"Your Kiss is on my List"

I love Halloween. Throughout college in Boston, my best girls and I were known for our annual Halloween party, a tradition we planned all year long. In New Mexico, I kept the tradition going for graduate school, and forced compliance of the costume rule with the dreaded "prop box" if anyone dared show up in street clothes. A little later, one of my favorite neighborhoods in downtown Albuquerque became the center of Halloween for me. As planners, my gals and I wrote about the role of the holiday to the street's sense of community. It's truly something to be seen, with each yard decorated to the nines and the street packed so full of trick-or-treaters there are lines to walk up to each house.

This year in Dallas, I'm far away from that favorite street of mine, and even farther from my college glory days haunts. But the f-word and I are doing our part to be festive. Since he routinely gets comparisons to a variety of famous people (see exhibits A, B, and C) - whereas I only ever get one - we decided that I might as well throw on a mustache and go all out, as the sidekick to his favorite lookalike. So we're Hall and Oates tonight. "No Can Do," you say? Well you can, I assure you, as long as you're willing to look completely ridiculous while doing it.

Thinking about costumes reminds me of calling my sister when we changed our wedding plans. Before I could get out the details, she said, "You're getting married in costume, aren't you?" HA! But I have to admit, I love the idea. Wearing something outlandish, all the guests wearing masks, lavish decor? I think it's the only way I could go big for a wedding. Casual, seaside nuptials... or an extravagant costume wedding. That sounds about right. :-) I wonder how many folks out there are getting married tomorrow at a traditional, sumptuous fall wedding, but going all-out with costumes tonight for their rehearsal? Anyone, anyone? Because I'm jealous.

This one's for you, T: