a really SWEET program called Halloween Candy Buy Back.  This program buys candy from kids under the age of 12 for $1 a pound (up to 3#)!!!  How sweet is that!  In the Twin Cities area, where I live, Metro Dentalcare is hosting this program at 13 of their locations!  The buy back will run on Monday, November 2 from 4p.m. - 7p.m.  In addition to buying candy from your shorties, Metro Dentalcare will be giving out free toothbrushes, toothpaste, and educational materials to promote dental health! (Did you know that cavities are the most prevalent disease in American children today!!!  Yikes!)  The candy purchased by Metro Dentalcare will donated to three separate charities - Operation Gratitude, which sends care packages to soldiers serving overseas, Second Harvest Heartland, a local food bank that supplies food to food shelves in  Minnesota and Wisconsin, and The Harriet Tubman Center, a shelter in Minneapolis.

When looking into the national program, I discovered that dental offices around the country are doing the same thing on the same day and donating candy to very similar types of organizatons.  By going to http://www.metro-dentalcare.com/, you can find the 11 participating locations in the Twin Cities.  Or if you don't live in Minnesota (I know a lot of you don't), you can go to http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/, enter your zip code and find a participating dentist near you!

I'm so excited for next Tuesday!  My kids and I will DEFINATELY be participating!  Maybe, finally the post-Halloween candy wars won't ravage my home!!!!!

Mom, I'm Sorry...

I took The Girl shopping for a Halloween costume on Saturday.

Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday.  Hands down.  Shopping with a 9 year-old girl may have ruined it for me.  Mom, I'm sorry for having been a pre-adolescent girl. 

This year she decided she is going to be a little devil.  How fitting.  But my goodness, did drama and chaos ensue when we began discussing what she would be required to wear UNDER the costume.

1.) The Girl is 9.  Trampy little skank costumes are not appropriate for my daughter.  Especially at 9.

2.) We live in Minnesota.  It is cold here on October 31st.  I have a feeling it will be colder than normal this year, if the current weather situation is any indication.

3.) We Trick-or-Treat outside.  I've accepted that a coat will not fit over wings, but I will be damned if she's not wearing long sleeves under that thing.

4.) I really don't want to listen to the whining and bitching when we are out on how cold she is.

That said, I bought her the freaking costume.  I got her to agree to a black, long sleeved, thermal shirt to wear under the dress.  Leggings and all accessories came with the costume (Unbelievable!  They usually rape you for accessories!)  Hopefully costume shopping with the boy will be a lot less difficult...

Time to Bust Out the Warm Stuff

Fall is my favorite time of year.  There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

As the air gets cooler and the leaves start to change, the world around takes on a whole new presence.  I love the way the air smells, and the crunch and crackle of leaves under my feet.

The colors of the fall flowers and foliage are warm and inviting.  Sitting outside in a sweatshirt, hat, and gloves with a hot latte watching youth football or soccer is one of the best feelings!  Fall is also an amazing time to travel.  In my lifetime, I have been blessed to see many parts of our country in the fall.  I have seen Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Massachussets, Iowa, South Dakota, and of course, all parts of beautiful Minnesota.  While northern Minnesota and Wisconsin are beautiful, nothing beats the Catskill Mountains in the fall!

All Souls Church, Tannersville, NY

View from All Souls' front step

Climbing the trail to Kaaterskill Falls

Kaaterskill Falls, NY

I'm not sure if, when, or where I will be taking my fall trip this year.  Last year was Duluth, MN.  This year may bring Seattle.  I've never been to the Pacific Northwest.  If I go, there are sure to be pictures.

In the meantime, I am content in knowing I have an NFL football game to go to with longtime friends, apple orchard visits (complete with homemade applesauce, apple crisp, and apple pie), and the Trail of Terror!  Not to mention Trick or Treating with my kids and a Halloween costume party with my friends!  Really, what is there not to love about fall?