Welcome to the 13 Days of Halloween
Design created by AJB
Holy shit, creepsters! It’s that spooky time of year again, and I am living for it!
Kickin’ off this year’s countdown is some more photoshoot fun (which I love and loathe at the same time). Now, if you’re at all familiar with my little Halloween blog, you’ll know that I love bringing a more personal experience to some of my posts by highlighting the badass people in my life and celebrating the friendships I have with them.
Whether it’s a BFF birthday shoutout, creative collaborations, celebrating the annual Halloween party, or dressing up and having pictures taken, I truly enjoy bragging about my friends and showing them some love. And this time is no different.
This group of people is my extended family, my Iowa crew. I had the pleasure of meeting them for the first time a little over a year ago (crazy, right), and they are some of the best of the best. Now, I could get all mushy and sentimental; I could analyze all the profound and meaningful ways this group of people has come to quickly be something special to me – buttah – let’s save that write-up for another time. Instead, here’s a Top 10 list of my favorite moments, things, and reasons why these people rock and why I’m so grateful to have them in my life.
- Long and easy conversations
- Knighted by the God Killer
- Making amends with the Chicken Killer
- Not being invisible (a smashed-up guitar)
- Facing fears (dipping more than a toe in the pool, shooting a gun, kayaking)
- The freedom to be silly with a late-night trip to the playground
- Dance offs (some of us better at it than others)
- Being real (even when it’s uncomfortable)
- Safe place (good and witchy vibes only)
- Being supportive (even when it gets hard)
- Pumpkin bars and Apothic
- Wonder Woman doll (TRY ME ON MY BACK!)
- Laughter, tears, and knowing it’s okay to do both
- Loyalty
- Always happy to see me and sad to see me go
Oops! Guess my Top 10 list turned into a Top 15, but I’m feeling IDGAFish about that so, I’m going to leave it, knowing the list could have kept going. Let’s get started . . .
In this post
- song of the day
- badass photoshoot
- cheers, fuckers
- shizz I share
Song of the Day
Push Play
Badass Photoshoot
So for past photoshoots that I’ve shared, I’ve set the images to the lyrics from the Song of the Day, but I’m doing things a little differently this time. Hopefully, my vision for this post smoothly transitions from mind to publication. For it is in homage to the uniqueness and individuality that is not quieted within a group of friends, but instead, is celebrated.
“I’m through accepting limits ’cause someone says they’re so. Some things I cannot change but ’till I try I’ll never know.”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“I don’t cause commotions; I am one.”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky
As someone told me lately
Everyone deserves the chance to fly!”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“Tell those who’d ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I am defying gravity!”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“Remember to breathe. It is, after all, the secret of life.”
~ Gregory Maguire, A Lion Among Men: The Wicked Years
“It’s just life, so keep dancing through.”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“So he stalked her again. Love makes hunters of us all.”
~ Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
“I don’t know if I’ve been changed for the better, but because I knew you, I have changed for good.”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“Well, we can’t always come and go by bubble!”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“You know black is this year’s pink…”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“Happy is what happens when all your dreams come true.”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“They came to see Glinda the Good Witch, but after midnight, they found the Wicked Witch of the West and left quaking in fear of Flying Monkeys.”
~ Patricia Briggs
“I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those who help us most to grow
If we let them and we help them in return.”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“So much of me is made of what I learned from you; you’ll be with me like a handprint on my heart. . .”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
“. . . and now whatever way our stories end I know you have re-written mine by being my friend.”
~ Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
Cheers, Fuckers
As with many of my posts, a creatively concocted (and christened) libation is shared. And although I don’t usually include a recipe of such with my photoshoot posts, I felt it fitting as we launch into another 13 days of Halloween countdown. I should also say that I find it equally fitting (and hilarious) to share this particular recipe that I stumbled upon with my readers and fellow Costume Commandos. Good Witch — I’m just going to leave this riiiiiiight heeeeeere . . . Enjoy!
Frog in a Blender
Original recipe found here.
(OH SHIT!!!)
Ingredients
- 2 ounces vodka
- 4 ounces cranberry juice
- 2 lime wheels
- 1 cup ice
Directions
- Gather the ingredients.
- In a blender, place the vodka, cranberry juice, lime wheels, and ice.
- Blend for 3 to 5 seconds, just enough to chop everything up.
- Pour into a chilled hurricane or margarita glass. Serve and enjoy.
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Image source: The Spruce
Tips
- One cup of ice is about five or six of the average ice cubes, or you can start out with a cup of crushed ice.
- The recipe makes a 10-ounce drink, so you will need a large glass. The other option is to split it into two smaller glasses, even pouring it into cocktail glasses if you like.
Witchy Vibes Only
Shizz I Share
So, our photog for this shoot was great. I had never met Sylvia before and knew nothing of her personality or approach to photography. And anyone who knows me gets what a big deal it was for me to get in front of the camera with someone I don’t already know and have established trust with — it can be more stress than fun. This definitely wasn’t the case with Sylvia; she was fun and had a really imaginative approach to the pictures. I also appreciated her openness to collaborate with others (like me) on different shots. Her laid-back style and easy demeanor made the whole experience comfortable and fun. Of course, it’s hard not to enjoy myself when I’m hangin’ with this crew.
“I have known I wanted to be a photographer since I was eight years old. It’s been one of my courses of study as long as I can remember and I love having it as my creative cornerstone. Long before I had dreams of becoming a nurse, I was capturing the daily lives of those around me. My primary focus now is natural light lifestyle photography.”
Thank you, Sylvia, for these kickass pictures. Every image tells its own story and truly puts a smile on my face. 
Bonus
Success
by
Edgar A. Guest
I hold no dream of fortune vast,
Nor seek undying fame.
I do not ask when life is past
That many know my name.
I may not own the skill to rise
To glory’s topmost height,
Nor win a place among the wise,
But I can keep the right.
And I can live my life on earth
Contented to the end,
If but a few shall know my worth
And proudly call me friend.
Until next time . . .
Happy Haunting
13 Days of Halloween 
You are awesome sis, so happy to have you in our lives. Now that you are here we will never be the same.
Bro
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