babybloomr

That’s right, Russ and I got married on Halloween.

*insert joke here.*

It wasn’t my fault, it was the Imperials. Russ and I had already set the date and ordered the invitations when the Imperials job came up, and then once he took it Sherman decided to go ahead and leave early so suddenly Russ had to jump right in there and start doing the concerts and they were already booked for the weekend in October that we were getting married so we had to take the only free day they had available and it was on Sunday afternoon… of the 31st. And yes, we did get trick or treaters on our wedding night. Yeah. On the plus side, nobody ever forgets our anniversary!

The circumstances of our wedding were just a foretaste of glory divine as far as being married to a singer is concerned. There have been more than a few anniversaries over the years that we haven’t been able to spend together because Russ is on the road, and this year will be one of them. We have gotten used to celebrating special occasions a few days early or a couple of days late, no biggie. And even if Russ was going to be in town, we wouldn’t be going out to dinner or doing any of those anniversary-type things this Saturday night anyway–  hello, I have to trick or treat with my girls! We established our roles early on: Russ is the official candy hander-outer while I take Charlotte and Madi from house to house ringing doorbells. Now, I know some Christians have a problem with celebrating Halloween unless it’s in the guise of a Harvest Festival or something, but let’s be honest here– it’s not about devils and demons, it’s ALL ABOUT THE CANDY! My girls could care less about the origins of All Hallow’s Eve, they just want some bite-size Snickers. We don’t torture animals or worship Satan, we just carve a pumpkin and dress up in something ridiculous. We have made some wonderful memories over the years, especially when they were little– I’ll never forget the year Charlotte was 3 and we put a multi-colored afro wig on her tiny head and wrote “John 3:16″ across her tiny bare chest and sent her out as the NFL Rainbow Guy…

We’ve also developed some strictly adhered-to Halloween family traditions. Even though we moved away from the old neighborhood that the girls grew up in we still go back every year and trick or treat there.We start at Marcus and Becca’s house and end up at the Gilbreath’s house, where the kids fan out to canvas their street and the grownups enjoy a big bowl of homemade soup and a glass of wine that we all take outside and eat sitting on the steps and lounging around in lawn chairs. Then we drive over to my brother Matt’s neighborhood, because they have a huge block party  there– people come from all over the city to see the decorated houses and jack-o-lantern displays. By that time we are footsore and full of sugar, so we end the evening in Matt’s living room where Carol always has special treat bags for Madi and Charlotte and takes an annual picture of us in our costumes. Yes, I said OUR costumes. Once when they were really little I made the mistake of dressing up with them and they have insisted on it ever since. Over the last few years I have been a Roaring Twenties flapper, a pirate-ess, a gypsy, a fairy and Lucy Ricardo. Actually, I really enjoy it and I am very aware that this tradition’s days are numbered since the girls and I are rapidly aging out of this holiday!

This year Charlotte has chosen to revive her ever-popular ‘shark with a pair of legs hanging out of it’s mouth’ costume– this will be the third year running, but when I asked her if maybe she might be ready for a change she said that she would really prefer to be the shark again. “After all, it IS a classic,” she explained. I am going to be a Mummy Blogger– get it?!  I will be wrapped in lots of gauze and maybe carry my laptop… Or I may just go with the mummy part, laptops are heavy. Madi is going to be Beth Chapman, Dog the Bounty Hunter’s wife. (She prefers to think of it as an homage rather than an impersonation. Madi loves her some Dog the Bounty Hunter.) This has presented some interesting challenges since Madi is very petite with dark hair and Beth is, well…

You can see our dilemma.

Today at Walmart we scored a big blonde wig, which we plan on further enhancing with back combing and  a Bump-it. We also bought some long pink fake nails, fingerless gloves, and a glittery belt that will we equip with a walkie-talkie, badge and handcuffs.  Most importantly, we found the perfect GINORMOUS black bra! And a package of water balloons. Hopefully she will be able to get her black tank top over, uh, them. We’ll finish the whole thing off with high heels and way too much makeup and jewelry.

I’m just the best mother ever.

And yes, you know I’ll be taking pictures.

So this Saturday night, while you’re passing out candy to your little neighborhood ghosts and princesses, think back if you will to that LOOOOOOOOONG ago Halloween in Hot Springs, Arkansas when sweet little mustachioed gospel singer Russ Taff  took talkative little former cheerleader Tori Timm to be his lawfully wedded wife… and send us some love. Wow. 33 years. Who knew?!

Well, it’s that time of year again…

I am embarrassed that I am this happy about that.

For those of you poor unfortunates that have never had the pleasure, let me regale you with the reality of how Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte can change your life. First of all, I want to establish the fact that I only order the ‘tall’– which in Starbucks-speak means ‘small’– , NOT the ‘venti’ or the ‘grande’, so see, I do have some self-control. And yes, I am well aware that $3.62 for a cup of coffee is ridiculous, BUT THIS IS NOT JUST A CUP OF COFFEE, YA’LL!

(Apparently in the throes of their excitement these employees forgot about their spelling– jonny, you would have been ALL OVER THIS!)

Now, I realize that on the surface, the words “pumpkin” and “coffee” do not exactly go together like say, chocolate and peanut butter, or meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I also realize that when you walk past a seasonal display of pumpkins piled high in a cardboard carton outside of Krogers, the first thing that pops into your head is probably not, “Dang, I wish I had one of those stuffed into my coffee mug.” But trust me on this, somehow in the magical world of Starbucks they manage to turn an big ol’ orange vegetable and a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove and possibly fairy dust into the world’s best fall beverage.

(You’re totally wanting one right now, aren’t you?)

It’s like a nice big slug of get-up-and-go-maybe-even-paint-your-entire-kitchen-today caffeine all wrapped up in a silky slice of your grandma’s best homemade Thanksgiving pumpkin pie topped with peaks of whipped cream, all warm and comforting… only in a cup that you can get at the drive-thru window after dropping your daughter off at school at 7:55 in the morning with no make-up on, sporting a bedhead ponytail and still wearing your nightie that is tucked into your yoga pants and hidden under a big sweater. Or so I’ve heard.

Now this is not something I do every day– I would gain 50 lbs. and go broke– more like, twice a week or so. But this is not the time to be worrying about calories and fat grams blah blah blah– it’s SEASONAL people, this sweet cup of deliciousness will not be around forever so you’ve better strike while the coffee is hot! Yes, I mean now! Get up, go to your car, find you a Starbucks (you can’t swing a dead cat around here without hitting at least two) and indulge yourself in this lovely, overpriced harbinger of autumn. You can thank me later.

But you better hurry. Because right after Thanksgiving, life gets even better– hello, PEPPERMINT MOCHA LATTE TIME!!!!!

**By the way, Starbucks is not paying me A DIME for this heartfelt testimonial. Though they should. Or at least a lifetime’s supply of lattes. (Starbucks, call me.)

So, what are your favorite holiday indulgences…?