Guide to Picking Your Halloween Costume

It's that magical time of the year again. The one night you have to be someone else and no one will send you to the funny farm. You're dying to be a box of tissues? Suit up my friend! Want to be a super hero, let me get you your cape! Anything you can imagine, you can be.

There is a party that is going on its 10th year in existence for all wackos who want to be that other object or person. For those of you who do not fall into the circle of regular party goers, it is the one and only B&B Party. Complete with it's own website. :)

After all the years this party has been going on there have been a LOT of costumes done. Some of them are pretty original and some have just been classics executed really well. Some of my personal favorites include, Duncan as LiLu (He gets the first memorable imagine of Rob's friends), Holly and Wade as Publisher Clearing House Giver and Winner, Dave as Duff Man, Ben as Uncle Rico, and many more. They are all so creative and it's a silent competition to outdo each other every year. Yeah there is the whole "costume contest" but what you really want to hear is people saying, "That's an awesome costume."

So you work on your costume and you keep it to yourself. Even hours before the party some people hold their cards to their chest. No worries, I do the same. The reveal is much more fun if you just present yourself in costume, then no one gets their own ideas of how your costume should look before they see it.

Nothing is different this year. I have my costume picked out and I think it's going to be a blast to make and hopefully I pull it off well. I have come a long way since "The Tourist" who came on a whim to get off the couch and meet people (best decision ever). Below are the last few costumes I have done and they are all hand made which gives anyone super bonus points. Anyone can go buy a costume off a rack. It's not truly your work of art until you have pricked yourself with some sewing object.

Medieval Bar Wench


Poison Ivy and Rob as Two Face

Tis My Favorite Season

Time to bust out the cooler weather clothes, go pumpkin hunting, and rake some leaves! This would be more true of course, if I lived a little further north. Right now I am still in shorts, but I am getting into the season all the same.

I love autumn. I was trying to think of the one reason why this is my favorite of all seasons, but I don't think there is just one.

The colors of fall are just spectacular. Mother nature sure knows how to paint the landscape with brilliant reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and hints of green. The other seasons just can't pull it off. It's a color palette that is identifiable as a season.

There are certain things I only do in the fall, one of them is making pies. It just seems wrong to do it any other time of the year although I love them. It's a fall activity! There are certain things I won't wear any other time of year and it's really just my association with the item and fall. I know that's weird, but that's just how I am (by now, that should be a duh).

It also marks the start of the many holidays. September-December are the most fun months out of the year in my opinion. They all have their big holidays, Labor Day aka last BBQ of the summer and birthday weeks, Halloween - B&B Party, Thanksgiving - Eat til you explode, Christmas and New Years - Gifts, parties, family galore.

I decorated on Saturday for the season with fake leaves, my apple pie candle out and burning, my fall wreath on the door and it really seals the deal for me. If I could, I would be waving a huge banner that says Welcome Fall!! Now I just have to wait another month before the season really starts here outside, but on the inside, we are celebrating already!

The Passing of an Altanta Landmark

When I first heard the news, I was devastated. According to my former co-workers I would be out of a job to boot. This past month, an Atlanta Landmark on the tour path for visitors closed it's doors to the public. That's right, Girls R Fun has closed.

There will no longer be glowing pair of hot lips with the word "YES" glowing in the night.

The beat up blinds and tantalizing signs for girls are no longer teasing the public eye.

The flashy signs from the road will never attract customers.

I would like a moment of silence to observe the passing of this truly awesome landmark. It will be missed.

This is My Friend Josh

This is my friend Josh. He and I have known each other for over 10 years. Dang... that's a long time. Anyway, we try to see each other when I get the chance to go home. Currently he lives in Albany so we had to juggle a little to make time to see each other, but we ended up hanging out for a few hours at the Amory Square Starbucks.

He treated me to a mocha and we chatted about life for a while. It stinks that I live so far away and those talks over cups of coffee (beer, food, etc) are harder to get to. But we pick up just like we never left off and that's what I like our relationship. He is pretty level headed and has gotten plenty of calls from me when I have need to talk to someone about whatever. If I am upset, I just got a job, I can't make a decision, I need to get some computer info, etc. I know he is going to be one of those life long friends. So if you happen to be in Albany and need a guide or someone to have dinner with, he is your guy so stop and say hi. :)

This picture was brought to you in part by the camera tripod Rob got me as an anniversary gift specifically because I like taking these kinds of photos. I think it worked out pretty well.

Hanging Out in The Airport

I am flying home today. I hope. Currently I am parked in the Syracuse International Airport. I have been here since 2:30ish. When I came here today I had two flights to take. One leaving here at 4:15pm then transfer in NYC and take the 7pm flight back to Atlanta. I got as far as telling the lady at the check in counter this and she picks up a phone and asks if there is room for me on another flight. She told me I can take a flight non-stop to Atlanta at 5:55 out of Syracuse. Neat.

I walk over to the Delta counter get my ticket, call appropriate parties about my early arrival time and think things are going pretty well. My dad has decided to wait with me until I have to go through the gate. The security check at Syracuse doesn't take that long because it's not a busy airport. So we hang out and in that time Rob calls to tell me he sees that my flight isn't leaving until 8:50 and not due into Atlanta until 11:30. How odd. I walk down to the counter to verify this is actual fact and it turns out it is. My dad waited with me until almost 6pm and then I went through the gate.

I now have 2.5 hours to kill before my plane is supposedly ready. I guess things might get better, but I am still going to be quite delayed. I got to the airport today at 2:30pm for an 8:50pm flight. Nice. At least I had some company for a while.

Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

This photo was taken a while ago on the trip back from the beach. It's taken a while to write about because of the computer issues and well, a picture is worth a thousand words.

In case you can't tell, it's pouring outside. Rob was filling up the gas tank when this lady pulled in. I watched her get out of her car, leaving the door open, then go to the trunk, leaving that open as well, to grab an umbrella and use it while putting air in the tire. She did this for a good 5 minutes at least. I was just so baffled by this scenario that I had to take a picture. I can't imagine how wet the inside of her car was. Of course, Rob was being silly and washing the windows at the time (in the rain) and he thought I was taking pictures of him. Both would have been good pictures, but I know Rob was being goofy. This lady though, I am not too sure what she had going on upstairs. :)

Birthday Week

That's right, an entire week for the birthday celebration. I started my partying last Friday and it will probably carry over until Monday. It's not exactly a week, but I am willing to bend the rules as I am the birthday girl.

My sister first came up with this concept. You should probably know that our birthdays are right next to each other. Hers is today and mine is tomorrow. My good friend Sean's is the day after mine as well. Since we already had two days for celebrating, what's a few more? Then you are sure to get at least one weekend (two if you are me and greedy) no matter where your birthday falls. Also, we happen to have birthdays right around or sometimes on Labor Day. This can cause logistical problems with people being out of town and places being closed or what have you. So the birthday week was invented.

Having a birthday in early September can have its drawbacks, but also some pluses. My very first day of school was my birthday. In college, my 21st birthday was the first day of classes. The downside was growing up, people were getting ready to go back to school or had to do the last family vacation, so I was sort of stuck for parties, but its gotten better.

This year I will be heading home shortly after my birthday and my sister and I are planning to goof off all of Friday and I can't express how happy that makes me. First I get to spend time with her, second, we are going to the spa, and third, we are going to sit back and drink wine while my brother in law makes us dinner. If that's not a perfect day, I don't know what is. :)

I plan to embrace all of my birthdays and to try not to get too depressed about what age I happen to be turning, whether it's 26 or 46. It's not like you can stop time and linger at a particular age anyway. Why not embrace it and have fun? I am being optimistic about this whole idea and my 50 year old self might want to punch my 25 year old self, but that's ok.

It's my birthday and I am going to do what I want. Right after I go to work and some meetings,but then totally, whatever I want to do. And whatever Rob has planned. :)