T'WAS THE NIGHT BEFORE HALLOWEEN...

and all through Laguna Beach, lots of witches were stirring and causing a screech!

My mom's friend Susi started a tradition last year of dressing up like witches and going to dinner.  After dinner, they walk around the streets of Laguna Beach spreading a little Halloween cheer to all!  It is called "Witchiepoo"!  This year my sister and I got invited and boy what a night!

My dad dressed up and chauffeured all the "Menopausal Witches" (as Tristen named them) around the town.  They were hilarious and it was funny to see them act like teenagers!

Cruisin' PCH while cackling to cars!

Krystal, myself and Katie had some fun in our car too!

Tristen and I trying to take off on our brooms!

The yummy place we dined.  

My mom, dad, sister and I!

Aren't we scary witches?

Britni asked the waiter for some blood to drink (aka cranberry juice)

John Lennon Witch (aka Tami Karpowitz) had her usual Diet Coke!

Cyndi Lauper Witch was the hostess with the mostess!

Things got WILD when Susi dared Tristen to put on a performance of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" for the whole restaurant.

The waiters couldn't stop laughing...

and a few people might have been SCARED!  All the better for Halloween!

Witchiepoos Bev Hunter and Claralyn Palfreyman

We got asked by a few different people if we would take a picture with them.

Witch legs and shoes!

And Tristen's "Full Moon" for a car next to us!

We went into some restaurants and wished people well.  Tristen put on some more good shows and had people entertained.

Witches in a line going through the cross walk.

Witches certainly need Pumpkin Gelato for a treat after all their good doings.

One last car ride home....

... and Tristen and I finally took off into the night on our brooms!

Hope that everyone has a wonderful and safe Halloween!!!

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD...

Last night Amanda hosted a small family/friend Halloween get together themed "The Wizard of Oz".  The kids had so much fun and Bryan and I did too!  I have never seen so many Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion things.  It was great!

Berkley loved the fog machine and eating lots of candy of course!

Haven came as Minnie Mouse but when Frelly didn't want to wear her Dorothy costume... Amanda asked Haven if she wanted to wear it.  Haven was on cloud 9 the whole night!

Haven and Berkley with cousins Octopus Reese and Shark Beck!

The cute hostess with all her Halloween cuties!

The kids ate lots of Chili, Cornbread and of course CUPCAKES!

Amanda had these darling Wizard of Oz lunch pails for their trick or treating bags.  

She had themed buckets around the house with lots of different candy.  For instance... one of the Dorothy buckets had "Rainbow" licorice and the other had "green" glow sticks for Emerald City.  She ordered "Lion" candy bars from the UK for the Lion bucket and had Smarties in another bucket for the Scarecrow.  It was very well put together and so creative!

Thanks for such a fun night Amanda... it's not like your life isn't crazy right now and to do this for the children was very thoughtful!

JUST ONE MORE REASON

I was amazed at what I encountered today.  I wanted to share with you just one more reason why I will be voting YES ON 8 here in California!  Today I took the girls to Disneyland.  Amanda and her younger 2 kids came so we carpooled up to Anaheim.  She drove and has a YES ON PROP 8 sticker on her car.  As we were walking back in the Downtown Disney parking lot... we see an older black BMW pull into an open parking spot right next ours.  The person riding shotgun doesn't know that is our car and points to our sticker and mouths "NO".  We then hear her say "Let's wait until these people get back".  Well, they didn't have to wait too long.  We then hear them say "Oh my gosh... they are right here".  The next thing we know... there are two lesbians standing in front of us and our kids making out!  They are grabbing each other's butts and getting extra touchy just to be obnoxious!  Amanda and I couldn't believe what was going on.  We tried to not look and didn't say anything simply to not draw attention for the kids.  After a few... they went away chuckling over their little stunt.  

Amanda and I were livid to say the least!  It was uncalled for, dis-respectful and in your face!  I would have freaked out even if a boy/girl couple did that in front of my children.  Don't they get how unclassy that was?  The only thing we could think to do was to leave a note on their car.  Amanda wrote it and it read something like this...

"I have a gay relative.  I am not anti-gay.  I just want parental rights and to teach my kids how and when I feel concerning this topic.  What you did today re-assured me why I am so passionate about voting YES on prop 8.  How can you want respect yet be so disrespectful and intolerant to what I believe?  Why can't we still love each other but have different feelings about things?  I more than anything just feel very sorry for you and how you acted."

I have learned so many things these last few weeks.  I have learned that these people are saying they want to be treated equal.  They want us to be more tolerant of them.  But I have seen nothing but cruelness from them.  I have seen friends cars get keyed who have YES stickers.  I know someone who had Ice Cream smeared all over her car.  I have gotten the bird several times driving with my sticker.  I know of a few friendships that have been ruined over this because someone believed NO so strongly and got mad that their friends didn't.  I heard of someone getting eggs and another bleach thrown on them while holding YES signs on a corner.  It has been eye opening.  All in the meantime... with none of the YES people doing anything.  They think we are being judgmental yet we are 100% being judged.  I have learned to be the bigger person.  I have learned that standing up for what you believe in feels good.  I have loved becoming united with neighbors and community members who do feel the same way about this prop.  I will do everything this next week to help people understand why this is so important.  And I will be so excited come Nov. 4 to vote YES on Prop 8!

AND SO THE SUGAR OVERLOAD BEGINS....

We have had fun celebrating for Halloween over the past couple days.  Saturday night was our ward Trunk or Treat which Bryan and I were in charge of.  I am SO glad that it is OVER and I think everyone had a good time.  Haven and Berkley were not excited to be Geisha dolls until I bought them these umbrellas at the swap meet for $2!  It did the trick!

We had no idea that Haven's good friend Saylor was a Geisha girl as well.

We had a "Mummy" wrap contest and the kids thought it was so great to watch.

They thought this one was even better~ getting eyeballs out of brains (aka pasta of course!)

For family night we went to the Pumpkin Patch.  We have such a busy week with my brother's wedding in 5 days that we talked about taking a year off.  I am glad we didn't.  The girls enjoyed themselves so much.

Buying food for the donkey

Tractor ride!

This thing is only a quarter and they love to ride it while waiting in line for the pony ride!

Haven wanted me to jump on the extra horse while we waited some more.

Me and my girl!

My man and I (we will celebrate 8 years of marriage tomorrow)!

Finally the ponies were ready!

A last picture with the cousins

and group shot to end the night!

The saddest thing happened when we got home and I realized that my Helen Ficalora necklace that I have not taken off in a year and a half was gone!  It must have fallen off at the pumpkin patch and is probably under lots of stomped on hay.  I am sick about it and hate to lose things! Maybe a replacement for Christmas?