Creepy, Crawly Creations

Another post brought to you because of the awesome SITS contest ---- and because this camera totally makes me swoon!!

I've already told you that every year my friends and I have a Halloween Party.... Well every year we also decorate.

Vixen is the cold hearted queen of Halloween. You know those HUGE plastic storage containers? Yeah Vixen has like 10 of those full of decorations....

Giggles, "All of these boxes say Halloween."

Vixen takes a box from Giggles and stacks it with the others, "Yep."
Giggles, "Gesh if you have this much Halloween decorations I'd hate to see how many Christmas boxes you have!"

Silence....

Vixen, "yeah um.... see that box over there."
Giggles, "Yeah."
Vixen, "Thats it."

Giggles laughing, "Wow."

You get the picture. Well last year as we decorate the entire house --- and I do mean entire house -- I say the bathroom just isn't cutting it. I mean we have the screaming woman in the mirror, the scary lights, the cobwebs.... but the bathtub.... yeah it's just not cutting it.

It looked to clean.

So I came up with the idea of a "blood bath".

We added red Crayola bath coloring tabs to the water, threw in some eyeballs and bones and placed bloody footprints leading away from the tub and WALLAH - scary blood bath!!

It turned out great and was a real conversation piece. 

What's something great you've created at Halloween?  

Ghosts of Halloween Past

**Normal posting has been interrupted for a special Halloween Series** 

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays!!

I mean what other time of the year can you dress like a complete idiot and eat lots of candy?

So I'm entering another S.I.T.S challenge and choosing to tell you about the Ghosts of Halloween Past.

My friends and I have a Halloween Costume party every (every) year and have been doing so since college. Over the years my costumes have been interesting to say the least.....

There was the year I was Velma from Scooby Doo, a tooth fairy, a rodeo clown.... the list really goes on and on.

Alice & Wonderland: Queen of Hearts, Alice, Madhatter, Rabbit

Rodeo Clown

Wizard Of Oz: The Good Witch, Dorthy, The Evil Witch

This year is no different. Saturday night a group of friends will get together to celebrate Halloween and enjoy having a reason to have a get-together. 

What will I be this year?? 

You'll have to wait till Monday..... because I like the element of surprise ----- or I have no clue what I'm going as yet. 

You decide! lol

Linus: He'll come here because I have the most sincere pumpkin patch and he respects sincerity. 

Sally Brown: Do you really think he will come? 

Linus: Tonight the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch. He flies through the air and brings toys to all the children of the world. 

Sally Brown: That's a good story. 

Linus: You don't believe the story of the Great Pumpkin? I thought little girls always believed everything that was told to them. I thought little girls were innocent and trusting. 

Sally Brown: Welcome to the 20th century! 

~ It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown ~

Plain Jane Tears Down The Apple Tree

Fact #57 about me: I don't branch out much.

I don't branch out much.

There I've said it.

I'm a creature of habit.

I'm the person that goes to the same restaurant and orders the same thing every week.

If I like something I don't see the need for variation.

Call me Plain Jane if you will.

One of the things I appreciate about Marine is his encouragement of me to try new things. Normally I just try whatever it he's having but sometimes I get a little brave and order things like this:

Tuesday was Marine's birthday and I had taken off work to spend the day with him. We went to the Brewery for lunch and I had a turnkey sandwich on some kind of German bread with apple butter, cheese and granny smith apples. 

Not only did I branch out.... I took down the whole dang apple tree! lol

The first few bites were good but after that it was a little to sweet. But points to me for trying something new.

The weather was still rainy so the plans Marine and I had for hiking were swept away.

So we ended up riding around more and visited a Trout Hatchery.

When entering the hatchery this was the sign that was posted..... it makes me laugh hysterically for some unknown reason:

Doesn't it read like something you'd see when entering a strip club??

Not that I've ever been to a strip club...... ahem, ahem -- moving on....

The day was great. Just like all the days during Marine's leave though it seemed to pass way to fast.

In My World A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

The time since Marine came home has passed in a blur.

Always on the go that Marine of mine.

I swear I don't think he really knows how to just sit back and relax. He' always got to be doing something.

Saturday was his first time to slow down. I had a horse show and weather be guilt or the desire to show support he came with me. He was patient and even if he was bored at times he never let it show. He must have been a good luck charm for me and Miss B! Out of our four events we placed 1st in three and 2nd in the other.

1st in Texas Barrels, 1st in Arena Race, 1st in Poles, and 2nd in Cloverleaf Barrels.

On The Takeoff

We were on a role and left the show that night with a lot more money than we showed up with (which is always a plus).

Sunday was engagement photo day.... And I had several over the top creative ideas....

I took pictures of Blondie and her fiancée and she took pictures of Marine and I. 

WE.TOOK.WAY.TO.MANY.PICTURES.

Seriously.

I think the total count was around 900...... so as you can imagine I have not edited them or even looked thru all of them yet. Hey I've told you I take lots of pictures.....

Afterward the four of us went to lunch at a local BBQ place one of our friends owns and that has the best BBQ around. Lunch was delicious and I think the guys were just relieved that "picture day" was over.

After lunch we parted ways and Marine and I went and got the dog and decided to go for a short hike.

Marine, Heidi, Me

River the trail went by

Heidi and her backpack

This crossed our path and I was ready to turn around!

By the end of the 4 mile hike I was ready for ice cream. I mean burn it all off, gotta add some back on. Where better to get ice cream than Dairy Queen. I sat out on the swing by the river and waited with Heidi as Marine went in for ice cream cones. Other people were enjoying the beautiful day by sitting outside at the picnic tables. Everyone admired Heidi and complimented me on how sweet and beautiful she is. As Marine approached with the ice cream cones and gave one to Heidi everyone really oohhhed and awed.

And me? Well I had to laugh as Heidi inhaled her vanilla soft-serve kiddie cone.

Monday and Tuesday I took off work to spend time with Marine while he was home - also Tuesday was Marine's birthday. We planned on taking the horses and going trail riding.

Mother Nature had other plans because it rained both days.

That was ok though. We went riding back-roads up in the mountains Monday.

Due to the storms we came upon several places where trees had fallen down....

Marine moved them out of the way and we would continue on.

We are enjoying the ride talking about where we are going to eat lunch, etc. Then we come upon this:

And this is what Marine did:

Yeah we had been riding backroads about 3 hours and were about 3 miles from the end. SSSSOOOO obviously we couldn't move this tree. So we turned around.

But it wasn't so much about the destination as it was the ride. 

At this point the better part of the day was gone but that was ok. We went home curled up and ate White-Bean-Chicken Chili and watched Band of Brothers. 

May not have been a productive day. But it was an enjoyable one!

Four hundred miles to go 

A good song on the radio 

Makes the time go by 

It doesn't matter where we go 

There's something new to see 

It's not the destination that holds 

A thrill for me 

It's the ride......

~ Sugarland ~

More to come....

Wordless Wednesday ~ My Weekend In Photos

Welcome Home Cookout

Wednesday night my bosses wanted to throw Marine a welcome home party/cookout.

Have I mentioned I live in a small town?

So let me explain this confusing circle of small town everybody knows everybody...

My bosses are Marines best friend (which is also Red's brother) aunt and uncle.

Did that make sense?

Anyway Wednesday night they cooked diner for about 20 people - some people from the office, a few friends, and a few of their family which are like Marine's extended family.

It was fun and a very nice thing for them to do.

I may not always like my job. And I may not always think it pays enough ---- but I have to admit I have pretty great bosses.

Another week has passed way to quickly!

One more week and Marine will have to return to base.

This weekend I have a horse show and then Saturday Marine and I and Blondie and her Fiancée are doing engagement photos. Hopefully I'll have some pretty ones to share with you next week.

Have a great weekend!!

Jackass And A Corn Maze Type of Weekend

Friday evening Marine and I met up with some of his friends for diner and a movie.

Diner was delicious!!

The movie of the night was Jackass 3D (not my choice). I may be the only person in America that has not seen the other Jackass Movies. It was an ok movie.... it had its funny parts.... but it also had it's totally gross moments in which I couldn't even look.

Totally a guys movie.

Saturday Marine and I worked on our new "project" -- more to come on this later. And then ventured into town for lunch at the local pub and to walk around the downtown Fall Festival that takes over our town every October.

It was a beautiful day! The weather was perfect, on of those fall days you just want to bask in the sun.

Saturday evening we met up with Vixen, VB and Marine's 2 best friends and their wives and headed for a corn maze.

We arrive and the guys quickly suggest that we split up into teams; guys versus girls.

Now Vixen and I may be a little to competitive.... and that is putting it mildly.

We accept the challenge and each group quickly splits up. I have the map and Vixen is the lead. I follow behind her never taking my eyes off the map but keeping her jacket in my peripheral vision. The other two girls follow behind, having to jog at times to keep up with mine and Vixen's fast pace.

The Corn Maze Map

We rush from checkpoint to checkpoint. Every once in awhile we will hear one of our guys holler to another one but we don't really give it a second thought. We continue to rush knowing that we are in the lead.

Punch Card

There is no way the guys are going to beat us!

Then VB crosses are path.

Alone.

We are at a cross sections.

He glances from his map and stops and talks a minute. I take my eyes off the map... fatal mistake.

He then hurries on.

"Why was he alone?" Vixen questions.

"This can't be good." One of the other girls responds.

"Crap!" I mutter, "I've lost where we're at on the map."

We all huddle together and study the map. I know the roundabout area we are in but unfortunately there are so many twists and turns at that point it was hard to figure out exactly where.

We've got to hurry. We know they are getting closer to the end by the yells we hear we ring through the cornfield.

So we make a quick decision and hurry forward. Ten  minutes later we are beyond lost! We only have one checkpoint left!

We follow the light and figure if we can make our way out of the cornfield we can come back in and get the last checkpoint. Seemed like a good plan.... better than wondering around lost.

We emerge from the cornfield and try again, this time going directly to the last checkpoint. We are almost there when we hear "MARINE MARINE!!!! HURRY!!!! WE FOUND IT!!! LAST ONE!!!"

Marine comes rushing by use from a side path.

Vixen and I take off at a sprint.

We arrive at the checkpoint to see it surrounded by the three other guys.

Marine arrives and they take off.

We stamp our cards and also take off trying to be the first out of the maze.

We arrive at the exit just as the boys emerge.

Vixen and I are convinced they cheated. We compare cards to make sure they really stamped all the checkpoints.

They did.

"But ya'll split up."

"You never said we couldn't."

At this point I have realized their strategy. They all split up and then when one would find a checkpoint they would yell till the other guys arrived.

"The card says you can't cut through the cornfield. Which YOU did! Therefor you broke the rules and are disqualified." I point out with a shrug of my shoulders.

Marine wraps an arm around my should as our group proceeds to walk to the car, "Your sour loser you know that?!"

This received him a jab from my elbow to his ribs.

Needless to say we laughingly bickered about this all the way to Sports Bar.

The guys had wanted to go and have a drink. So we sat at the bar and watched football and as Marine and his buddies drank, I nursed a coke figuring I'd be DD for the night.

Marine doesn't drink much add that in to the fact he hasn't drank in 7 months and you can guess what happened next.

Marine was a sweet drunk and probably told me "I love you" at least a thousand times during the night. After his 3rd shot he proceeds to tell me as well as the table that I'm the best thing that ever happened to him. At this point my cheeks flush (I embarrass easily).

After that I decided it was time to go. The next morning Marine asks, "Why did you let me drink that much?"

I can't help but laugh, "I warned you around shot 2."

He groans, "Why didn't I listen?"

"You were already being handed shot 3."

"I'm way to old for this," He pulls the pillow over his head.

Ted: [takes first shot] Let me tell you something about this brain, okay? 

[takes second shot] 

Ted: Pure alcohol cannot stop this brain. 

[takes third shot] 

Ted: This brain, dear mortals, is no ordinary brain. 

[takes fourth shot] 

Ted: This is a superbrain. 

[takes fifth shot] 

Ted: This brain is unstoppable. This brain... 

Older Ted: And that's all I remember. 

~ How I Met Your Mother ~

Post It Note Tuesday ---> on Wednesday