Belated Halloween Post

Hey all - I know I promised to post some pictures of the Halloween party and have not yet done so! I have been stealing all the pics our friends took at the party since I can't be trusted to document ANYTHING! Seriously, I am the worst with taking pictures. Every single time we have a party or get-together, I ready the camera and set it out in an obvious location so I will remember to take pics. But, I NEVER remember, and so I have to rely on friends' pics.

So, this year Jeff and I decided to go as Mario and Princess Peach (Nintendo characters, in case you didn't know). As always, we (I) decided to make our costumes; we just hate the flimsy store-bought ones, and it is always more original to create a costume! For all you DIY fans, here is what I went through to create our fab costumes: Jeff's was easy - Mario wears blue overalls, a red shirt, and a conductor's cap. I ordered the overalls from Wal-Mart, got a bright red shirt at American Apparel, and found a website that sells every color of caps and hats imaginable. Then I just added the details, like the M on the cap and the yellow oversized buttons, and his costume was complete! Of course I HAD to get him the funny cartoon hand gloves - they really topped it all off! My Princess Peach costume was NOT so simple. I studied a picture of her and compiled a list of the things I'd need: light pink dress with dark pink ruffle and accents, turqouise brooch, miniature jeweled crown, white gloves, and a blonde wig. YIKES! Luckily, I found the PERFECT pink dress on a dancewear website - it was a lyrical performance leotard/dance dress. I bought some dark pink satin and attached the ruffle with double-sided sewing tape because I can't sew to save my life. I also used the satin to fashion a sash like the one the princess wears. The same yellow foam from Mario's buttons worked perfectly as a crown, adorned with jewels from Joann Fabric. As luck would have it, I came across a bracelet made of chunky blue and turqouise ovals - after cutting the elastic, removing one oval, and backing it with the yellow foam and a safety pin, the brooch was complete! I slipped on a petticoat under the dress to get the flouncy skirt look. My get-up was complete with a trashy blonde wig and nylon elbow gloves from a costume shop. I must say that we pulled off the costumes quite nicely, and had a great time as our characters! I came to the conclusion that I am NOT meant to be a blonde in any form or fashion, however! Just look at the pic to see how unnatural it looks. Jeff thought so too...his exact words were: "eeww, I am glad you are a brunette!" ME TOO!!

In all, it was a great Halloween - most of our close friends were able to make it to the party, and there were tons of awesome costumes! Sarah and Derek came up with HILARIOUS Homer/Marge Simpson outfits; Sarah was crafty and made them herself as well (check out that hair - amazing!!) As always, John Adolph created a great home-made costume - this year, he was the child from Where the Wild Things Are. Classic!! Even though Rach and Jesse got many boos from UT fans because of their Tech t-shirts, they did look quite Olympic in their swimming gear! Our friends are definitely characters, and much fun was had by all. We had Mattito's catering, spooky punch, fierce flip-cup competitions, and general silliness. Another success (added bonus: no vomit on our walls or elsewhere)!

Derek visited Krispy Kreme a LOT that week to really get into character!







Stu and Adolph did NOT cheer for these swimmers!

A very naughty duo - PB and Paige!

Mark Antony and Cleopatra - very convincing, right?!

Veterans' Day Tribute

Hey all, it's Veterans' Day, so I hope everyone took the time to reflect on the thanks we owe our veterans. I wanted to take this opportunity to write a short tribute to two very important veterans in my life: my grandfathers.

Casey Jones (aka Pa) was my paternal grandfather; he passed away almost a year ago. He served our country during World War II, and he was awarded several medals for his bravery. One thing that I never knew about him until his funeral was that he was willing to sacrifice himself for his fellow soldiers and almost did. There was a minefield that the men had to cross, but they were trapped and did not have the proper communication equipment to find a safe way across. My grandpa volunteered to walk across alone, leading the mule carrying their gear. He made it, and I can't even begin to fathom the courage it took to do what he did. He was a generous and loving person who spent his free time volunteering at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth.

Gerald Reeves (aka Grandaddy) is my maternal grandfather. He lives in Tyler, Texas and still loves to go out on his pontoon boat to fish! He served our country in World War II, helping to operate submarine missions. His ship pulled out of Pearl Harbor mere days before the tragedy that killed so many people. If he had not been on one of the ships that left the harbor, I probably would never have been born. Another time, his ship was fired upon and damaged badly; he and many of the men onboard had to swim to safety. He is one of the kindest, funniest people around; hopefully some of you got the chance to see him at my wedding!

Thanks to all our veterans! You are appreciated!