The Bowler Derbies Take Silver!

In the team costume contest that is. Our bowling score bottomed out but we made up for it with team spirit.

I often refer to October as "the most wonderful time of the year" and it seems I work for an organization that has much the same sentiment. Apparently, costume bowling night is the biggest Anythink social event of the year. All kinds of people showed up to it too - including:

David Bowie

the Tooth Fairy (Rosie the Riveter too)

and The Dude (*gold star to anyone who can guess what she made her beard out of...)

Matt originally planned to go as Alex DeLarge from the Clockwork Orange (as he had white temple clothes and a bowler to work with) but he opted out when his eye makeup failed and went for this look:

Though we originally thought that he would be my "sugar daddy", we decided that he was way too under dressed to match my flashy look and perhaps even a decade too late. We decided he could be the middle class banker look of the 30s. An interesting costume in today's economic context I think but it just came together on its own when we found a cheap waistcoat at Unique Thrift Store and a black tie at TJ Maxx not more than half an hour before bowling time. Still, we were told more than once we made a dynamite couple's costume. It was fun hanging on his arm with one hand with my straw cigarette in the other. I felt absolutely smashing.

So indeed, it made for a most wonderful time this autumnal season. There are still many festivities to anticipate too! Glow-in-the-dark party with my tweens and teens on Thursday, ward Halloween costume and chili event on Saturday (they asked us all to dress up from the scriptures. Matt is planning on going as the iron rod and me the mist of darkness. perhaps more on that later), and library movie night on Halloween itself. Oh and we have been eating squash and pumpkin everything these last few weeks thanks to our friends garden. A very happy October to us all!

*Karo syrup and tea leaves...

And in other news, I have officially joined a master's swim team. I now swim in the wake of Amazon women and am learning all kinds of things that are wrong with several of my strokes. It is humbling and inspiring and I believe the best way to improve. Though I find myself constantly reminding myself what my cross country coach used to say "what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger". Hopefully I can remember that the day we swim 4K.