Festivities, fasts, and time falling back

What a week! Halloween is much longer than a night of trick-or-treating these days. After going to two trunk-or-treats, running as a poodle in a mile race, and then trick-or-treating around the cul-de-sac last night. I'm pooped! I don't want to see face paint or colored hair spray for another year!

I took the kids to a corn maze on Friday night. Let's just say it was the most Podunk thing I've ever been to. I mean, the concept is nice, but it was done so podunky I can't even believe it. The whole time I'm there I'm just imagining law suit after law suit in my head. I guess that's the thing when you've been to some really neat places, everything else just doesn't compare and is just a disappointment. I reassured the kids that we wouldn't ever go back.

About that race...my little family along with my extended family all participated in some races yesterday. It was a blast. C, A and G ran the 5k, and J, D and I did the 1 mile. Later on, several of us all ran in the 100 yard spooky sprint. Okay, so the whole poodle thing. It was hysterical. I found the bottom of the costume and the hands at Savers. I had to have it. It had a tail with an eight inch pink fur ball at the end of it. I could just envision it as I ran my race, swinging side to side or bouncing up and down. Well, before I ever even left the parking lot for my race, my fur ball of a tail had bounced it's way forward and was bobbing between my legs up front. I had a hard time running it out of place so I was trying to grab it but my pants were being pulled down due to the weight of the tail. So that funny picture in my head, went really unfunny quickly. I had to carry my tail the entire race. As for the sprint, my sisters told me that it was just for fun and that no one ran it seriously so I signed up, my tail and all. As they said go, everyone took off, so after who knows how many years, I had to pull a sprint out. I didn't want to embarrass the kids. I stunk it up but that's okay because I won the "puppy love" award for my costume. And, and, I might add, I won some cookies for coming in first place in my age division for the one mile.
After dressing up so many times this week, we were feeling pretty lazy last night for the actual Halloween. The big boys pulled out some masks, and the girls wore some tutus I had gotten at Savers. Love that place. D was cute and bought me some chili from Wendy's and we ate it on our spaghetti. Yummy. We eat it every Halloween. As the trick-or-treaters were dying off we enjoyed our freshly roasted pine nuts. It was a good night.

I've thought about my parents all day. They leave for their mission tomorrow. Knowing that it's fast Sunday, I've wondered what my parents are fasting for. Whether it's for their children, my dad's dad, or for themselves. I've been okay with them going, even excited for their adventure. But when I spoke with my grandma tonight, she said that my parents were going to be set apart as missionaries tonight at 7:30. Suddenly their mission became very real. My parents are officially missionaries. I was wondering when it would kick in. It has. But...it's good and I'm looking forward to the challenge of them being away and doing this with the help of my family and my Heavenly Father. I'm never alone!

It's finally time for the time to fall back. I've been wondering when it would. I've enjoyed the last month with my kids home on track break. It will seem a little lonely when they return to school this week. But I'm excited for them. Not too excited about the early nights though. I guess that just means the Holidays are coming. Yippee