The horror

The newsroom was invaded today with masked maniacs and ghoulish goblins. No, it wasn't another visit by Ben Sciortino. It was the annual newsroom trick-or-treat party, in which the children and grandchildren of newsroom employees create bedlam in our midst.
By far, the cutest kids were those of fellow bloggers and honorary bloggers. Here are my favorites....


Denise's little girl, Alexis, who was a cowgirl/horse!


Dan and Maria's boys, Casey, above...

And Brett.

Amy's little boy, Kyle, who was an adorable Woody from "Toy Story."

Suzanne's kids, Hannah, who was the Statue of Liberty, and Jack, who gets my prize for best costume of the day. He was Mad-Eye Moody from the "Harry Potter" books.


And the most-deserving honorable mentions include Christina's beautiful kids....

And Cory's little girl, Gabby...

And Kirk's beautiful daughter, Katie, who was Daphne from the "Scooby Doo" show.


And Mark's twin boys, who were bugs.

Tim Potter had, I think, the most recent addition to the newsroom's collection of kids. His little girl, Madeline, was a sunflower. But the scariest sight of all....

Was Chris Shull portraying a competent journalist. I will have nightmares all night long.

At the arb

This month's book club was held at the stunningly scenic Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine, which is owned by Robin Macy, a member of our book club. Not only did we have a great discussion about the book, "The Glass Castle," but we were also ate well, drank well (thanks for the yummy hot toddies, Teresa) and savored the beauty of this bucolic gem.


Our fun and funny hostess, Robin, fed us Hormel hog dogs roasted in the fire pit that she stoked and tended tirelessly for our benefit.

This is the fire pit that Robin created and turned into a work of art by embeddng found objects and various knick-knacks into the concrete ring.


The bridge over the lake at the arb

Carrie, Jaime, Denise and Lori enjoying the cocktail hour.

Just one of the many stunning vistas at the arb.

Peggy, Denise, Lori and Teresa in a book club tableau.

Robin, Suzanne, Cory, Chris, Stella the dog and a friend of Robin's who dropped by.

Tara and Deb taking time to enjoy the quiet moments before book club.


Chris, Suzanne and Jaime dancing a jig of happiness on an autumn day at the arb.

Lori and Carrie got carried away later in the night during an impromtu song and dance routine to tunes from "The Sound of Music."

A big wave from the book club circle....

And a parting shot of the most beautiful surroundings any book club could hope for...

Dirty dog

I think Barney is trying to tell us he would appreciate his own bed. He hopped into my basket of clean laundry tonight and tried desperately to get comfortable before curling up on our bed. I think I know what to get him for Christmas.

Cherubs

My niece and goddaughter Ashley is one of those superwomen who seems to be able to do it all. Not only is she a wife and mother of two beautiful kids, but she's also a successful media buyer at an advertising firm in Kansas City, Mo. At 26, she just talked her bosses into allowing her to work from home in Bonner Springs two days a week. That will make life with babies a bit easier for her. Here are her babes, Harper, 2, and Hudson, just 4 months.

Harper on wheels.

Dale's birthday, Part 2

We continued celebrating Dale's birthday Saturday night by having dinner with some friends, two of whom were unable to make it to his party. We went to Sabor, the new Latin-American restaurant in Old Town (it was very good), then to Oeno for a night cap and to listen to Joe Stumpe's band, which was in excellent form. Home by 10, of course... Denise, I'm posting some of these photos particularly for you. Notice, please, who's in the background.

Dale with Elizabeth Kinch and Melissa Gregory, at Sabor.


Elizabeth and Lee, and background characters.

Elizabeth and Melissa, who also celebrated her birthday in October. (And mysterious woman in background.)

A good time was had by all.

60th party pics

A few photos from Dale's 60th birthday party on Saturday night....


Not sure where she got the get-up, but Carrie looks very comfortable in that pimp look... Van Williams, who works with Dale in the city manager's office, looked even more natural, below.


Denise (back to the camera), Travis, Molly and Carrie enjoying a mild fall night under the tent....

Dale and longtime pal George, who came with his wife Marcia (below) from their home in Arkansas.



The spread before the slaughter...

What would a birthday be without birthday kisses....

From all the hot-looking women in the room.

Vacation finito

Some of you have rightly questioned why I didn't blog over my entire vacation. This is why... my husband, Dale, shown here (only 30 years younger.) Much of my week was spent preparing for a 60th birthday party we had on Saturday -- a fete that included a movie that I made with the help of Travis Heying. Well, OK, I conceived it and shot most of it. He produced, directed and edited it. So let me give a major shout-out to this very talented man, who put in many many hours of work on it. Not sure how I will be able to repay him. Unfortunately, Travis -- my illiteracy with all things high-tech continues because I botched my virgin attempt to link my blog to the movie on YouTube. Oy. However, if anybody is interested in watching it, copy and paste this link... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBUOwSJ5zIs

Superwoman

Those of us who worked at the Eagle's Woofstock booth on Saturday were in awe of Jaime Oppenheimer as she worked her camera for four hours straight shooting dozens of people and their pets. She and best beau Carter arrived at 8 a.m., below, to sent up the tent.

Then, it was time to appease the masses. People just kept lining up, ad nauseum, throughout the day. Here's Jaime, working it from her end...

Getting the best out of her adorable subjects (a pug puppy, here)....

She had assistance from Michael Roehrman, who worked the squeaky toys. Good job, Jaime. You deserve many soft, warm licks from an affectionate puppy. Or, in a pinch, Carter....

Two days and counting

This is how I will look Friday night. That's when I start a week of vacation I badly need. At least, I feel like I need it badly.
I'm not going anywhere exotic, but here's my top 10 list of what I plan to do:
10. Get ready for Dale's 60th birthday party. It's a labor of love thing.
9. Plan an exotic vacation (hopefully in November!)
8. Shop for new winter clothes.
7. Go to yoga class every day.
6. Blog.
5. See at least one movie I've been wanting to see.
4. Catch up on my TV shows (my stories!)
3. Get a massage and a facial.
2. Stay up late; sleep in late.
1. NOT think about work!
Can you tell I'm ready?