Success!

The party was a big success last night. We had all of our normal crowd, plus friends we don't get to see that often anymore. We had very little food left over (a few spring rolls & potstickers, along with chips, hummus & dip), so I made just enough. I was surprised that people scarfed up the hummus like they did, it's generally one of those foods that people either love or absolutely hate. I guess I got lucky & have the hummus loving friends.

We had ritual before the party. Afterwards, Dawn & I got everything put away & then Troy & I started cooking the dinner. Everyone else who was here (some friends came later) watched TV and waited patiently. We got everything done around the time I said it would be ready & everyone dug in.

It was really just a fun time. There were costumes, friends, food, drinks, music & a lot of laughs & good conversations.

It didn't even get terribly cold last night, which was good, since I went outside in my fortune teller costume & no coat to turn off all of decor lights out there. I was afraid I'd get too cold & start wishing I had an electric blanket, but it was fine & I slept perfectly.

Anyway, I need to get ready to run to the store really quick, so we can get the Sunday paper (for coupons), so I'd better go do that.

Excitement

Tonight is our annual Halloween party & I'm pretty excited about it - as always! I'm hoping we have a good turnout, considering the time & money I've spent on the whole thing. I'm in the middle of "carving" my pumpkins (I use quotations because I'm actually drilling holes in them), then I think I'll clean house & rest for a few minutes before I have to get busy with everything else.

On top of that, our friend & his wife are expecting twin boys, very soon. I'm waiting for the baby announcements any day now, which is pretty exciting. Between the two of them, they already have 7 kids, but these are their first together. They just got married last March and while they hadn't known each other long, they seem to be made for each other. We're all very happy for him, because he is such an amazing person. I'm very excited to meet their new babies!

Bad Times

Lately, I've spent a lot of time thinking about the Occupy Wall Street movement & the "We are the 99%" campaign. If you haven't read any of these stories, you probably should. It gives a very clear picture of what people are going through today & shows that the people the hardest hit are not lazy, unmotivated slackers who just want a handout. They almost all, universally, just want a job & a chance to hold their heads up again. They can't pay their bills, feed their families and afford a place to live at the same time.

Troy & I are pretty comfortable, but trust me when I say that we're a paycheck away from disaster. You know that times are bad when lawyers are taking paralegal jobs & doctors are looking for Family or General Practitioner Jobs at whatever rate they can get them at, no matter what their specialty is. We live in very scary & dark times, and at the moment, all I see is everything getting a lot worse, way before it gets any better.

It sucks that the best lesson I feel like I can teach my 21 year old daughter in these times is how to survive when you're so poor you have nothing.

Ooops

Wow! I hadn't realized so much time had passed in here since I last posted! I've been spending so much time posting on another blog & prepping my outline & character sketches for NaNoWriMo that I just let it slip away from me.

We spent today at the New Harmony Apple Harvest Festival, like we do every year. We bought a jug of cider (which I have under the cabinet fermenting as we speak) and a jar of pomegranate jalapeno jelly. The rest of the time we spent visiting with friends, picking apples & pretty much just relaxing. It was a good time, and a nice way to usher in the Fall.

I've been thinking about some new altec lansing speakers for my XTerra, or at the very least, a new stereo, but we'll have to see how money is later on. We have insurance due pretty soon, along with Yule & all of that. It's not a major pressing concern anyway. Very few things feel like they are these days, I'm pretty content with our life at the moment & that's all I've really ever wanted from it. It's good to feel that way, finally!