Trick or Treat

Despite being an adult, and not having any children to 'celebrate' with, I have had a very fun Halloween!

The day didn't start out great - we had to curl late last night and we didn't get home until after midnight - so, getting up for work this morning was harder than usual.  But, when I got to work and started seeing co-workers in costume, the day got a lot brighter :) 

Last week, the office social committee sent out an email suggesting that people dress up in clothing from the decade they were born....that evolved to just dressing up from your favourite decade...and then some people just dressed up in whatever.  There were a lot of laughs as we saw what people came up with...and the whole office loved it when our two managers arrived in costume!

So, here are some of my co-workers...unfortunately they aren't looking at me with my camera phone, they're looking at a co-worker with his real camera...but, it's still worth sharing....

Back Row, L-R: Angela, Cathy J (my manager), Sara, Cathy S, Trish, Reeva, Jen

Front Row, L-R: Amanda, Gayle (manager) and Tara

Gayle, the manager in the front, rented that costume...she went all out!  She even had an extension clipped in her hair so she could have a pony tail!  Sara, in the back with the 'boom box' has a fanny pack on, don't miss it!  I laughed so hard when she pulled her iPhone out of it at break today :)

For those of you who know me, you're not surprised that I didn't dress up!  Although, I regretted it for a few minutes this morning...but the regret passed quickly!

And tonight, it's been fun handing out candy at home!  We've only had about 50 kids this year - that's only half as many as we had last year.  It was supposed to rain all night, but it did stop for a few hours...so, I'm not sure why it wasn't busy?

My brother-in-law Dave came by with three of our nephews (Joshua and Owen stayed home - too old and too young)...

Ironman (Noah), Ninja Turtle (Luke) and Superman (Isaac)

(we gave them some games as well as the traditional candy)

Our friends Ike and Jeanette stopped by with their son Grayson as well - he was a monkey.  And then a friend I used to work with at the golf course stopped by for a quick visit as well, she stayed here to chat while her son went to some of our neighbours to trick or treat.

 

And, we got in a short skype call with my nephew and niece!  It was fun to see them in their costumes - Nolan was Optimus Prime and Abby was Strawberry Shortcake.  The call was short because both parties got pretty distracted whenever new people came to the door for candy, but it was still good to see them!

 

I hope everyone has had a safe and happy Halloween!

 

 

Before It's Too Late...

This might be the worst month I've ever had as a 'blogger'.  Oooops!?!?  Things haven't been any busier than usual, so I'm not really sure how this happened.  So, although it's really late, I'm going to go ahead and post about one of the highlights of the month...

Thanksgiving Weekend
Curt and I were able to spend the weekend in Acton - we had a great time visiting with everyone, and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, Aunt Mary, and my cousin Becky.  I wasn't feeling great all weekend, so we didn't do as much as we usually would - no late night board games with Tom & Krystle - but we did continue our tradition of visiting a pumpkin patch!

The first thing we do when we get there, pick pumpkins!  It's a group effort, and it takes some serious concentration...

But, Nolan was pretty quick to find his - and I think Abby was happy with his choice...

Once the choices were made, and the wagon was loaded, it was time to head inside to pay.  Nolan was doing a good job pulling the wagon...until Uncle Curt decided he needed a ride...

I tried to take advantage of a pretty little fall set-up to take some pictures of the kids, but that proved to be VERY hard...I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...first try...

second try...

and, third and final try...

I realized a few things as I was cropping these pictures to put on here:

1. I LOVE these two, and even though they didn't co-operate for the pictures, I think the pictures are great because they are just so cute!

2. For the last few years, I've felt like everyone with a camera is becoming a photographer, and starting their own business - however, despite the fact that I own a camera, I could never be a photographer!  I do not have an eye for pictures...notice the green garbage can in the last three pictures?!?!  ooops! 

Our visit to the pumpkin patch always includes a trip through the corn maze as well...

The boys always play a big role in helping Nolan and Abby get through the maze :)  

Cute, isn't it!

And finally, we played in the hay maze.

Nolan, focused on his big jump from one bale to the next...

And, I got out from behind the camera for a bit and tried my own jump...

It was a great day, and we lucked out with great weather again!  So thankful to spend time with family and to enjoy traditions - new and old.

P.S. Sorry for the picture overload...Tom and Krystle didn't have their camera with them, so I wanted to share lots of pictures - I realize I probably went overboard!  I had 101 pictures to choose from though, so considering that, I didn't do too bad.

A Whole Bunch of Random

I've been really behind with my blogging!  You've probably noticed...even though I've been cheating and writing posts and back-dating them ;)  So, in an effort to catch up, here is a post with some quick updates as to what has been going on lately....

I wrote a post about our weekend at the Roeleveld's cottage with our cousins, I couldn't find this picture at the time, but want to add it now that I found it.  Here is a group shot of everyone who was there...

Curt, me, Nicole, Blair, James, Anthony, Ben, Jessica, Miquela, Joel, Carl, Mark and Jeanette

And, another picture from that weekend that I didn't include in the original post...Joel bare footing!

I don't think I had ever thought much of barefoot water skiing until earlier this summer when Joel posted a picture on Facebook.  It was impressive to watch in person - there is quite a strategy to get up, but Joel and his brothers made it look easy!  It's absolutely crazy, getting dragged beside the boat at such high speeds!  I think all of the boy cousins were brave enough to try, but we were VERY impressed when Jess and Jeanette decided to give it a try!  Neither one of them actually got up, but that didn't matter, they got major points for trying.  Curt and I didn't try it - I had NO interest in trying, and Curt probably would have tried but didn't want to be hurt/sore for our golf trip.

When we returned from our trip, I had to drag myself back to work...typical, right?!?!  But, on the Wednesday of my first week back my manager pulled me into her office and gave me some good news...I have been given a Case Worker position!  I competed for a Case Worker position months ago, but didn't get the position...however, I met the threshold, so they were able to offer me a different position.  It's very short term, it should only be five or six weeks...but, remember, my original contract was two weeks and I've been there two years...so, who knows what this will turn into!

Once we got back from Myrtle Beach, Curt and I both found ourselves back to our busy 'winter' schedules.  I'm back on the ice, coaching Monday/Thursday/Saturday...Curt is helping with Friendship Group at church, and playing volleyball...and, we will be curling again this year, it starts in a few weeks.  Seems like a bit much, but it helps the winter months go by quickly!