Halloween Party Coming!

Yesterday was a very enjoyable day. Not too hot. I decided to make a new recipe, chicken pot pie, and it turned out rather well. I like it when it works on the first try! It was pretty basic, not too terribly fancy, probably the only thing I'd change is put a little rosemary in it. Ginger was happy with it as well, we both had second helpings, so that tells you something! I'll probably never have a frozen pot pie again. This was just too easy, and too good.

I went to Hastings yesterday to look around the books and magazines. Not that Ginger minds going as well, but it's like a mission for her when she goes into a book store usually. Go in, get the book, get out, go go go! For me, a book store, or a library, I get lost. I like to look at different things, this or that will catch my eye. It's a, for lack of a better term, an escape. Part of my personality, and genetics. Anyway, having looked at everything I wanted to I decided on two magazines that had different ideas and recipes for Halloween. Autumn is a favorite time of year and Ginger and I both love Halloween. Now let me clarify this. The fun part of halloween. The fun stuff. Ginger can't stand the scarier stuff, that is not her thing. If it is cartoonish not a problem, but if it gross, or dark, forget it. At one time, in my addiction days, I was into the darker side of halloween. Well, sort of. I've always hated slasher movies and such. I'm not into the blood and guts thing, but I've always had an affection for vampires. As a kid I liked them ( I won a halloween contest as a kid for being one). They were mysterious to me and powerful. And for someone who had self esteem issues, they were something to fantasize about because in my mind I could be one and all my self esteem issues could disappear for awhile. And so halloween was a day and night I could be something I was not. Mix that with addiction and I was a twisted freak. I'd dress up as the crow, face paint and all. I've told Ginger about this, I have no pictures of that time in my life, and Ginger has forbade me from dressing up like that again. It would carry over to other days, I was into the gothic stuff, and it was just weird to everyone around me. I even had fake fangs I would wear. Believe me, I thought I looked so cool. And believe me, I didn't.

Well, now I'm in recovery and my self esteem issues are alot better. I don't dress or decorate in gothic anymore (my Mom is very thankful). In fact my tastes are more for the antique look now. I'm more refined. I don't want to be a vampire anymore. I'll be honest, I like to read about vampires still, in the Warhammer series, but these are dark vampires and I'm not for the vampires now. Still like the movies like Lost Boys, Van Helsing, or Underworld, but I'm pretty picky. If it is about the blood, I'm just not into it.

I've digressed a little bit, so back on track. We are thinking about having a fun halloween party. No costumes probably, just having some people over, making some fun treats, and having a few decorations up. So we sat yesterday looking through the magazines, laughing, having a good time, picking out things we'd like to cook, and things I could make to make it enjoyable. Making it a fun holiday. It is important, especially for me, to turn the memories of dark halloweens into fun and spooky halloweens, kinda like we are kids.

I've run into, shall we say, resistance, from some in the Christian community. How can I think of celebrating a pagan holiday. Do I know the history of Halloween? Well yes, I do, better than most. But Halloween is not about celebrating a pagan holiday for me. It's about having a fun time with friends. I'm not going to be dancing under a full moon, or running around acting a fool, I'm going to be eating cupcakes that look like frankenstien, a goofy one, sitting around with friends and telling stories. There will be lots of laughter and maybe even Phase 10. I've said it before, I'm not a cookie cutter Christian. I walk this life the best way I know how, but I'm not going to be fake. I was fake for too long. You won't find me in fake fangs anymore, or with makeup on like the crow. But I'm going to enjoy my sober life. Some ask me well, what would Jesus do? Honestly, right or wrong, I think that God will be there with us because we will talk about God, and if Jesus was there in the flesh, I believe he'd have a cupcake.

Baa