This is Halloween!

Yay!  It's getting closer to Halloween!  I love this time of year. It means temps will get cooler, I can wear sweatshirts,  there will be an abundance of pumpkins, and scary movie time!!!! 

The weather has been strange this summer. The monsoon season here was awesome and it was like we had a second spring with many of the plants and trees getting confused with so much water.  All the cacti are pleasantly plump with water and the weeds are extra obnoxious too.  We had a storm move through here a couple weeks ago and with that one storm system everything changed.  It meant there was no need for the swamp cooler to be on all night and the ceiling fans don't have to be on the highest setting.  Really the cool weather means cardigan season!  I love cardigans and sweatshirts!

This time of year means Halloween fun! Fun Halloween themed tv sitcoms...I know I've said this before. It also means Zac's scary movie marathon that I'm oddly looking forward to this year.  It also means PUMPKINS!!!!  I don't know if I'll ever get Zac to go to the pumpkin farm/maze again but those are out there.  I think Buckelew Farm does a scary corn maze which I would be too chickenshit to go through.  Old Tucson Studios does NightFall which would be fun but is a bit expensive. I've only been to it once a while ago but they turn the old west studio into a huge haunted town pretty much.  And the past few years there has been The Slaughterhouse which is another huge haunted house in an actual old closed Farmer John's pig slaughterhouse here in town. There is also a haunted walking ghost tour that goes on downtown.  It would be fun to do that too I'm sure most of it is historical but it would be like starring in your own ghost hunter episode. 

Along with Halloween comes Dia De Los Muertos.  My mom being from Mexico has never really celebrated this with us but it has more meaning to me this year.  It's really a day for remembrance of your loved ones and in town there is the All Soul's Procession.  The procession has become huge thing here in town but maybe I'll do my own altar to my dad instead. 

And did I mention PUMPKINS????  Pumpkin carving, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin spice lattes and coffee creamer, pumpkin bread and all other pumpkin wonderfulness! 

sad times

Last Sunday we received news that my sister in law's grandmother had passed away.  She was 94, I believe and was incredibly active in her senior years.  She was a foster mother, ran a daycare for many years and an accomplished seamstress and didn't officially retire until she was 88.  My nephews were very close to her spending time with her after school or during the summers.

My mom wanted to go to the services to pay her respect to their family.  This past Thursday we went to Benson and paid our respects to this amazing woman. There were some hard parts to handle.  While I was sad for my sister in law's family it was even sadder remembering my dad's services.  The closing of the casket was especially hard.

After mass we headed up to Benson's newer cemetery which was equally as old as the older cemetery we first found.  The cemetery was hilly and rough.  It was unlike any other cemetery I have ever seen.  Many plots were outlined with a concrete border. While one group of  plots had a 2 feet high slab of concrete covering. Like in the picture but imagine that over 3 or 4 plots.  For some reason that really gave me the creeps. My first reaction was that they didn't want zombies/vampires coming out of those graves....later I thought maybe they didn't want any grave robbing going on. It was just strange.  Why was so much concrete needed? Obviously it still bothers me.

surprise visit!

I had a dream last night that the whole gang surprised us with a visit! Even Jenna was here!  In my dream I found out that Dan got a promotion and pretty much paid for the trip.


For some reason though....Dave and Jenna got a hold of Dan's credit card and were using it to pay for a meal and were also hacking into his account to find out what else Dan had bought and were the ones that figured out originally that Dan got a promotion.


Weird, right?

football fanatic

Yesterday the mister and I went to a little mom and pop diner by our house.  The place is called Chaco's and I was introduced to it when I worked at AMO.  There was a small gathering of AMO'ers that went there religiously, especially on Thursday....carne asada taco lunch special day.  When we walked in yesterday Zac found a table by the back wall and as we sat down we realized it was a Dallas Cowboy themed booth.  The only booth in the whole place with a theme.  It was a little awkward sitting there. Neither of us have any loyalty to a football team so while sitting there we felt like we were sitting at someone's special table.

Would that person come in and say "Hey that's my table get out!"  I highly doubt anyone would do that and I'm pretty sure the family that owns the restaurant decorated the table in response to another customer's teasing.  But still...for some reason I felt wrong.  I don't like the Dallas Cowboys.  Maybe my dad and my brothers didn't like them growing up which created this reaction. I don't really know.  I wonder how people pick their teams and their loyalty. The only loyalty I have is to the UofA and usually when it come to the NFL I cheer for the team that has UofA alumni. Yesterday I told Zac I liked the saints, simply because of their little fleur de lis thing. That is how I pick my teams. 

craigslist amusement

I rarely check craigslist but I decided to take a little looksie just now. I just started checking out the clothing section and I found this ad for a formal dress but the pic is what cracked me up.  Why put your hand over the face and then take a pic? I guess putting a piece of tape or paper over the faces would be too hard.

Mother of Pearl

The 7th wasn't just my dad's birthday but it was also the Coheed concert. It's been a while since we've been to a concert. It's just hard when shows are on weeknights. It makes getting up for work the next day especially hard.

When we arrived at the Rialto we were trying to be a little fashionably late so we wouldn't have to wait in line and so we could have good seats in the balcony section. We were a bit surprised when we still had to wait a little bit in line and even more surprised when the stairs to the balcony were roped off. No sitting in cushy seats for us.

Overall the concert was pretty cool. Except for all the stinky people. And for the nonexistent AC when hundreds of people are spasming (rocking) out.

My favorite people watching moment was watching the group of nerds standing next to us.  It was a group of 5 guys clutching their books and records that they just bought or were hoping to get signed.  Right before Coheed went on stage another guy showed up with his girlfriend.  She looked all prim and proper with her short dress and heels.  Then the first song started and her boyfriend was convulsing in rhythm with the band.  I saw the girlfriend looking around to see if anyone was making fun of her boyfriend.  She seemed surprised to see her boyfriend so fired up.  Well that group of guys rocked hard for the rest of the night.  True fans I suppose.  

Is that right?

It was my Dad's birthday on the 7th.  It was a day of remembrance.  A day of watery eyes.  But overall it was a good day.

My Mom sounded good when I talked to her on the phone. I'm sure she had her tough times throughout the day.

My brother wrote a blog about my dad.  You should read it. Xavier really captures what my dad was like.  Tesotlan

Sorry about the choppiness of this post.