Monthly Archives: October 2010

holidays, memories

Costumed

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I wish I could remember more about costumes I wore as a child. I remember a clown one year. And another year, wearing pajamas with curlers and cold cream all over my face. There were various plastic masks. However, I really can’t remember now a timeline and full list of Halloween costumes.

Junior and high school were, of course, the years that, “I’m too old to dress up.” was said. In high school, I do remember one year donning a witch’s hat for a FHA party… and I also remember being given funny looks for it. In college, I vaguely remember giving our candy at my brother’s house wearing a top hat. Past that, though, I think I was just too busy.

But, fast forward to moving to Nashville:

My husband and I have both found Halloween to be one of our favorite holidays. Why? To be honest, for me, it goes right along with my last blog post: it’s a night to be a kid again and have some fun. Dress up in costumes and get together with friends. Poke fun at ourselves. Be something we’re not.

My first year here, I just wore my old flag uniform. Yes, it still fit… actually better than it did in high school! Everyone said I was a cheerleader. By the end of the night, I quit correcting them. The best part was getting hit on by high school age guys at a party. I couldn’t pay someone to hit on me in high school!

The next year I just put together an all-black outfit and went with something of a goth look. The next year a witch. Last year I bought a black wig to wear with my prom dress from senior year of high school. We’ve ended up being called “Mr. & Mrs. Creepy” from that.

Halloween costumes are so dang expensive, that we always try to make the most out of spending the least. This year, we did buy costumes, but went as cheap as we could find. Even so, I’m excited to dress up tonight and gather with friends. We’re going to be Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. I still need to go pick up a basket to carry as part of my costume.

It’s funny, though. In high school, we try to act so grown up. Now as a “grown up,” I just want to tell high school kids to stop trying to hard. Grow up and go with the flow… you’ll enjoy life a lot more if you do.

friends, general-post, nashville

Do we ever really stop wanting to “go play?”

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My husband and I attended an “Adult Play Date” at Adventure Science Center this week with a group of friends. The center was for 21 and over only, as you got two drink tickets with your ticket to enter. The description of the night said all the exhibits were made to hold adults, so it was an adults chance to come play without kids around.

We’d never been to the science center before. I had wanted to take my niece and nephew when they’d visited last summer, but it just never worked out with our schedule. I was incredibly curious about what we’d find in that big building with the multi-colored pyramid roof.

What we found was our chance to all become 8-year-olds again. I looked around and constantly saw 30-somethings gleefully going down slides and playing with countless science experiments. I sat with our beers and my purse at one point while my husband climbed a jungle-gym to the top of the building and then slid down a twisty slide. I had to laugh as adult after adult literally ran to get in line to ride the slide. When my husband got back, it was my turn. There was something extremely freeing to jump in a tube slide and whoosh (kind of… I kept getting stuck… too tall!) down to the bottom.

Me and my husband on a heat-signature wall

We laughed, we learned, and we all agreed that we couldn’t wait to go back some day.

Perhaps the coolest part of the whole night was the planetarium show. We only had a short 10-minute presentation, but that huge rounded screen over our heads was incredible.

They gave us a taste of a laser light show that they are putting on this Saturday for Halloween. As the stars spun behind the lasers, I found myself dizzy but unable to look away. Metallica (“Enter Sandman”) thumped in my ears, and the lasers created image after image. It was incredible! I think if anyone would have been watching me, they’d have seen my eyes glowing like a five-year-old’s at Christmas.

We had such an incredible night! Next time my brother and his family visit, we will definitely make the science center a place to visit. My nephew would absolutely flip over everything!

This all came on the heels of going to a corn maze a few days before. This has become something of a fall tradition for us, going to a different maze every year the last three years. This year we went with a big group of friends, which just made it even better.

We also have our costumes picked out for Halloween. We will go out Saturday night for awhile, and then we can’t wait to hand out candy Sunday.

So I guess, at heart, we are forever kids. We never lose our want to “go play” — we are just trained that as we grow up, other things take over in importance. We learn how to squash that want because its “inappropriate,” opting instead to sit on the sidelines making sure others are having fun.

That’s what makes this time of year so special. There are so many options that encourage adults to go be a kid again. It’s really okay. Have some fun and don’t apologize for it.

Friends at the corn maze!