Happy Halloween!

For all the ranting and raving always done about the weather around here, I'd just like to take a moment to give Mother Nature a big THANK YOU. After a week of above average temperatures and no rain, we woke up Friday morning to the smell of wet asphalt and the sound of rain hitting the rooftops. I rolled out of bed and thought of complaining to Jenny, but then remembered, "Oh ya, this is Oregon and today's the 31st." While the rest of the country is out racing through the neighborhoods collecting candy, having costume parties or smashing pumpkins in celebration of Halloween, here in Oregon we traditionally welcome in our first wet and windy storm of the season. This year, it seemed, would be no different.

By mid-morning, a bit optimistic, I hopped online to checked the whether forecast: Heavy rain this morning changing to scattered showers by afternoon, returning to heavy rain by evening. "Just in time for trick-or-treating, great." I thought.

Ian and Logan came down from Salem to go trick-or-treating with us and got to our place at about 6:00. When I answered the door I noticed it had stopped raining and the sun was actually starting to come through. We hurried to get the kids in their costumes and out the door while we had a break in the storm. Jenny stayed to pass out candy and Ian and I followed the kids through the neighborhood. After a hour, the candy bags were full and Abby and Isaac's little legs were worn out so we headed back to the house. Ian felt a raindrop on his head and I had one hit my nose (insert whatever joke you find most fitting here) so we decided to pick up the pace a bit. Ian made the comment that he couldn't remember a Halloween when it didn't rain, not that it had never happened before, just that they weren't as memorable as the ones spent running from covered porch to covered porch dodging the rain.

We made it back safe and dry, sifted through our spoils, danced around the front room with the strobe light going as the sugar rush began to take hold and then said goodbye to Ian and Logan. It was the perfect ending to a perfect Halloween that we will all soon forget about completely.