Memories of Halloween of past...

At work today, we stumbled on the subject of bad Halloween costumes. Some of them were funny -- dressing up as a table at a party and having drinks served on you, or dressing up as the 'Leg' lamp from "The Christmas Story". There was a guy who dressed up (at age 22) as Donatello from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". So you can see, there's been a wide variety of Halloween costumes throughout the years.

However, I had them beat. HELL YEAH did I have them beat. For I believe, no matter what costume you've worn, I've had *THE* worst costume ever.

Picture this. You're 16 years old and you're 7 months pregnant. Embarrassing enough, right? It's Halloween 1995 and you just want to lay low and not deal with the holiday. Does your mother want to allow that to happen? NOPE. Want to know why? because she doesn't want your last Halloween as a 'child' to slip by the wayside. She wants you to go trick or treating.

But you don't have a costume, right? Leave it up to Mom to find something. Out comes a smelly, old CLOWN costume that was made several years earlier for my older sisters. It was plaid fabric and huge, with a hula hoop in the middle for added effect (which would also hide by belly, my mother was quick to point out).

So there I was, ladies and gentleman. Dressed up in full clown gear, make up and all, waddling around my neighborhood on Halloween night, just to I could get some candy. The only redeeming quality to that night is that my father told me, "Just think -- one day you'll be able to look back and laugh". And, here I am 12 years later, able to do just that.

Happy (almost!) Halloween everyone!