Zufelt Costume Emporium

The Zufelt Costume Emporium opened up again for another successful Halloween season. We loaned out the Flintstones and various witches and animals. Our family dressed as the Mickey and Minnie Mouse Crew. Recycled costumes for Brian and I back from before Ben was born but the kids were all new. We had fun, fun, fun dressing up as always. I was pleasantly pleased to be able to do a family theme again. I figured last year would be the last time I could impose my costume will upon my children. Fortunately, we went to Disneyland this year which got the kids all excited about Mickey and Minnie. Good luck for me.

This is what we wore to the lip sync. I got to be a judge of the competition. They had me be the mean one, like Simon on American Idol. If I had it to do over I would definitely opt out of a mean judge. Really, what's the point? Why should we have someone designated to be cruel and demeaning? It just isn't really needed. No value added. If you're fool enough to volunteer to be in a lip sync you shouldn't have to be beaten up afterwards. Our room at the carnival was a beanbag and ring toss game. Lots of kids came through. I think overall they enjoyed the fun. It was followed the next week by the traditional Trunk-or-Treat and a big wild carnival put on by the church youth for the little kids. Brian went as a wizard and manned the balloon animal station for the entire night. Even when the Trunk-or-Treat started in the parking lot the line remained. Kids were skipping the candy mother load in the parking lot for a little balloon. I had to take my kids around the parking lot on threat of death from them. By the time Brian finished the last balloon for the last patient kid, the Trunk-or-Treat was pretty much over and people were loading kids in their cars. Oh well. I suppose our donation to the cause was the balloons this year instead of candy. Dang. Guess I'll just have to eat it all. Ben brought his new little friend Connor from down the street. Turns out his family shares a private driveway with our friends the Roberts. The two boys are becoming great friends. They ride the bus together every day and play at recess and at free play time in school. The carnival was honestly a bit overwhelming. The gym was packed and noisier than I've ever hear it. Ben wasn't a very great host. He was so excited he kept running off alone. Poor Connor ended up asking to go home early. We were heading out the door when they announced that they'd start the Trunk-or-Treat in ten minutes. Not wanting him to miss the best part I hung out with him in the hall where things were a bit more relaxed until it was time to go out to the parking lot. Seemed to calm his anxiety and once we got outside again Ben was better at staying with his buddy. They had so much fun going from car to car. I was grateful the night ended on a high for him. Sugar high, yes, maybe, but a high just the same. The last of our celebrations was on Halloween night. We did a bit of trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. Since we live in townhouses, you get a lot of bang for your buck for lack of a better way of putting it. We didn't walk far at all and only half the houses had porch lights on, but they collected plenty of candy. Then it started raining so we headed home. Even though the rain was light and let up completely, once we got home we only had ONE group knock on our door. ONE. So like with the night before, we failed to hand out much candy at all. Over the lips and past the gums. Look out hips, here it comes. I love chocolate.