Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. If you have been reading these stories from the start, please be patient as I retell my first Halloween story.
What Halloween Means to Me – October 2013
“I will never forget when Justin brought Cassidy over for her first Halloween. She was dressed up in an angel costume, and that is precisely what she looked like. I was standing behind the pickup waiting to scare the older Trick or Treaters. Justin walked up, and he knew exactly what I was doing. As we went into the house together, Justin turned and asked, “What’s the matter Dad, didn’t you get to have Halloween when you were a kid?” I thought Shannon was going to pass out from laughing so hard. I replied simply “It was Grace Idaho, and there were not a lot of houses around!” This was something Shannon and I joked about many times after that.
After Justin left, I went back outside to wait for more victims. After about 30 minutes, Shannon came to the door and asked, “Don’t you think it’s time to come in?” “There might be some more coming” I pleaded. “Shane, there hasn’t been any for 30 minutes, it’s time to come in” she said. “Oh, all right” was my dejected reply. It was like a Mom talking to a little kid. A real little kid!”
One of the things Shannon and I enjoyed the most, was to see the little kids in their costumes. It was so cute to see the look of joy on their faces when the said “Trick or Treat. Over the past few years, the number of Trick or Treaters coming to the houses have reduced immensely. I think a main reason is there are a lot of “Trunk or Treat” events at various locations. That is why I was glad to be able to have my booth at the “Say Boo to Cancer” event at Teton Cancer Center. It gave me a chance to dress up in my Cowboy outfit and see some extremely cute kids and their costumes.
Shannon and I always loved taking Cassidy to “Boo at the Zoo.” The lady I met from Texas Roadhouse at the “What Today’s Women Want” event told me I could advertise my Foundation at their booth this year if I wanted. I decided rather than advertise for the Foundation, I would just help them hand out candy. This way, I could see more cute kids in their costumes. My favorite by far was the family dressed up as Napoleon Dynamite characters. “Those are like the best costumes ever! Gosh!!” I said in my best Napoleon Dynamite voice. “I’ve got Bow Staff skills!” the dad replied. This brought back a lot of good memories for me.
The most rewarding thing I have witnessed, is families building such fantastic, everlasting memories together. It makes me feel blessed and grateful for the wonderful memories I have with my Angel Shannon and our family. I will always LOVE AND MISS YOU sweetheart.
Next week: Happy Veterans Day 2017
P.S. A young boy came up dressed as a Star Wars storm trooper. “These are not the droids you are looking for” I said in my best evil empire voice. He just looked at me like I was crazy. “He only knows the latest Star Wars movies” his Dad replied. This would only happen to me.