CALLING ALL HALLOWEENIES...

While the digital camera is still in giving-up-the-ghost status (Best Buy reneged on the Extended Warranty and Juli's Discover card doesn't cover the purchase), I figured I'd revisit the past by posting some pics we never got around to posting. So nevermind the fact that Juli just posted about New Year's and now I'm about to post something from two months earlier than that because chronology is overrated. Also, I'll try to be less smarmy from here on out, because, jeez, I just reread some old posts, and the pics were nice, but all the sass and excessive verbiage were just ANNOYING. Sorry about that--I'm winging this and verbiosity usually ends up a by-product (see this very paragraph for examples).

Anyhoo, I know it seems like our blog adventures revolve around drinking recently, but we truly have been cutting back in that dept. Regardless, we decided to get a bit shithoused for All Hallow's Eve and carve pumpkins, just the two of us.

First start w/ a bunch of seasonal microbrews and a $4 pumpkin carving kit (things just look better when you throw them in the fridge):



Then mix to frothy peaks and add the following:



Things will pretty much go downhill from there.







I tried to get arty...





...but then just ended up drinking a lot more and walking up to the Safeway. That was also a mess, as I ended up with some Dr. Scholl's foot pads...



...an Ace bandage (note the immediate buyer's remorse painted across the face):



...what I think are tealight candles (possibly the original point of the shopping sojourn?):



...some "THIRSTY" paper towels:



...and some day-old Halloween doughnuts that tasted as awful as they looked (they were on sale, OK?):



I really should have gotten a picture of the cashier's face as she rung all this up.

But all's well that ends well:



That's a broken heart emompkin and a Team Boompkin if you're keeping score at home.

Once the haze cleared, I realized that I'd calculated Halloween one week too early (seriously) and that our little emompkin and boompkin would be puddles before having the chance to chase away Samhain spirits.

By the time that real Halloween came around, I didn't have too much spark left. Juli had even less, but I made her paint faces w/ me and carve our bigumpkin. Hannah came over and took pictures:





Yes, that's a spermandeggumpkin, which the neighborhood kids just LOVED. This is how it looked from outside:



...and this is how I looked from the outside, courtesy of the Princess' fingerpainting on my face-canvas:



Juli got some bitchin' face-paintage in return, but she didn't seem to enthused about it (once she's over it, she's OVER it):



Jealous much?

Twenty-oh-Seven

Exhausted from getting up at 3:30 am and travelling for 12 hours, we didn't feel like doing much for new years. So we made fondue together and at 10-till midnight, we filled our champaign glasses and headed outside to the our streetcorner, where we brag about having the best view on capitol hill. It was filled with people.

One block up the hill was a crowd of probably hundreds, completely blocking traffic and raising a fantastic chorus of "wooo"s and noisemakers. In front of us was an amazing, clear view of the space needle, blinking with little flashes of light. It suddenly lit up with fireworks, bursting out from the top and all around the space needle.

Our view was amazing, and the whole thing was so incredibly and unexpectedly beautiful. The energy of the crowd behind us was so celebretory, it felt just a little bit like the night the Gators won the basketball championship. We cheersed our neighbors as we all went back inside. Conor & I decided to have a new years eve party next year.

I felt sad much of the night. I miss Gainesville and all the people I got to see while I was in FL. But that fireworks show was special and lovely and I was happy to share it with my husband and best friend.

Happy New Year, everyone. Be happy and healthy and loving and loved.