Happy Halloween!

I feel like I have gotten so bad at posting lately that I have probably lost anyone who used to read this. I have tons of pictures to post, but I am having issues with my camera and my computer speaking to each other. I have almost 700 pictures on my camera, and they are about 3Mb apiece. My computer has about 6Gb of pictures on it already, so it either takes hours to upload photos, or iPhoto crashes completely. I guess I need to take some of the pictures off the computer and burn CDs. I'll get right on that, after I catch up on laundry, clean out the kids' rooms, and work ahead on my school work.

I can't imagine what I would do if I were working full time this year. I'm only working twelve hours a week at the preschool, and maybe spend an hour outside of work a week planning and gathering materials. I am taking eleven hours in school, and don't spend enough time prepping for class. My online psychology class has one or more quizzes or discussions due every week, and my online kinesiology class requires me to work out 30 hours on campus during the semester. I don't know if I'll make it. I have another online class starting in a couple of weeks, and still have my campus-based anatomy and physiology class for which I do a lot of work. Besides all that mess, I have more Cub Scout business to take care of than I ever thought humanly possible. Once popcorn sales end December 2nd, and rechartering ends December 11th, things should be better.

I am only taking two classes in the spring; a campus-based microbiology class, and an online pharmacology class. They both sound like a lot of work! I apply for nursing school in January, and hope for the best!

Back to Halloween, since that was my original intent...

Halloween is my favorite holiday, as anyone who knows me can tell you. It's just a magical night to me, and growing up, I had the greatest memories of going to haunted houses, trick or treating with my neighbors, and actually having a haunted house at our house. We would work for weeks to put them together, and the neighbors would all help. Sometimes they were in the garage, sometimes on the driveway. We did ones made out of cardboard, and out of black plastic. Once I graduated from high school and left home, the haunted houses stopped. Next year, Darren and I are bringing that tradition back. I need to reserve my dad now!

The reason we are adamant about this is that it seems like trick or treating is not as popular as it used to be. Many people opt for church "fall festivals" instead, or attending parties. We had very few kids come by last night as compared to previous years, and I don't want trick or treating to become obsolete. What's so bad about dressing up and ringing your neighbors' doorbells for them to give you candy?

Yesterday was not what I had planned. I spent two hours at the dentist having some fillings done, then took the cat to the vet to find out that his thyroid is hyperactive. I then went home and waited for Zach to get off the bus, and dressed the kids in their costumes to go trick or treating at our village's shopping center. That starts at 4:30, and it's important to get there right away and leave by 5:30, because it gets so crowded that you can't walk down the sidewalks. Each of the stores has someone sitting outside giving out candy, and there is a costume contest. It's a lot of fun, and a great way to start off the festivities. Zoe had her first lollipop, and she was in heaven! She dropped it on the ground, and I threw it away, and she didn't complain too much. It was her first candy experience, and I think she didn't know what to think.

After leaving there, we stopped at Taco Bell for dinner, and Zachary managed to spill my entire drink while still sitting in the drive thru. We went home, Darren cleaned out the car, and we ate dinner. We didn't leave to go trick or treating until about 7:00, because it wasn't dark yet, and we didn't see any kids out. Finally we decided to go, and there still weren't any kids walking around. We went with one of our neighbors, and we were the only ones on the street. Later, we did see a few more people, and the teenagers came out around 8:00, but it was disappointing. I wanted to get everyone together afterward last night, since it was a Friday night, but after walking around for over an hour, I decided against that.

Darren put Zoe to bed, then Zach and I sorted his candy and watched The Great Pumpkin. We watched Survivor after that, and I fell asleep before Tribal Council. Today, we are going to a craft fair at a local elementary school, a birthday party, and will take my car to be cleaned. I am hoping the house will get cleaned at some point, and I have a lab practical to study for on Tuesday.