Bahrain Updates (Fall Edition)

I just realized that there are updates on Josh and I haven’t shared them. There’s a lot he can’t tell me and there’s a lot I can’t post here. But I’ll give you a general update. 

After months of working on their boat while it was in dry dock, they are finally operational! That means Josh is finally able to do the job he went all the way over there to do. But it also means that he will be gone for quite a while. So we are no longer able to Skype with his as often as before. He can still access his Coast Guard email though, so we’re not completely cut off.

Even though I wasn't expecting to see his face for several weeks, they pulled in a few days ago and we were able to Skype for a little bit. On a funny side note, I thought I was going to witness something spectacular during that call…

While we were talking, he was outside on the docks and many of his crew was “behind me” playing beach volleyball. The game kind of sounded like a party and then the music started. Pretty soon I was hearing “Call Me Maybe.” I had this vision of the entire volleyball game breaking into one of those lip-syncing dances that invaded the internet all summer long. Not having been in this country all summer, Josh thought I was losing my mind. He even turned the computer back around to prove to me that no one broke into song and dance just because that song came on. I can’t lie, it was a little disappointing. I thought I was about to see something highly entertaining happen. Oh well.

Josh hasn't gotten his leave officially approved yet, but he request dates for his R&R. If all goes well, Josh will have a very cold Christmas this year. At least there will be a little 2-yr old keeping him on his toes.

The Slutty Baseball Bat?

Halloween 2012. I had been looking forward to last night for quite a while. Not only did I finally get to attended the best Halloween block party in Moline, but Dylan is now old enough that he can grasp the idea of Halloween. Of course, that caused me a little trouble too! Let me rewind a bit…

The Moline Parks department had a Trick-or-Treating event at Prospect Park a couple weeks ago. So, my mom and I thought we’d take D for a practice run. This year, Dylan was Jake (from Jake and the Never Land Pirates). We can’t seem to escape Jake! We seem to tackle Jake once a year. Last year, it was his 1st birthday party, this year it was Halloween. It does really help that D is really cute when he says, “Ahoy mateys!” 

It's Jake! Oh, I mean, Dylan!

He was getting the hang of “Tick o Teat!” and “Tank you!” I think it helped that Mommy ad Nonny seemed to know all the people giving away candy – thank you, Music Guild. He did great and for the next couple weeks, we talked about Halloween and how he was going to dress up as Jake again.

The night before Halloween, Dylan was getting ready for bed at Pa & Nonny’s house (Mommy was lucky enough to be starting her Halloween off with a bang by going to the Rocky Horror Picture Show with some friends so D was having a sleepover - win/win for all!). 

Monkey Pa

Bob brought out his Halloween mask so Dylan could start to get used to it. Side note: Bob has been the same thing for Halloween for as long as I can remember. Some people (Like the May’s granddaughter) call him “Monkey Man” and Dylan started to call him “Monkey Pa.” We were a little worried that D would be scared of the mask, so we were trying to get him acclimated and show him that it wasn't scary.

Nonny told him that she was going to be a witch. I, on the other hand, hadn’t really planned on dressing up. But Dylan started listing off Halloween costumes, “Din-in be a Jake, Pa be a monkey, Nonny be a witch, and Mommy be... a bat!!”  Ummm, what? Now I have to be a bat? And Dylan was adamant about it! He said it about 8 more times that night and 2 the next morning.  So, now it was Halloween day and I, apparently, had to scrounge up a bat costume.

I told a few of my friends about how I had to scramble to get a last-minute costume. By the way, I have some really creative friends! I got some great homemade bat ideas and two of them suggested I twist Dylan’s idea and go as a baseball bat. My friends are awesome. I did think about looking for a Batgirl costume, but that was quickly shut down. There is a lack of non-slutty Batgirl costumes. Yes, I know that girls can make almost any costume into an excuse to show some skin. But not only was it frickin’ cold out there, but I was taking a 2-yr old trick-or-treating, spending the evening with my parents and all their neighbors, and my husband is on the other side of the planet…it was a no-go for the slut factor!

Just smile & nod and say I look like a bat. Please.

I managed to find a reaper robe thing that I cut up into a shirt (the arms looked a bit like wings) and bought a face mask. After I threw the outfit together I came out of my room and asked Dylan, “Does Mommy look like a bat?” His reply was a whispered, “Wowww! A bat!” I don’t really think I looked like a bat, but if the kid bought it, I claim success.

After making the rounds to Dylan’s great-grandparents (yes, we went to 3 homes in an hour and a half), we headed to my parents’ neighborhood. 

I am sure that very few people are aware of this, but my parents’ turnaround is the best place to be on Halloween! The neighborhood started this tradition a few years back and I had been looking forward to finally being able to go. If you've been to my parents’ house, you know that they live on the last street in the neighborhood and it has only one streetlight. Therefore, most parents will get to the top of the street, look down towards the turnaround and think, “Nope! Not going down there!” So after years of giving out candy to hardly any kids, everyone decided to just throw a block party and make up for the lack of kids with lots of food and adult beverages.

It doesn't hurt that my parents live next to the best martini-maker I know, who happens to travel with a mobile bar! After a few blocks of Trick-or-Treating I was more than ready to join the party!

The mobile work station for my favorite Martini Man

I wasn't the only non-resident at the party. One of my favorite girls came over to join the fun!

Ani & Erin

And Uncle Mike & Aunt Liz made a repeat appearance.

Ani & Uncle Mike

It was a great Halloween. The only downside is how cold it gets! 

Construction worker D telling Aunt Liz about his sword

But there was coffee & Bailey’s and there was a firepit in the middle of the turnaround.  But as I kept adding layers to both Dylan and myself, our costumes started to transform. Once I put Dylan’s orange Halloween hat on from Meme Gisele, he started to look like a construction worker…with a sword. And I ended up being a girl with lots of layers on wearing a black mask. Maybe I should have gone with “sexy baseball bat?” Oh well, there’s always next year.