Christmastime--A Photo Spread

Mama got a brand new camera for Christmas--a Nikon D40, a lovely digital SLR. Hooray! I'm still trying to figure it out and have lots to learn, but I'm already excited about having the ability to press a button and, click, take the picture I want. I can't tell you how many good shots I missed on my old digital cameras because of the infuriating lag time. The quality of the shots with the new camera is lots better too (as it should be!), especially in low light.

So here are some photos from Christmas '08. Not all of them are taken with the new camera, though. Can you tell which ones are which?

Christmas Eve shepherds (and the shepherd that lives in my house kept the get-up on just long enough to snap a picture):

Three Girls in a Tub. Although not specifically Christmassy, any time you get three nieces born within months of each other together, you have to strip them down to their diapers, put them in a tin washtub, and have a photo shoot. (Well, if they're under the age of one, silly):


The Nativity! (And a terrible picture. Sorry. I'm tipping my hand on this one):



Christmas Eve dinner at Grandma's:


The Annual Kids-At-The-Top-Of-The-Stairs photo. (Can we go now? Now? Now? Yess!)

Guess who got a cell phone? Sigh.:

And guess who caused Santa's elves to hunt high and low for specific Bakugan-related items? And yes, we are Bakugan-ed UP!

Much of the morning was spent with hand held electronics:


And plastic animals (we loooooove the plastic animals):



And we especially love our cute blue-eyed boy:




And cozy, snowy (super extra snowy) Christmas Day:

Our niece Lillian and her Uncle Forrest on Christmas Day (and note the black Utah shirt I searched hither and thither to obtain):


And more darling shots of the other three nieces at the extended family Christmas party later that week. (Because if cousins aren't be-diapered in a tub, they should be dressed in identical Christmas finery, under the tree):

The aforementioned extended family Christmas party:

Ethan, during the talent portion of the night, performing a few magic tricks to the astonishment of the crowd:


And that's all the photos I have the wherewithal to upload. Merry Christmas, and on to 2009!

Almost Here . . .

I still get so excited about Christmas. I just do. It's 7:45 on Christmas Eve day and I should probably be doing something productive . . . but instead I want to post some pictures (and a video! I'm so high techie today) of the fun we've had this week.

Wyatt playing in the snow:


Holiday decorations, courtesy of Jonas. (And photo courtesy of Jonas. He also took the next one. Then he made me take the one after that.)





Wyatt's vision of the nativity:


Christmas Baking Extravaganza (with closeup shot of Forrest's chocolate crinkles. So pretty. And yes, the kitchen was a ridiculous mess):




Elise's elementary school choir performance. She's the fifth one from the right on the top row. I'll include a close-up picture, too, so you can see how cute she is.





The Original Handmade Amazing Murial W. Christmas village--under the tree! We figured Wyatt could handle it this year--last year it was on top of the piano. He's done pretty well with it, but we have a few horses missing tails and trees missing tips.


The Dining-Room-Table-Full-o-Gifts. Although Wyatt does okay with the village, I don't trust him with wrapped presents. So for now, this is where all my wrapped presents go. Who says a formal dining room doesn't get used??


And now it's onward and upward to Christmas Eve! I finished grading yesterday (hooray!), the presents are all purchased (but not all wrapped), and it's time to have some fun.

Ten Things I Miss About the 90s

1. Pants with zippers longer than two inches high. You could wear them and not look like a dork because, well, those were the only pants available. And your pants stayed up! And you didn't show anybody your underwear!



2. Looking forward to the next episode of The X-Files

3. My creaseless forehead

4. Truly believing that one could eat as many mini marshmallows, gummy candies, Hot Tamales, bagels, and platters of spaghetti with red sauce as one wanted because they were low fat and therefore ABSOLUTELY HARMLESS

5. Commercials for the Health Rider on TV



6. Our convertible Jeep Wrangler

7. Kurt Cobain


(I still blame Courtney.)

8. Owning a house that cost less than $100,000

9. Being blissfully unaware that I was supposed to pluck my eyebrows.
(Once you go down that road, friends, there's no turning back.)

10. Sleeping in (circa 1990-1996)

What do YOU miss about the 90s?

Things That Make Me Happy

1. Getting Christmas cards in the mail. Four today!

2. "Famous Last Words" by My Chemical Romance. I have it on a mix CD in my car and no matter how many times I hear it it makes me want to sing loooouuuud. There is most assuredly a highly emotional Goth teenager somewhere deep inside me.

3. Wyatt putting a tiger sticker from the grocery store on my nose, saying "Mama's nose!" and laughing hysterically.

4. Christmas.




Wyatt didn't cry, not one little bit. Weird.

5. Being done with my Relief Society Christmas party. (Went swimmingly, my newish Enrichment Committee ROCKS, and my brother, our speaker for the night and spiritual black belt extraordinaire whom I called "Anthony" in his intro, also ROCKS.)

**Is it dorky that I say things rock? Yes? Ah, well.**

6. Wyatt's naptime. Whatever will I do when he grows out of it?

7. The fact that my students found short stories IN ACTUAL LITERARY MAGAZINES all by themselves and read them and liked them, and that last night, during their presentations to the class, could speak intelligently about elements of the craft. I have not molded any literary geniuses from quivering lumps of clay, but I do feel like they've learned something & grown.

8. Ethan playing the trumpet. We went to his band concert last night (and since I was rushing from teaching in SLC in order to screech into the parking lot at 7:03, the camera was forgotten)--and the band did a great job. Major props to the SJ Middle School band teacher for her dedication to one of the most difficult jobs in the universe.

9. Forgiveness.

10. Bed.

Oh What Fun It Is To Ride

We had a lesson a couple weeks back in church on enjoying life--a really good lesson. And even though I consider myself to be pretty content (usually) and mostly grateful (trying), it's important to remind yourself to stop and smell the apple cinnamon holiday candles every once in a while. Or in the immortal words of Bon Jovi, "It's my life / it's now or never / I ain't gonna live forever / I just wanna live while I'm alive."

Although, technically, I AM gonna live forever, but we understand the sentiment, right?

So, the apple cinnamon goodness of this last week is as follows:

Sunday night, Elise performed with the Riverton Children's Choir at the Assembly Hall at Temple Square. It's a darn good little choir and Elise was just beaming up there on the risers. My *$#)@ camera only took blurry pictures inside (the lighting was weird and the camera couldn't figure it out) but the overall red-and-goldishness of the photo at least hints at the flavor of the evening:



And here's a much better closeup photo of my loverly daughter:



The weather that night was downright balmy--a change from last year when it was so cold and slushy that I feared we might lose Jonas's toes to frostbite. Grandma and Grandpa Sweat and the cousins joined us and the kids had a ball looking at the lights. Wyatt was quite impressed by the big Jesus in the visitors' center (and even more impressed by the outer space mural on the wall as you wind your way up that classic ramp--he kept pointing and saying "Moon! Moon!"). It was a most pleasant Christmassy evening. Oh, and one more cool picture, just because it's cool:



Monday night, I met up with some high school friends, some of whom I hadn't seen in years. We went to Tepanyaki, one of those Japanese places where they cook the food in front of you, and I felt a little bad for our poor Japanese chef because we weren't paying him much attention, even when he was catching a raw egg in his chef hat and tossing his knives in the air. Too much talking. But SO GOOD to see them all again and chat away. I'm a girlfriend girl, you know? Some girls are meant for girlfriends (example: Jennifer Aniston); some are not (example: Angelina Jolie). I am most definitely a girlfriend girl. Here we are, posing in the Tepanyaki entryway in all of our 36-year-old girlfriendiness:

And for family members who might remember some of these faces from back in the day: Tamra, moi (even though the hair is darker, you do recognize me, right??), Tamie, Dana, Natalie, Sylvia, Tracy.

Everyone seemed happy and settled and themselves--and by that I mean we're all old enough to have sloughed off some of the insecurities of early adulthood, the worrying about being judged, falling short, all that exhausting jazz. There's a lot to like about getting older, and I really mean that. But I do love my old friends and I'm glad we had the chance to get together and gossip and laugh and ignore our cleaver-wielding Japanese chef.

Then Tuesday night I had our ward book club over to my house four our Christmas party (I know, I know, but I hadn't hosted in a while and it DID force me to get my decorations up and I cleaned and cleaned, even washed the cabinets down, which was satisfying). People started arriving at 7:30 on the nose and I needed until 7:36 to be entirely prepared, but nobody seemed to mind that I was still putting chocolates on a tray and queuing up the CD player after they'd arrived, although I'm sure Martha Stewart would not have approved. We had a great turnout and exchanged a bunch of beautiful Christmas books. Another fun girlfriendy evening.

I've also spent some time this week on Irreantum related stuff. As you all know, the journal's out, but we had a few printing issues that took some wind out of my sails. The pages are a little misaligned and one subscriber got a copy that was bound upside down (egads). I also get a little bit of post-partum blechishness (weirdly??) after doing an issue of Irreantum. Happened with the poetry issue too. There's all this work, all this time, then you put the dang thing out and receive a few complaints (founded complaints--nobody wants to read an upside down magazine), a few nice comments from well meaning friends, and then silence. And I know to expect that--we have a very small circulation, really, and what do I think is going to happen? Cymbals crashing? Confetti? No--you do your work and hope it's good and hope people like it and there you go. Maybe that's why I think it would be so cool to be a dancer, though. You do your thing and there are all these people trapped in a room who feel what you're feeling when you feel it, experience it while you experience it, and when you're done, they clap.

Ah, though, now I sound like a big baby. And like I'm fishing. I'm so not. Just trying to explain how altogether weird the whole publishing thing can sometimes be. Even after everything, though, being involved with Irreantum was (and remains) a pleasure.

Then yesterday. Cycling class with Forrest; serving lunch for a funeral in our ward (RS Presidency thing--and the gentleman who died was ready to go, so it wasn't really a tragedy); Dr. appointment (basically healthy, tailbone pain remains inexplicable); teaching class (fiction workshop--and I really love my students, an altogether earnest and charming lot); coming home at 8:00 p.m. and walking right out the door again to go make eighty gratitude journals with the Enrichment committee, gifts for the RS ladies at the Christmas dinner next Tues. We thought we could whip them out faster than we did--isn't that how it always goes?--and we were up past MIDNIGHT. Came home tired and with modge podge in my fingernails, but it was fun to hang out with those ladies, too.

Lots of girlfriendiness this week. Lots of good stuff. Lots to enjoy in this life, no?

All's I Want For Christmas Is . . .

a good read.

Right?

I battled the throngs this morning (and no, I wasn't trampled to death like the poor guy in New York.) I found almost everything I was looking for, and my Christmas shopping is 93% done. Are you 93% done too? And are you wondering what to get for that final 7%?

Might I humbly suggest some reading material? There's some good stuff on my sidebar, including the most recent issue of Irreantum, yours for the bargain basement price of ten buckeroonis. C Jane's book is a delight (truly--just ask my mom, who read the whole thing the night she babysat), and all proceeds go to benefit Stephanie Nielsen. The Mother in Me is a perfect gift for any mom and written by some of the coolest ladies I know. And then there's my book, too. Most of you have already read it, I know, so if you have you're off the hook. But if any of you live in the SLC/Provo area and would like to give it as a gift, I'd be happy to sign a copy for you. Let's meet for lunch at Zupas and get a bowl of Chicken Enchilada Chili and I'll whip out my pen.

And now I must go and gird up my loins for tomorrow . . . the great day of decorating. Oh, the paraphernalia! Wish me luck.

Oh! Not so fast. I forgot to say that yes, we had a fantastic Thanksgiving yesterday (thanks Mom). Lots of great food, and I didn't humiliate myself bowling at the Fat Cats bowling alley last night. A Thanksgiving Miracle!

And congrats to Forrest, who came in 6th place in his age group (35-39 year old men) at this year's SLC Cold Turkey race, a 6K in City Creek Canyon. Not only did he do the Hallstrom name proud, but he preemptively burned off all the calories he subsequently consumed at Thanksgiving dinner. He went with his sister Mindy and her husband Pete, and all three of them did great (and will probably remain svelte throughout the holidays). Great job, guys!

Hey. It's the end of the year.

Which means:

1. The calendar is full of scribbled appointments: "Buca party." "Elise choir: School, 2:30, Retirement, 5:00, Family: 7:30." "Wilkey Adult bash." & etc.

2. The people on the television keep saying "lame duck session." I wonder if the actual lame ducks (the people, not the birds) feel bad about such terminology, even when they know it's not personal?

3. Home, Family & Personal Enrichment. Meetings! Party Planning! Calendaring! Gathering of reimbursement receipts!

4. Hot Deals. Buy buy buy! And if you don't and the whole entire United States of America disintegrates and slides into the ocean as a big, lumpy, crumbly mess, it's all your fault.

5. Important Movies. Although I haven't seen one yet. (Is is just me, or does it seem like slim pickins? And is it just me, or do you harbor some skepticism toward the Hugh Jackman/Nicole Kidman epic Austrailia? And is it just me, or do you think that movie title deserves an exclamation point? Austrailia!) I don't think James Bond counts as an Important Movie.

6. Food Opportunities. Just last night at book club I had some caramel pumpkin layer cake. And I wasn't even hungry. (But yes, it was tasty.) Gaining five pounds in the name of courtesy--ahhh, the holidays.

7. Day after Thanksgiving Shopping Extravaganza. And yes, I like it. I do! It's fun! Gives me a little shot of adrenaline, and I get most of my shopping done in one long, jostly, bargain-ey morning.

8. Christmas Card machinations. What photo to use? The whole family, or kids sans parents? (This year: kids sans parents, posed this Sunday in front of the fireplace. Wyatt was being ridiculous and wouldn't let go of his dinosaurs, so the dinosaurs will be featured. It's an okay picture--not one of my favorites--but it'll do.) Also--family Christmas letter. What format? What tone? Lots of decisions.

9. Christmas music!!

10. And once again, the question: What in the world do I get my dad??

Twenty Years

So Forrest and I have officially been two-little-lovebirds-sitting-in-a-tree (and, yes, k-i-s-s-i-n-g) for 20 years. Well, scratch that. We've been k-i-s-s-i-n-g for 18 years, since there wasn't any smooching going on from April 1990- April 1992. Well, scratch that too. Forrest wasn't doing any smooching from 1990-1992. (And I wasn't doing much of it. And it was halfhearted.)

ANYWAY . . . twenty years. That's a loooong time, baby. But a long, good time. I can't imagine spending two decades with anyone more intelligent, hilarious, generous and fun then the man I met when he was a 145-pound 17-year-old who drove a beat down Chevy Citation and wore a Violent Femmes t-shirt, a white cardigan and bright red Chuck Taylors.

And yes, Dad, you had good cause to be suspicious (who WAS this guy hanging around all the time???) but I've got to thank both my parents for trusting little sixteen year old me and seventeen year old him and not kicking him to the curb (or locking me in my bedroom), because I can't imagine sharing my life with anyone better.

But enough mushiness. Y'all know I love my man. But I love him ESPECIALLY right now because of the surprise he sprung on me last weekend: a celebratory getaway extravaganza! And boy, did we have a great time.

My parents helped out (thank you thank you) and stayed w/ the kidlets so we could sneak away on Friday afternoon. Here we are, on our way out the door to go see Quantum of Solace:


Don't you think Forrest looks a little like Daniel Craig in this shot? It's the piercing blue eyes. And yes, hon, the muscles.

After seeing the movie--which was full of gunshots and explosions and car chases and pretty ladies in slinky dresses and Bond getting the crap kicked out of him--we took off toward the mountains. I had no idea where we were going, but it became clear pretty quick that we were headed to Park City. What I really didn't expect, though, was to pull up to the swank-a-rific Stein Erickson Lodge. I know! Forrest got a good off-season deal on Hotels.com (still wasn't cheap, though) and this West Valley girl felt pretty pampered for a couple of days. I wonder how rich you have to be to stop worrying that the doorman/concierge/server isn't judging you for your Old Navy windbreaker? (Well, I just answered that, I guess: when you are rich enough not to be wearing an Old Navy windbreaker.)

We had a gorgeous room and an even more gorgeous view.



The view after dark was nice, too: the lights were so soft and twinkly and peaceful. That night we had a fun dinner at an Asian fusion place. Forrest has been reading this book about sushi--yes, a book about sushi--and he was anxious to try some of Park City's offerings. And mmmmm . . . it was good.

We slept in that morning, had a delicious breakfast at "the lodge," (yeah, it was a lot of eating, and I'm paying for it) then we headed home. But we were only home for a few hours before jetting off again to the Segullah couples' pre-holiday party, which was also a grand time. At any rate, it was a fabulous weekend, restful and restorative and fun. My batteries have been effectively charged.

Oh, and two final things. One, Irreantum is at the printer (hooray!) and should be mailed out in the next day or two. Two, I got my hair cut kinda short and decided to color it darker, and a little red. I'm tired of the blond highlights. Time for a winter look. Voila:

File It Under Shameless Self Promotion

But you're just my family and beloved friends--except you, random person from New Dehli whom I've never met but who somehow stumbled on this blog--so it's not as ishy if I just tell ya'll about a new interview with me that was just published in a magazine called Mormon Artist. And the interview was done in two different email exchanges, two weeks apart, which is why I used the phrase "itching to" twice. (Who knew I had such a fondness for that little linguistic gem?).

You can check it out here. (And there are a number of other really interesting interviews in the magazine as well.)

Ethan's New Blog

Ethan had a blog for a while that went by the wayside. But his blogging genes can't be suppressed, and he's picked it up again. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to have some readers pop by. It's called Junior Highlights (great name, Bud) and you can find it here. (I also have it on my sidebar). Happy blogging, my boy. And be careful with the political posts--they'll getcha!!

My Week--A Play by Play

Sunday: Woke up at 5:15 with Wyatt. Fasted. Churched. Ate some mui delicioso roast-potatoes-carrots (sooo good after fasting). Went to the Wilkey Extended Family Home Evening at Grandma Muriel's warm and cozy Magna abode and let the kids get all rosy cheeked and exhausted running around the backyard in the darkness (goodbye Daylight Savings Time! Although I'd already said my goodbyes that morning at 5:15 with Wyatt).

Monday: Woke up at 5:19 with Wyatt. Took the kids to Marv Jensen Rec Center for their "Off Track Camp" ($35 bucks, Mon through Fri, 10:30-2:30. Great way to yank the kids away from the television set the last week off track. Also good way for Mommy to have the peace and quiet necessary to locate her marbles and put them back inside her head.) Took Ethan to GameStop where he purchased a VERY cool new game called "Little Big Planet" for the PS3, his reward for getting a 4.0 his first term in Jr. High. (Go Ethan!) That evening, attended Jonas and Elise's first piano recital with their new teacher, a very professional type whose students are all much more advanced than Jonas or Elise. But both kids did a great job and looked darling to boot. (And no, I don't have any photos!! I took video, but it's refusing to upload. Arggh!) Forrest spent most of the recital walking around Riverton Music with Wyatt, trying to prevent him from dismantling the trombones or taking a purloined drumstick to a $30,000 Steinway.

Tuesday: Election Day!! Woke up at 5:25 with Wyatt. Went to the gym. Watched lots of entertaining breathless reportage on the television, etc. etc. But then my day got derailed by a very distressing Facebook exchange between some folks on my Facebook wall (will not go into it here), which led me to the conclusion that 1. I am spending too much time online and 2. I can not control anyone, least of all people whom I haven't seen since my late teens and 3. I have enough going on in my life that I can't be spending my emotional energy on said people. So I deleted my Facebook account. Who knows if I'll pop back on eventually, but for right now I think the whole thing was a good reminder to me that sometimes you've gotta reign it in, baby. Forrest was out of town on top of it all (he always helps me keep things in perspective) but after a few husbandly phone calls, some election related, some Facebook related, by the end of the night my spirits were slowly climbing back out of the pit of despair. At 9:00 p.m. I called the kids around me to see history being made.


It was an extremely cool moment, for me and for them. I hope they remember it.

Wednesday: Woke up with Wyatt at 5:35. Cleaned the dang house. Graded papers. Finished up proofing the last little bit of Irreantum. Ate Halloween candy. Recovered from Tuesday-induced hangover. Stayed inside.

Thursday: Woke up with Wyatt at 5:45. Prepped for class. Finished grading papers. Went to Old Navy to buy myself one pair of jeans, but instead bought myself two sweaters, two tank tops, Wyatt two pairs of pants, Elise two tops, and Jonas and Ethan one long-sleeved shirt a piece. Wondered why I keep running out of money one week before auto-deposit hits the Mountain America account. Ordered Papa John's pizza to feed my offspring and inlaws (thanks inlaws!) who'd be babysitting said offspring since Forrest wouldn't be home before dark. Drove to SLC, taught my students all about "PLOT" (important takeaway: Only Conflict Is Interesting . . . hence, one could conceivably write a short story about Tuesday, but probably not Wednesday.) Drove home on I-15 whilst eating a Southern Style Chicken Sandwich from Mickey D's (I feel so much better about myself when there's no mayonnaise involved). Arrived home to find much joy awaiting: husband! Wyatt ready for bed! TiVoed "Office" AND "Thirty Rock!" Oh, the bliss.

Friday: Stayed cocooned in my bed until 8:00, since the dearest husband ever known to womankind got up with Wyatt at 5:48 and even got Ethan off to school. Went to the gym, did yoga. (The last 10 minutes of yoga class, you lay on the floor with a towel over your eyes and listen to twinkly music and a very sincere woman telling you to relax. It is worth every penny of the $60 I pay to Lifetime Fitness Corporation each month.) Brought Jonas's lunch (left in the backseat of the van) to Marv Jensen Fitness center to a very hungry Jonas. More Irreantum proofing. Made taco casserole on one side of the kitchen island while Forrest made a homemade apple pie on the other side and we listened to new Offspring songs on the iPod. Had dinner (Jonas even ate THREE BITES of the casserole!), puttered, put Wyatt down, left the kids home so Forrest and I could go watch Casino Royale on my parents' home theater system (Forrest has big plans for the new Bond movie next weekend and it was IMPERATIVE that I see Casino Royale in preparation.) And I must say, Daniel Craig is composed entirely of sinew, testosterone, and ice.

Saturday: Today, of course! Slept till 7:00 (even though Forrest was up with Wyatt at 5:52). Cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Oh, the cleaning. The discarded shoes, the little lego pieces and Pokemon cards, the dust on the blinds and black furniture, the gunk in the bottom of the tootbrush cups, the pencil drawings on the walls (thank you Mr. Wyatt). The toilets, the pee. The Halloween candy wrappers. It's never ending, I tell you. Entropy!! But after a crazy barrage of homemaking, and a little mean-Mom "You can't tell me you think this room is actually CLEAN!" lectures by moi . . . the house is in good shape. For now. So after the crazy barrage, took Elise to get her hair trimmed (NOT cut, heavens), went to lunch at Zupas (fun! although the lady put too much dressing on my salad, but whatchagonnado), came home to a sleeping Wyatt, and laid in my bed UNDER THE COVERS at 2:00 in the afternoon (I was cold!) and read Courtney Kendrick's blog-book for a solid hour. Made me smile. And now I'm blogging. And feeding Wyatt Sun Chips so I can finish. Have I told you he's obsessed with giraffes? And brontosauruses? Something about the necks I'm guessing.

At any rate, this has gone on long enough. Now Wyatt wants me to read him a book about (you guessed it) giraffes. And didn't I say about an hour ago I spend too much time online? See? Told you.

Smell My Feet

Had a fun Halloween with the kids scattered hither and thither. Ethan left the neighborhood entirely and went trick or treating with his friend Mitch. He made an impressive George W. Bush (although he wasn't entirely convincing, since he can pronounce "nuclear"):



Ethan took off at 5:30 and ended up sleeping over, so I didn't see the kid till the next morning, when he came calumphing in the house with his gigantic pillowcase full of candy. Have I mentioned that the years they pass like summer dew upon the grass?

The rest of the family trick or treated in the 'hood. Elise was a devil, Jonas a warrior/ninja, and Wyatt a lion (grrrrr! he said).





Fer cute, no?

Elise ended up racing around the neighborhood with her friend Tayler and these cute twin girls who've moved in across the street. She ended up sleeping over at Tayler's afterward, so we were down TWO kids Halloween night

(The girls, minus one twin).

Then Jonas took off with a gang of kids in the neighborhood. All his 2nd grade buddies were a variation on the same ninja theme. They got pulled around by a really nice guy with a trailer and his nice wife who festooned it (festooned? does that entail draping? Ah well, I like the verb anyway) with hay.



After he was done trick or treating he went to one of his friend's house, watched movies and jumped on the tramp in the dark until 10:30, so he he had an exciting night too.

Then Wyatt got to truck around with his Dad and I for a little while. At first he was suspicious about going up to all these strange doors, knocking and asking for candy. But after a couple houses, he got the hang of it. And there's nothing cuter than a toddler in a costume.





It was a fun Halloween--and now I have all the candy to contend with. (Those fun size Kit Kats are calling to me!)

And now it's Monday night. Which means tomorrow is TUESDAY. For the first time in my adult life, I'm really invested in a Presidential election. I'll probably be glued to CNN all day long.

Don't forget to vote. No matter who you're voting for--VOTE!

(But I've gotta say . . . GO OBAMA!!!)