It feels like the holiday season starts with Halloween to me.  I think this is because there’s so much festiveness surrounding Halloween in my experience.  Everything from decorating my home, putting together Halloween treat bags for my nieces, and spending time with family feels very much like the holidays.  So, why not let it be?  I know some people may think of Halloween as a silly holiday just for kids, but I don’t see why adults can’t enjoy the lighthearted nature of it as well.  I love the magical feeling surrounding Halloween and find my appreciation for it only increases as I grow older.

Visiting Family

Don and I drove down to St. Louis for a long weekend with my brother and his family.  The timing of our trip was centered around a special annual open house that the school my nieces attend hold for family.  We had an amazing time at school with the girls.  It was great to be able to experience what their school is like in person.  Don and I split up so we could both spend time with each of our two nieces in their respective classes.  He started with the youngest, Jaidyn, who is in 2nd grade, and spent time reading, solving math problems, and playing outside during recess with her.  I started with the oldest, Emma, and was able to watch her class give thorough and interesting presentations on Greek gods, goddesses, and some of the major towns of ancient Greece.  We were both able to sit with the girls throughout the day and interact with them during their lessons.  We swapped midday so that Don could go to science class with Emma and I could spend art class and more reading time with Jaidyn.  I don’t know of any other school that lets your Aunt & Uncle come hang out with you (plus we were invited to come back whenever we like, no open house required!).  What a great experience!

It also just so happened that the World Series (baseball) started the very weekend we were in St. Louis with the city’s team The Cardinals playing Boston’s Red Sox.  My brother and SIL are huge Cardinals fans and we had fun hanging out at their house eating yummy food and watching the games together.  Their dog, Oscar (pug shown above) spent most of the games split between trying to cozy up to Winnie and vying for ear rubs from us spectators.  There was much laughter exchanged, as usual!

We had such a good time with our family, which we always do when we are together.  It was also nice to be in St. Louis during the cooler fall for a change as opposed to when we usually go visit during the summer heat!  I can’t wait to see them again at Christmas.

Fall Treats

It’s hard to avoid seasonal treats that pop up when Halloween rolls around (yet another reason why it feels like the start of the holiday season to me, which is a constant onslaught of tasty goodies).  I mentioned about a month ago that I was working on cutting down the amount of sugar in my diet, which I feel I have succeeded in doing thus far.  I think some people misunderstood what I meant by that, which was not that I hoped to cut all sugar out of my diet.  I simply wanted to reduce my overall sugar consumption.  I have allowed myself a few treats along the way, including a cup of the delicious new Pumpkin Brûlée Oolong blend from Teavana and a couple of pumpkin pie shakes while we were in Utah.  Just this past weekend while in St. Louis I indulged in a taste of The Cup’s amazing cupcakes and I even got my donut fix in!  Just because I had a couple of treats this past weekend, however, doesn’t mean I’ve fallen off the wagon.  I love sweets and I wouldn’t want to totally deny myself the pleasure of enjoying them occasionally.  Life is short, right?  I am proud of my progress in consuming less sweets in general, however, and feel like I enjoy my indulgences even more when I have them now less frequently.

I am looking forward to family Halloween festivities and togetherness this week and sharing the magic with loved ones.  I hope your Halloween is Spooktacular!  😀