The weather this autumn has been unseasonably warm, which made it possible to carve pumpkins outside. Usually for Halloween itself people worry about how many layers they need to put under or over their costume, but this year the concern was about being too warm! It was 80 degrees. I was so sure that we would get more than our usual number of trick-or-treaters that I overbought and didn’t tell people to take multiple pieces of candy until the end, an error that resulted in us having a lot of candy left over.
For Halloween this year, Sarah went as a rainbow-tiger-striped for rent sign, and she won her school’s contest for most original costume!! Anna dressed as a sheep for lease and went around with Sarah for trick or treating. Amy went as Effie from the Hunger Games, and because one of her boots fell apart, we discovered that we have crossed into the new territory of being able to share shoes. She wore a pair of my old black boots and went around the neighborhood with her friends. Carl and I dressed as dishes and laundry – scary indeed – and handed out candy from our front steps. We all had a wonderful evening.
This weekend has been momentous in that Friday evening I dropped Sarah off for an overnight weekend retreat at the place where she attended summer camp. If you recall, for summer camp she only did one night as an overnight and the experience was hard for her. The last time there was a retreat, she attended as a day camper, but when Carl picked her up she said she wished she could have stayed. So this time, with suitcase packed and fingers crossed, she went for the full weekend experience. I will pick her up later this morning, but we haven’t gotten any calls from the camp so we assume she has had a good time. This is an important step towards becoming a more independent adult, and an important step for me to practice letting go of her.
Since Sarah’s movie watching is often punctuated with lots of talking and there are many things she isn’t interested in watching, Carl, Amy, and I took advantage of our evenings and watched The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Yesterday we went to an art museum, another activity that might work with Sarah but is more of an unknown as to her interest or possible protest.
In other news, my book went to the printer! No more corrections or changes can be made. While it doesn’t hit bookstores until January 21, it goes to the printer now so there is time for the printing and transportation. I instantly felt anxious after giving my final okay, but Amy helped me by pointing out that is is like packing for a trip and feeling like you have forgotten something. It doesn’t mean you have forgotten something; it is just the feeling you have upon leaving the house.
Lots of love to all of you!
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