Halloween is fast becoming one of my favorite holidays.

Truth be told, I'm not sure if it's the day itself that I like or the whole season. I have to discipline myself to wait until at least October 1st before I start hauling out all of the seasonal decorations. Once that date hits, though, out come the autumnal sprays, the bat-o-lanterns, glittered gourds and, of course, this guy... A few years ago I started making Halloween cookies patterned after the cookies my mom made while I was growing up. The best part is decorating them, of course! It only took me 12 hours to finish them this year. They taste as delicious as they look, too.

This year I hosted a party. Let it be known I was not the creative genius behind this party. This genius must have genetic disposition to party decorating and creative food concoctions. I was absolutely blown away! For 5 hours my table was spread with yummy treats like these.

Even S, who is to Halloween like the Grinch is to Christmas, stuck around for awhile. I even caught him playing Rock Band and SMILING :)

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I forgot to mention last week that S actually sold his snowmobile within a week of me blogging about it. There was a guy who was asking for the exact engine in S's old sled. S talked him into buying the whole thing, broken and all. Best part is we got more than half of what we originally paid for it. S was then able to get this "new-to-him" sled.

He's going to keep busy tuning it up until the snow hits. Overall it's in great condition, though, so there's not much that needs to be done. And with today's weather as it is, I'm sure it's not going to be long until the snow starts piling up in the mountains.

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This week marked the last week for S at his station. As probationary officers, they are required to move stations halfway through the year. At first it seemed like it would be a welcome change (where S has been has just not been that busy.) But as his last day approached, he realized how great it's been and is actually very sad to leave. I work 70 hour weeks at my job and it feels somewhat like a second home. I can't imagine how it feels for a firefighter. They eat, sleep, and clean the station as if it is a second home. It would be hard not to bond with these other firefighters, too.

He invited me to come that evening and take pictures of him and his crew. (P.S.--I was able to ride along on a call in this truck last month. Imagine me in the back wearing headphones and grinning as wide as my cheeks would let me. It was so AWESOME!)

I'm sure that he will have great experiences at his new station. Good luck, S!