A Magical Scene Set in the Mind of AM~Erica

So anyway...

It's the eve of all hallow's eve. And I'm getting stoked!

Halloween really is MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY, and it also arrives during MY FAVORITE SEASON. Ahhhh...I do so love it all.

Last night was no exception on that reminder...

Around here, there has been some rain with some slightly thick & foggy air. There has been an ever-so-slight chill in the air...just so perfect for this time of year. And this scene got me thinking about a magical night of trick-or-treating a few years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was a dark & stormy night...
OK, not really, but it was night much like I described before the beginning of this story...

As being the WIFE OF A PASTOR, especially in the United Methodist itinerarent system, your spouse gets appointed to a church somewhere within your state (usually). Therefore, you don't really have a say in where you end up for whatever stint is needed at that church. And there are the churches that have a parsonage for their pastor & family (parsonage - the house or living accommodations for the pastor & family thru the appointed church). Many times, it's really nice when a family finds out there is a house provided! It takes out the stress of having to find living accommodations fitting for the family. And, even though we are fully grateful for the accommodations, it can pose challenges. One of these things is where the parsonage is located. The family moves into where the house is located...it could be right next to the church, it could be in the middle of nowhere, it could be on a tiny side street, it could be in a charming neighborhood...you get the idea. This is good info to know for this story.

Several years ago, our family was appointed to a new church. This one was terrifying for me since it would be the first time living out of my comfort zone. We were sent across the state. Luckily we were blessed with the church's parsonage! It was kind of a big deal for us since it was my hubby's 1st major appointment! It was frightening & wonderful.

When we got moved into the house & got settled, we realized a few quirks:
1) the house, which was very close to the church, actually sits close to the end of a long side street with a tiny cul-de-sac at the end...so not much of a "neighborhood";
2) the few neighbors that were on the street with us weren't fond of the church & were not very good neighbors (except for 1).

Since my hubby & I had been together, we'd only lived in 1 place where we had a decent amount of trick-or-treaters. We lived in a neighborhood that did have several kiddos that were willing to go door-to-door begging for candy in crazy-adorable getups. When we had to end up moving to duplexes & townhomes, we lost that fun luxury. Which was sad for me. I love that part! I like putting up some decorations & seeing the creativity & variety of kids in costume. Heck...I love greeting them at the door blaring music & in some kind of getup, myself! So when we wouldn't even get 10 kids coming to the door, it was disheartening.

I looked forward to getting into a house...in a neighborhood! When we moved into that parsonage, I only saw that we were in a house that was surrounded by other houses. Imagine how sad I was when reality set in that there may not be too many kids & answering the door was probably out of the question. *sigh*

There is a family, at the church we were appointed to, that still holds a very special place in our hearts. They invited us over to a family gathering they were having. We were not used to anything like that, but discussed that the kids could go trick-or-treating in that neighborhood, there would be food, and we'd get to share our costumes...so after a lot of deliberation, we hesitantly decided we would go. And it was quite the deal!

I would like to take a moment to say that StL is quite the area to go trick-or-treating on Halloween! Neighbors/friends/families get together around a firepit in a driveway to hand out candy, there are spirits for adults to be treated with, there are parties, and there is an interesting culture of giving a trick (such as a Halloween joke) to get the treat. I thought it was interesting that my kiddos were sent home with a list of Halloween jokes (which I thought was just for kicks & giggles for the holiday), but come to find out...it was useful information.

We got to the gathering with our friends & their family. The food for the gathering was incredible! The amount of candy for costumed tykes was crazy. There was a firepit outside & a magician inside. And then we decided to wander the neighborhood to see what kind of candy loot the kiddos could collect...and off we headed with our friends & their kids...

Oh. My. Goodness.
The night had a creepy chill in the foggy air. The trees had left a warm-colored carpet of leaves along the sidewalks that rustled as we meandered over the tops of them. The moon shown brightly over the scene set. The decorations & firepit gatherings were incredible. The culture of asking for the trick (of a joke) took a bit to get used to. No matter...this was a Halloween set up straight off a Hollywood set!

I could feel it down to my very bones, in my heart, and an unexplainable tingle thru my body that told me that this...THIS...was the magic of Halloween I'd been searching for! This is what I longed for! This is the kind of Halloween I wanted.

After that, we just raided a neighboring neighborhood (yeah...I just said that) to take in the same kind of experience, minus the house gathering. However...no matter how great all of that was...I was merely a spectator of the event, not a participant. And that's what I missed.

As much gratefulness as I/we had for the church we were at & the home provided, imagine my crazy excitement when the new church we were appointed to, back on our home-side of the state, got a parsonage for us. And it is in a neighborhood with a lot of streets & houses & kiddos!

Growing up, my mom always kept track of how many trick-or-treaters would come by our house on our cul-de-sac. If I remember right, we could have anywhere from 20-40! If I could get something like that, it would be amazing. So, in my excitement for kids coming to the door of our new place, I got my tally paper ready...

It was a dark & stormy night...
OK, still not really, but on our first Halloween in the neighborhood, imagine how my mind was blown when I tallied up 80 trick-or-treaters!!! *happy dance*

So, as the weather, right now, reminds me of that Halloween magic, I look forward to the trick-or-treaters, the pumpkin luminaries we put out, the candy, playing the music, the dinner I plan on having for the family, dressing up, the kids dressing up, the tally marks & costumes of those who appear on our doorstep...

And I feel so blessed to be where we are at.

I'm stoked!!!! Are you?

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Having a Tough Time With It

So anyway...

I've posted about about TEEN GIRL'S BIRTHDAY, and I've posted about LIL GUY'S BIRTHDAY, too. I have not yet done a post about Teen Boy's...until now.

I think I'm having a really hard time with his. Seriously. He isn't my oldest (that's Teen Girl), but he is my older boy. And, with him being a hormonal boy...well...boys have changes that are very different from girls. Just FYI in case you didn't know that yet.

However, this post will be different from the other two. Why? Because that would not suit him at all. So, here's what's it will be instead...


If you haven't gotten it by now, today is Teen Boy's birthday. And it's exciting, but I've been having a much harder time with him turning 16. And I think it has to do with the fact that he has matured so much.

When he was born, the doctor just decided that I would be induced the following day after my appointment. However, I truly believe that he would have come along that day anyway. So when I showed up the next day to the hospital, things got moving!

I got hooked up & things seemed to move quickly. And, as with all the laborings I've been thru, I did not have a epidural. However, I'm all for IV meds. And when it is quite painful to bear, you don't think about what might be going into the tubes that flow into your veins. I was ready for the pain meds! And they told me that there was a new drug out that they wanted to try...it's called Nubain & they were still experimenting with dosages. I didn't care in that moment & they gave me some. I was told that I would feel a tingle or get really warm starting at my toes & working it's way up to relax me. Ummm...I waited a moment to see if I'd get the feeling...however, I never felt it in my toes or anywhere else...except...my head! I got really woozy & groggy. I just wanted to go to sleep! And, as I was fading & couldn't reply to anyone, I remember hearing someone yell, "Oh my God! The baby's asleep!" It was a terrifying moment to know that you have no control to step in to change that situation. I think they backed off the Nubain & upped the pitocin to get things moving again.

The doctor challenged me to have this kid born by 12:00 (noon). And, yes, things moved along that quickly that the challenge was there. And after a couple rounds of "routine" pushing, I was ready to keep going! The doctor, my hubby, the nurses, the young doctor in residency (who was having issues figuring where to check...I'll leave it at that) & the nurses in training (yes...there were a lot of people in that tiny room...there was even a medical class that walked thru) all turned away & I had to yell, "I'M! NOT! FINISHED!" They all rushed back to my side so we could finish this out!

My son was born at 12:05. Yes, just missed the target time, but not too far off.

When he was born, there was a lot of concern about him. We were being flagged that he might have something along the lines of spina bifida due to a dimple at the base of his spine. Then we were informed that he should be fine since his legs were moving normally. We were very thankful for that.

Now then, as a few months went by with this precious baby (and a very jealous older sibling), we noticed his eyes weren't following each other like they should be. As it turned out, at his 4 month checkup, it was discovered he had a cataract in one of his eyes. This became most of his identity as he was growing up. It has taken many surgeries & doctor appointments, and even off-and-on eye drops to try to keep that eye healthy. He was just a little guy with big dimples, glasses & a bit of speech impediment who was fascinated with firetrucks & rescue vehicles was very telling of his big heart.

He is an intelligent (almost frighteningly so) guy! He has found a niche in SPEECH & DEBATE. He has crazy knowledge in gaming & many other things that in nerdery & geekery. He is in advanced classes, which he is doing quite well. He is involved in church & continues to have a big heart. And he does a pretty good job keeping up with sports, too. Though he loves all the techy-type stuffs...he is really just a simple guy.

But I've been having more of an issue with my son getting older. Remember when I said that boys change differently than the girls? He's always had a little bit of a fuzzy upper lip, but when the whiskers started coming in on his chinny-chin-chin & the voice started dropping...I have not handled that well. I cried the day he shaved his face for the first time. There are no pictures of it because I couldn't handle it! It still turns my tummy thinking about it.

When his voice dropped, it freaked out Teen Girl. I went to get her out of bed & she was freaking out because she thought we had company. All she heard was the deeper voice...and I had to explain that it was her brother. Yeah...another hard one to deal with.

And now he's taller than I am, too. I didn't handle armpit hair on him well, either.

How can he be 16? Looking at pictures of when he was a tot, to when he was 11 & 12 years old...to now...he has changed so much! It's hard to think that he's the same kiddo with the speech impediment & big glasses. He no longer wears glasses, he had braces & got them off, he's taller & well-spoken...

There is so much promise in his future. Though he's still young-at-heart & still dons some immature actions...he's growing to be quite the young man.

And I'm having such a hard time with it. I really am. Just a proud parent who realizes how quickly time flies & how quickly your kiddos can grow up. Which is too quickly.

Now...off to celebrate with my growing-up-too-quickly teenage son. Who is still my baby boy...whether he likes it or not.

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Should Probably Take it as a Sign

So anyway...

For quite some time, I have heard about & caught some posts from a fabulous writer/blogger/humorist, Snarky in the Suburbs. And because several of my friends & online friends sharing so many of her things, I thought I was actually following her. When another face-to-face friend brought Snarky up to me, I wanted to make sure I was actually following her...and I wasn't. I was, inadvertently, following her vicariously thru others. D'oh!

Well, I am officially following her now. And you should check out her stuff & see if you'd like to follow her, too. (click for blog HERE; click for Facebook page HERE)

Now then, the other day, Snarky shared a blog post that contained a guest blogger. It was from an angry health-nut, hippy-commune-needing mom who is looking to ruin every child's Halloween & how Halloween celebrating moms/parents are actually child killers.

No. Really. You can read it right HERE.

Now then, I realize it was probably written in over-dramatic satire. But I did comment on the post in hopes that Snarky would just give me a virtual cinnabon.

But, I want to get to my point. In my comment, I brought up making pumpkin hummus. I said it just to prove a point. I'm not really a hummus eater, but just because it's not really around...I'd probably be the only who really ate it in my house, anyway.

Then, as I was browsing Pinterest...imagine my shock when I came across this staring at me today:

Click the pic, above, to take you to the pin & eventually to the recipe

Yeah...that's right. Pumpkin hummus, which I'd never heard of before & thought it was something created in my head, and here it slapped me in the face!

*sigh* It's fall. And autumn is my favorite time of year! With THE COLORS, with it being FOOTBALL SEASON, and it's time for MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY. So I guess I might have to work getting this hummus working. Amm-i-rite? It's a total sign. Amm-i-rite?

I'll make it while I'm chowing on the candy that's supposed to be for Halloween...and finding one of those cinnabons from Snarky.

And I'll also be going thru a bag of baby carrots to dip into the pumpkin hummus...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Hopes Nothing Creepy Was Summoned

So anyway...

I love Halloween! No...seriously!

I. LOVE. HALLOWEEN.

Most of the sights, sounds, costumes, decorations, candy...I love it.

Now then, just know I am a pretty hardcore Halloweenier (yes, that sounds weird, but I'm using it anyway).

And I loved Halloween before, but it kicked up in 2001 when T'REK SHOWED UP! That was the extra push I needed to get the serious Halloween ball rolling!!

T'Rek - half human/half Vulcan
1st place winner - circa 2001

After discovering T'Rek, I found more friends to take over for me on Halloween. And, like T'Rek winning 1st place, I had some other contest winners...and then just-for-fun! So here's a few from the past decade or so...

Madame Rue - quack gypsy fortuneteller complete with a gold-capped tooth & samples of Love Potion #9;
also hosted the haunted train in Belton, MO
1st place winner - circa 2003

WooNelly Hootin' - hillbilly bride who was about 6 months preggo, like me at the time;
complete with buck teeth, laundry to hang, and shotgun wedding invites
to the hitchin' to Moe Hollerin'
1st place winner - circa 2004

Freezia, the Ice Pixie - got to be human sized for 1 day in exchange for all magic ability;
complete with handing out Pixie Stix;
2nd place winner - circa 2005

Trish Barnette - a housewife visiting from Stepford, CT;
she freaked my kiddos out
circa - 2007

Guru & Tango - entering into the Matrix
circa 2008
(the 1st year I got hubby to finally dress up for real)

Maisey J. Carmichael - late 20's flapper;
hanging with pirate hubby
circa - 2009

Rosey Redd - rose garden curator for the Red Queen of Wonderland
circa 2010

Mary G. Blissing - black & white obscure TV star from the 50's
circa 2011

Mermaid & return of pirate hubby
circa 2012

See? You get the idea. However, I am missing my scarecrow friend, Cornelia "Corny" Boucreaux, who won 3rd place in 2002.

I've even done & helped with food stuffs, too!

My sis-n-law & I teamed up to create a seriously spooky Halloween food spread when we worked together, and won Grand Champion for our crazy-cool-spooky-yummy collection for the company's first ever Halloween Food Day Competition! We are both very competitive & we decided to take the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach! We had Witch Finger is Which? cookies, Rising Zombie red velvet cake, Cheese Brain Pate', and some blood punch with human heart ice (this one not pictured)...because we couldn't pick just one or 2 things. We took lead from Britta Peterson, Webmistress of the Dark. She has amazing stuff & awesome inspiration! We even brainstormed with her for the zombie cake.

I also made an Eyeball Soup for a Halloween soup potluck contest. I knew I wouldn't be up for any of the "best of" awards...so I aimed for the "Most Unique" award, instead...and won it!

(click on these addresses from Britta for the inspiration for most of these:
www.brittablvd.com &/or www.eerieelegance.com)

Witch Finger is Which? - Britta's Freaky Witch's Finger cookies

Rising Zombie Cake - red velvet cake baked in face-pressed foil layers (seriously)
surrounded with crushed Oreos & gummi worms

Cheese Brain Pate' - using a brain mold, made a cheeseball with a lot of ketchup for a perfect pinkish coloring
...though this pic doesn't show it, we did add more ketchup for the top &
stabbed a serving knife into the top of it & served with crackers
on a silver platter (inspired by Britta's Bizarre Brain Pate')

Sis-n-law & I (as Gilda Greenwitch) dressed up for food day & 

we posed with our award-winning spooky spread & overall presentation

(circa 2003...I think)

Gilda Greenwitch back at it over the lazy cooker cauldron making Eyeball Soup

Eyeball Soup - tomato juice-based soup with pearl onions that I jabbed

whole cloves into the ends of to resemble eyeballs
"Most Unique" Winner - circa 2008

From Trick-or-Treaters to Trunk-or-Treating, the movies & the music! Ahhhhh...it's awesome!

Now I'm not big on the very gory & super scary stuff. I really enjoy the weird & eerie with some fun & spooky attached to it. Halloween with quirk is what works for me!

And I've been helping, the last couple of years, with our church's Trunk-or-Treat promotion/info table. And I've made sure to dress up each week to help get attention for the event:

Rainbow Princess to announce T-or-T info in 2012

(and thank you to my friend, Jackie, for sneaking the pic of my announcement in front of the church)

Semi-reincarnation of Maisey J. Carmichael to stand at the T-or-T table 10/13/13

Then I had an idea to try to help draw attention to the table: MUSIC!

So I was trying to find a app with songs &/or sounds...and I found a free app with free Halloween sound bytes. It's actually pretty cool. You can overlap the sound bytes, even! And there's a bunch to choose from!

I was playing with the sounds last night & ended up playing two of the sound bytes together. There was some almost worn out music box-like music that I played with a button called "Demon Girl". It was a distorted voice of a little girl (presumably) singing a twisted "lullaby". The 2 together...and timed just right...plays out to be something from a suspenseful horror flick! I was chilled to my core. Teen Girl was too freaked out to hear it again.

I've always been one of those in the mindset that creepy kids at Halloween time are some of the freakiest things ever! And hearing kids singing slowly & in a near monotone way...*chills & shivers* You know, like an echoy version of "Ring Around the Rosey." Songs with dark meanings & stuffs...

There's been a thought in my head that it would be weird & chilling-creepy to have a haunted house full of kids...like set in a rundown orphanage. Creepy twins, kids turned to dolls, children in mirrors, slow & melodious monotone chants & songs...you get the idea. It gives me chills! So think about what the music box music with the dark & creepy "lullaby" by the demented child's voice!

I hope it didn't summon anything...seriously. Salt? Garlic? Healing oils? Make a soup & hope it chases anything like that away?

Hmmm...thinking that I may not play that particular combo again. Cuz...uh...*shivers*...creepy...

~~~~~

By the way...

if you want to attend our church's Trunk or Treat event, get details HERE!

Oh, and I just decided to work the Pandora app on a Halloween music station. But, (note to self) be careful which songs come on while at church. "Sweet Transvestite", though entertaining, probably isn't the most appropriate for church surroundings. Just putting that out there...

And, on another note, I connected with Britta in 2001 when T'Rek was coming to be. I found her by her half Vulcan, T'Leo. And our love of Halloween & celebrations have kept us in contact to this day! So, everyone, wave at Britta! *BIG WAVES* Really...go look at her incredible creativity! From costumes to food to decor...to just amazing ideas, in general. Go be amazed.

I am, also, disappointed in myself for not blogging about more of my Halloween adventures before! They are some of my favorites! *face palm* So I hope you are up-to-date on my favorite big holiday, now!

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

The Holiday SpongeBob Reminds AM~Erica to Actually Celebrate

So anyway...

Even though today is a so-called federal holiday, the only way I will be celebrating Columbus Day is to not get mail & not go to the bank. Yep...that's pretty much it.

We have been celebrating a holiday of a guy who took things over & pushed actual natives out of the way. As actual events come to light, we shouldn't be surprised that the federal government would celebrate such a day. But that's a whole POLITICAL SOAPBOX I won't get on right now...

Instead, I will be disappointed in myself. Why? Because I missed a holiday that should have been celebrated instead. And it's a day that was declared a holiday in the United States...but it gets passed right over! Yet, SpongeBob had it right!

On October 9th, Teen Girl looked at me & proclaimed,

"Happy Leif Erikson Day! What are we doing for it?" 

Since she is more than well aware of my passion of CELEBRATING WEIRD & ALL HOLIDAYS, she was waiting to hear my plan. But there was this deal that I was totally oblivious & didn't have a plan. She was shocked at me!

"Ummm...don't you remember watching SpongeBob? He wakes up to celebrate Leif Erikson Day on October 9th!"

I only vaguely remembered the episode, but did remember him in a viking hat & a beard.

So, on Columbus Day, I had a good history lesson! I learned that October 9th is officially, for really-really-realz, Leif Erikson Day. SpongeBob just brought it back to light! (Yes, I said back to "light"!)

Well then...Hinga Dinga Durgan!!!

And, because it's how I do & how I roll, I am doing some serious research! I must plan for Leif Erikson Day on October 9th of 2014! *face palm*

Here's the deal with celebrating weird holidays...
Like I've said before, HERE, if you find out you missed a day, you can get about a year, a few months, or a few days to learn about what you missed or what's coming up. It really allows you to learn more about history, people & events. Knowledge is power, people! Embrace continual learning beyond school. Learn stuff everyday! And weird holidays are a fun springboard & trampoline in doing so! Jump in on that!

It's going to be interesting learning about the Norse culture & more about how Leif Erikson (Ericson...either way) settled in part of Canada & northern U.S. 500 years before Christopher Columbus got lost.

So let's mark our calendars together: October 9th! And I will continue to look into the why behind the date (like it being recognized in Wisconsin in 1930 to commemorate the Norwegian arrival of the Restauration ship on Oct. 9, 1825...and then nationally recognized in 1964) & learn about some Norwegian cuisine to have throughout the day! How about you? It's literally a learning process...

And maybe we could push this instead of Columbus Day. Amm-i-rite?

So...in the wise words of the free-spirited philosopher, SpongeBob SquarePants: "Hinga Dinga Durgan!"

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica: Too Tired Fashionista

So anyway...

As you may know, Teen Girl goes to Crown Center once in a while to go mingle & brainstorm with other YOUNG COTERIE PLAYWRIGHTS. It's a pretty awesome gig.

So, while she goes & bonds with them, I tend walk around & enjoy the shops & views. I've recently been taking The Link (a glassed in walkway) to Union Station, too.

Now then, I love having fun with fashion. And I like to sport something that's a bit eye-catching when I hang out around Crown Center Square. And I start channeling some Tyra Banks & 'America's Next Top Model' when I walk The Link. I always imagine it as some artsy-cool, high-fashion catwalk. And you know I stomp that walkway & strut my stuff thru the glass corridors with the sights of downtown KC surrounding my own fashion show! And probably doing some smeyesing while pounding the catwalk...

Tyra Banks' Smeye

In my mind, I'm some cool high fashion chic that someone in "the biz" should totally be eyeing & saying they would love to throw their lush & crazy fashions on me since I'd be the perfect canvas! You know...a whole street-fashion look that would be over-the-top & rockin'! I'd totally rock whatever look that is!

So...as I'm strutting in my Chiefs-inspired street fashion (cuz they are 5-0 right now, baby! GO CHIEFS!) thru the glass catwalk of The Link between the buildings of Crown Center Square & heading to Union Station, I've got high-fashion on my mind!

The stretch of The Link I like to stomp & strut thru

And artsy view of the inside of my catwalk

I get over to Union Station...and I know it was a total sign! The big, echoy area was closed off due to a covered runway from KC Fashion Week! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout, yo! So, I'm stomping the tiles hard...cuz you know those fashion people were looking at me & thinking that I'm the next big thing...especially for Chiefs colors & everything...

...and I cannot figure out why nothing is happening...

So forget it! I thought I'd take an artsy selfie with some awesome KC scenery...ummm...I think I figured out why no one wanted to stop this train...

I'm all thinking I look all great & uber high fashion. Kinda like this:

Oh yeah...you know that feeling?
But then in reality...I actually ended up looking more like this:

Oh yeah. My outfit was adorable...but I looked like a mom with too little sleep & some mommy hips to match. I don't think anyone from the New York scene...or even the local high fashion scene...would want this worn out canvas.

My runway walk back thru The Link was a bit sadder. I think I lost the strut I was feeling when I thought I looked like a Vogue cover.

I just had a discussion with a friend of mine about the whens & hows of looking pretty. Some do it more often than others, but it does happen. And even if it's a simple detail to a whole outfit, or adding makeup to a new haircut, there are times when it sets a mood & you just feel good about it & yourself!

There's a quote I heard once. It was when I was watching "How Do I Look?" It went like this:

"The most powerful thing in the universe is femininity - and it's free, and you can put it on everyday." ~ Andy Paige

And it's so true! No matter how little, you can make it work! Amm-i-rite, ladies??

So it's nice when you do feel that way. Imagine how sad I was to find out how wilted it actually was!

OK...don't get me wrong, I am not focusing on bad self image! I do think we are all beautiful in our own way. Check out my other posts on it HERE.

It's just that it was a day I thought I was making a fabulous statement...and I was a scary, unretouched version of my hyper-supermodel cover version of what I thought.

*sigh*

Well, at least my hubby loves me. He is MY PRINCE CHARMING after all. He accepts this princess even under the less-than-attractive moments. Even the too-little-sleep-mommy-with-mommy-hips moments.

And that's what actually matters. But I'll still have fun with fashion...I just need to pull back those ideas that Tyra will use me in some glass walkway as a crazy-fashion canvas.

I think I need sleep now...so I'll just dream about it instead...

How I wanna believe I look...

...how I actually look.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica

AM~Erica Gets a Sign to Campaign

So anyway...

I'm taking it as a sign!!  My hubby & I have to do this. IT'S A MUST!!!

As you may know, my hubby & I have a MODERN DAY FAIRY TALE. And there is an important part of the the tale that led us to getting an opportunity to get our PIC IN THIS SPECIAL LOCATION!

I'm talking about the most talked about movie sequel going down in filming right now! And I'm so stinking stoked!!!

It's gonna be such a romantic date when my hubby & I catch "Dumb & Dumber To" at the theater next year! Because it will be 20 years since we saw the 1st one on our 1st date. *swoon*

Jim Carrey & Jeff Daniels returning as Lloyd & Harry in 'Dumb & Dumber To'

I had an idea in my head (I know, I know...my brain getting an idea is really scary sometimes) to try to campaign to try to get my hubby & I in the next movie, or at least just a picture of us. Wouldn't that be so adorable??

Fast forward to these last few days >>> :

Teen Boy had an orthodontist appointment. I have brought up his orthodontist before in Facebook stati (yes, that's more than one status). He's the guy that introduced me the genius of Tim Minchin when I would come in with my son & he'd break into this song about prejudice:

(Sorry for the language...but it's still a super brilliant & entertaining song!)

I had this song stuck in my head for a very, Very, VERY long time! I blame the orthodontist. So I found out about Tim Minchin being in concert in St. Louis & made sure the orthodontist knew about it. He went & claimed I tried to kill him...but that's a story for another time.

What I'm trying to get at is that our conversations would become entertainingly strange nearly every month I took my son in. Honestly...I don't think anyone in the room would know where the conversations would end up! Much like this last week...

After some hilarious & bizarre cordialness, the doc started messing in my son's mouth. At one point, the orthodontist said, "Open Wiiiiiide...!" (very much like getting a toddler to open for a spoon feeding) So, I instinctly replied with, "Open the hanger; here comes the airplaaaaaane...!" We started laughing & he said that was totally what he was going for. Well, DUH!! But that's when we figured out our humor has been on the same level. Then, in that second, the doc swiftly proclaimed, "HEY! Did you know they are making another Dumb & Dumber?"

BAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...!!!!

I informed him that I totally knew about it & told him why the movie is so important to hubby & me. The funny thing is? He didn't even bat an eye about the movie being watched on a 1st date. He went on to tell me how he & his college roommate would break into conversations like Harry & Lloyd.

The whole thing was bizarre & hilarious!

Not only that, but I cannot tell you how many times I've now heard the line, "...so you're telling me there's a chance!," being used in mostly the sports world. Cracks me up!

Then...THEN...

My family got some pics taken for the upcoming church pictorial directory. Our photographer got a great big delicious taste of the flavor of crazy our family is. She got a pretty big spoonful or two...or 12 of our insanity levels. Then hubby had to go to a meeting, so we were going over the obligatory proofs & pic(k)s. On his way out the door, I asked my hubby what the budget was. From somewhere (maybe Teen Girl?) came a response of, "ONE MILLION DOLLARS!" So, that prompted the kiddos & me to place our pinky finger to the corner of our mouths & break into our best Dr. Evil impression.

The photographer was having so much fun with us, I'm glad she didn't actually die from laughing (because the sitting was so weird, it's another post of its own). And, after finishing giggling from our fabulous Dr. Evil, she asked, "Have you ever seen 'Dumb & Dumber'?" I just started laughing!!! Of course I told her I had, so she had to see if we knew that they were making another one.

I, of course, said I had a story about why the 1st one was so important! She actually asked if I was/we were in it! I told her the 1st date story...

OK...I've already been dreaming of getting into that sequel with my hubby somehow. And now that I've been directly approached about the knowledge of the movie by 2 different people in less than a week, I think this prompts a full-on campaign to get my hubby & me into the next film some way, some how...

THIS. MUST. HAPPEN.

Amm-i-rite?

Stay tuned...

God Bless, AM~Erica