Party decorating

My Halloween party is coming up Saturday. I really excited! I wanted to share my favorite decoration for the party with everyone. Mark sprayed these cheap pumpkins with matte black spray paint and I think they look awesome! I had him do another batch tonight for the party. I plan on getting a couple bigger pumpkins and spraying them too.

Oh Subway......I hate you.

There are like 10 Subways in my home town. (Maybe a little inflated) Mark and I are not meant to eat at any of them. I don't know if the workers see us coming in the door and are like 'Oh it's that one couple! We must do something disgusting or rude to scare them off!' I would like to rundown our adventures to Subway.

It all started one afternoon when we thought we would break from our traditional McDonald's run to get a healthy lunch. We park. We enter into the Subway closest to our house and upon entering the establishment we should have walked right back out the door. But No we stayed to watch. When you enter this particular restaurant the restroom is right beside the door and straight across from the restroom door is the door to enter behind the counter. There's the set up. So when we come in we notice there is something going on to our right. ALL the employees are gathered around the bathroom door. This we note is strange. There is another couple in the Subway eating. So upon further inspection we notice there is one girl flinging a pee stick around about in front of her exclaiming 'OMG I'm pregnant!' Yes you read that right. She took a pregnancy test while at work, while there were customers inside eating and within full view of ALL who walk in off the street. Then we hear another coworker  who is standing beside the door to the counter say to another 'Well we have to believe her this time, we saw it with our own eyes.' And then they go back behind the counter to take our order. And all Mark and I can think about is the possible pee particles that have been flung throughout the air around us.

Then we have a few minor infractions: The guy at the Wal-Mart Subway dragging a trash bag across my sandwich and looking at my husband cluelessly when he is asked to make me a new sandwich. And we have this gem: My husband goes to Subway wearing a purple shirt (Now Mark is 6'4 and not one to be teased) when the boy behind the counter proceeds to sing the Barney theme song to him. Mark is not amused and the counter boy doesn't understand why. 

And that leads up to today's infraction. I stand in line at Subway while people are eating all around me. There is only one girl working I guess and she is counting down her drawer. I watch her count a large stack of one's twice, not even looking up to acknowledge me. When she is finally done counting, she walks over pulls out a paper to put my sandwich on and proceeds to ask me what I want. There was no washing of the hands and no putting on of gloves. Straight from the stack of filthy ones to my potential lunch. I tell her I'm not ordering and leave.

So Mark and I have determined that this is it. We aren't eating at our hometown Subways ever again. We've already marked the local Taco Bell off our list and now we are adding Subway. It's back to McDonald's I go.

In memory

October is breast cancer awareness month.  I would like to take some time to remember my aunt and her story.

My aunt was 37 when she died from breast cancer. Her death turned my family upside down. 

My aunt was one of the funniest people I knew. She always had some remark about the world around her that would make you laugh. 

My very first upside down roller coaster was ridden with her by my side. We went on a mini vacation with her, my uncle and their daughter. My dad had had back surgery and couldn't ride with me. My aunt and uncle encouraged me to ride. They talked me into it and then my uncle backed out at the last minute. My aunt rode with me. Once we got off and she made a joke about 'almost peeing on herself' and then she admitted that she really didn't want to ride it but she did it for me. That amusement park is long gone but I will never forget that ride.

I remember clearly where I was the moment I learned my aunt had a lump in her breast. I was at a cousin's birthday party. It was September.

I remember in October sitting in the waiting room while she had it removed. I remember being scared. I was a Junior in high school. It was fall break.

The next year was a blur. I remember trying to keep a positive outlook on what was going on. I remember praying so hard for her to get better.

I remember the doctor saying it was gone. I remember when it came back.

I remember her yelling at me in the hospital because I thought if she drank that Ensure she would get better. I remember her HATING that Ensure.

I remember spending every spare moment at the hospital.

I remember the moment I knew her fight was over. I remember the pain and hurt I felt when I heard my uncle talk about shopping for her casket. I remember hating him at that moment.

I remember seeing her pull back out of it and thinking things were getting better. 

I remember shopping for my prom dress with my little cousins while my aunt lay in the hospice unit. I remember getting a drab black dress because that's how I felt. 

I remember saying goodbye the night she died. Something told me not to leave without saying goodbye. 

I remember giggling at her funeral because the music played was something she would have laughed at if she were able to hear it. 

I remember the pain at not having her here for my wedding. 

I will never forget the battle she fought in that short time. I will always remember the good times I had with her. I will NEVER forget watching her fight.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and every one should take a moment to do a self-check or to remind a loved one to self-check or get a mammogram. Just a few minutes could save a life.