Have as many as you want! ... and VOTE.

Trick-or-Treating is not what it used to be.

This fact was observed upon my visit to Detroit this past weekend to visit friends Kristi and Joe (and their dog Jaake, er, Nancy ... that's another story). After having worked with Kristi and Joe on a daily basis for about a year, I very easily get 'friend-deprived' not being able to see them very often anymore. You can imagine then, that this past weekend's visit was highly anticipated. The fact that I finally got to see Kristi's pregnant belly in person and meet WIP (work-in-progress) added to the excitement.

An extra bonus? The opportunity to pass out candy to the kiddos trick-or-treating. An even bigger bonus? Sneaking Rolos and Reese's Pieces from the candy bowl. I hear that there is an obesity epidemic among children in the U.S. So, it was the least I could do to sacrifice myself for this cause by eating said candy. I digress.

Halloween was a big deal when I was young. I can easily recall several creative costumes that I wore, or witnessed, as a little tike:

• Handmade Minnie Mouse costumes. Two. Matching. One for my sister, one for me. The full ensemble included whiskers and even clever yellow 'shoe covers' to resembled Minnie's own yellow high heels. And, the ears of course - that's a given. I believe that Brooke and I both shed some tears as Mom applied false eyelashes and face paint to complete the look. Now that's a true sign of a good costume ... tears. It was all worth it.
  
• Crayola Crayons. This costume, if I recall correctly, was donned by several different people throughout several different generations. The crayon 'body,' if you will, was basically a tube of felt-like fabric that didn't allow much freedom for movement. A giant-sized pointed hat completed the look. The story has often been told that true love was declared for my sister on behalf of my brother-in-law Justin when he agreed to wear the blue-crayon (or 'cerulean,' in Crayola terms) costume to a college Halloween party. Picture: a 6'3" guy in a felt tube dress with a 'crayon-tip-hat' adding an extra foot to his already tall stature. Oooh, it's love. And boy, was it a funny sight.
  
• Another favorite memory was going trick-or-treating with friends Amy and Leah when we were little. They also could be counted on to have some creative costumes. But my favorite had to be the year they went as dice. That's right, dice. The cubes with six sides. Keep in mind, these costumes were not made out of soft felt or fabric. They were wooden boxes with small holes for arms. As you can imagine, this made reaching for candy or holding the candy bag quite the task, since their arms basically stuck straight out to the sides. Ah, such fun.

Fast forward back to 2008, when I was sad not to see any costumes that seemed handmade or all that creative. Yes, still very cute - but just not the same. Beyond the costumes though, I witnessed another Halloween first: parents trick-or-treating. I know, what?!

A group of kids, about 5-6 years old, came up to the door dressed up and there behind them were their moms, not dressed up, but with bags getting candy. Isn't that illegal? On top of that, kids were grabbing handfuls of candy.

One munchkin was kind enough to ask me, "How many pieces can I have?" Now, thinking this was a polite question, I was just about to respond, "You can choose two pieces." But, no. Munchkin's little partner in crime beat me to it and responded with, "Have as many as you want!" Not one to burst any child's bubble on Halloween, I let them all have at it. But again, I say - it's not what it used to be.

Post-passing out candy, the guests started trickling in to celebrate Kelli's birthday. In another twist of tradition, a campfire was built in the middle of the driveway. The night was accompanied by delicious homemade chili, coffee cake, roasting s'mores and the singing of 'Happy Birthday' to the birthday girl. Note: As for the tradition of singing Happy Birthday, nothing's changed. It remains the hardest song to sing and I still cop out by just mouthing the words so to save anyone near me the travesty of hearing me attempt the ungodly high notes.

The weekend was rounded out with a Saturday lunch with Darb at Red Coat Tavern in Royal Oak, where it was confirmed that they do indeed have the best burgers ever. And on Sunday, Eric, Sarah and I met up with friends Trevor and Amy for church followed by pizza and chatting at their adorable home in Grand Rapids. Much laughter was had by all as Amy told us the stories of the 'ghost' living in their house that walks up the stairs in the morning when she's home alone and pounds on their glass door. Her caveat to the story? "I do not believe in ghosts but I'm convinced I heard one in my house." :)

That brings me to my final topic of this post: tomorrow is Election Day. 1. Thank God it's about to be over. 2. VOTE! I already did by the lovely absentee ballot system. No matter who you're voting for, vote. My personal vote was cast based on many issues that I feel are important to the rebuilding of this nation. But, I also want to support our troops. And I acknowledge that they have a better inside look at the government than any of us, so their presidential preference speaks volumes of what - who - this country needs to keeps us safe (one of the main bullet points of the President's job description). God bless the outcome of this election, God bless our troops.

Perhaps more exciting than this election, however, is the fact that I just spoke with my nephew, who informed me he was eating a 'milky way' because he went potty on the big boy toilet for the very first time! It's big news, people.