i love halloween.
when else do you get the dress like a maniac, embrace all things scary, 
and stuff your face with candy without people won't even thinking you're a weirdo?

so i was really bummed when nicolaus and i were on our honeymoon in mexico last year and we missed halloween...
well as bummed as you can be when you're laying on a sunny beach sipping pina colada...but we more than made up for it this year with lots of spooooky celebrating!

we decided to start the festivities on halloween eve.
i dressed up like a cat...


we met up with steve and leah. a.k.a. a lawn gnome and flamingo...


and we went on a halloween river cruise! i had never even heard of it before, but apparently every year you can float down the river on a boat and the banks are all lit with jack-o-lanterns and lights and all sorts of halloween decor. even a spooky ghost that pops out of the water!


this guy was our tour guide...


afterwards, we all cozied up with hot chocolate and watched the first episode of the walking dead. scariest show in the world.

oh, and when i was washing off my make-up i realized i qualified for cats that look like hitler... 


when actual halloween rolled around nicolaus and i met up with austin, kerry, jake, johnny, & ashley for dinner...


nicolaus and i took "the awkward family photo" to a whole new level...


the mimes kissed johnny's cheeks...



then we had a little photo-op in the parking lot...






after dinner, nicolaus and i went over to my cousin, michele, and her husband, daniel's house. we ate pumpkin brownies, played some uno, and chatted into the night.

michele made the most adorable pencil costume...


she even dressed up her bear for the holiday...


she also made the best halloween banner...


oh, and by the time my wig began falling off and my nose rubbing off, i found my mini-me.
michele & daniel's cat, poppy...


hope your halloween was wonderful :)