Halloween is Coming!

Witches will be after you! Big black cats and flying bats....oooooooohhh BOO!

Halloween has always been on of my most favorite holidays, and when I saw the sign "Halloween Express Open" I almost peed my pants. Halloween Express is a cheesy Halloween store with bad costumes, BUT, it does signify that the holiday is on its way. And, of course I will be going to check it out for the sheer thrill of seeing goofy monster masks, fake stone gargoyle statues, bagged costumes, and the oh so helpful staff that just kind of stands there when you are ready to pay as if they have no IDEA they are actually working.

When I was younger my friend Keli's birthday was October 30, so I would always throw her a Halloween party and have all the friends over. We'd dress up and then go trick-or-treating. I have to be honest, I think we trick-or-treated until we were teenagers...and I completely remember the last time I went door-to-door for sweet confections.

I am ashamed to admit it, but I think we were 16 or 17 at the time.

My friend Tammi and I went to my cousin's neighborhood because it contained a plethora of houses with porch lights on ready to fill our sacks with Snickers, Starbursts and Tootsie Rolls. Tammi was dressed up like Jason from Friday the 13th and I was probably a vampire (can't even remember). We had been going door-to-door for about an hour and had SO much candy it should have been illegal. As we were walking back to my cousin's house a couple of boys snatched Tammi's bag. Now, we worked LONG and HARD to get all that candy and someone just nabbing it from us was NOT going to happen.

I ran back and got my car while Tammi chased the boys. The thing is, Tammi had one of my brother's hunting knives - just for the costume, but she was waving it in the air while she chased the thieves as if she was going to use it. I think she thought she really was a mass murderer from hell, but I am not sure.

Anyhow, I drove around trying to find her. Finally I saw her. She was standing there arguing with the boys to give her candy back to her. They finally gave it back - I think when she flashed the blade they got the hint that she wasn't joking around and needed that sugar high. The boys ran off, Tammi got in the car and we went home. I remember laughing hysterically for at least 20 minutes at the sight of Tammi chasing down boys for that bag of free candy. I laugh now because it seems so ridiculous that we were begging on Beggar's Night at an age when we should have been handing candy out instead of taking it. But, heh, you are only young once, and to tell you the truth at 30 something I'll still jump at the chance to get free candy.