Many A Necklace Becomes A Noose

Today's topic is a flashback to my childhood. Share a scary Halloween Memory. Back in the day when my world was one block wide, my best friend lived up and across the street from me. Not far, three houses up so at a young age I was trusted to walk up to her house alone.

It was the month of October, early, and Halloween decorations were sprinkled throughout the neighborhood. One evening I confidently left the warmth and comfort of my home and headed up the street after I had crossed it to my besties house. I looked both ways for cars before crossing and pulled my sweater closed to protect myself against the chill in the air. I made it to my best friend's neighbor's house. The house just before hers. I got mid-way through their front yard when I just happened to look up. That's when I stopped, frozen. The inhabitants of the home has tied a noose and hung what looked like a VERY real man from the tree in their front yard. I was terrified. My little heart caught in my chest and then rapidly beat. I stared at the hanging body trying to decide if it was real or decoration OR a real person waiting to descend and scare unsuspecting passersby.

I don't know how long I stood there. I didn't know what to do. I was positive they were going to jump down at me and I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that. I didn't know what to do. Finally, some unforeseen force took over and I ran. I ran as fast as my little legs would run and I didn't look back.

It was a traumatizing event. I CANNOT look at bodies hanging. Let me explain. I enjoy watching The Handmaids Tale, however, I have to look away from the t.v. if it shows actors portraying a person that has been hung. I feel agitated looking at pictures of people hanging like on the cover of books even if it's just an illustration. Seeing that type of image makes me uncomfortable and slightly sick.

So there it is. A very scary Halloween moment for a very little Susan that has haunted me clear into adulthood.

Susan "Hang in there, Baby" B.

One, Two, Freddy's Coming For You

Write a list of your favorite horror movies.

Ha! I'm such a chicken when it comes to scary movies. I always have been. I LOVE watching horror movies in theory. One of my favorite scary shows to watch is American Horror Story BUT I can only watch it when the sun is out AND I have to watch a comedy chaser afterward.

Growing up I was lucky to have two older brothers who "forced" me to watch scary movies. Maybe it's why I'm traumatized and still a scaredy-cat. I like all the classics and a few of the new ones. So, in no particular order and a little explanation, here they are:

1. Friday the 13th - I watched this as a child with my brothers. I thought I was pretty cool but I was low-key terrified.

2. Nightmare On Elm Street - I watched the OG with the brothers but there was one time when I was thirteen I watched one by myself, in the daylight of course. As a result I had to sleep on the floor in my parent's room for the next two nights because I was scared to go to sleep.

3. Halloween - Another classic introduced to me by my brothers. Today, I really enjoy the music.

4. It - !00% the reason I have a clown phobia. Yes, my brothers made me watch it. I still watch it every time it comes on t.v. I'm not as scared of the original as I used to be but, the new It: Chapter One and Chapter Two, well I actually screamed out loud during Chapter One while in the movie theater and I had my eyes closed A LOT for Chapter Two so there's that.

5. Zombieland - My absolute favorite! It's got the walking dead and laughs around every corner. I am really excited for Zombieland Double Tap to come out this month. If you haven't seen the first movie, do yourself a favor and watch it. You will not be disappointed.

I drew this on my chalkboard at work.

6. Children of the Corn - I watched this as a child too...with my brothers. I really had something to prove.

7. Scream - But only the first one. I went on a date to the drive-in to see this one. Good times.

8. The Shining - Classic.

9. The Blair Witch Project - I didn't see this one in the theater however, I did watch it alone on Halloween night right after it had come out. I literally slept with the lights on and my door open for two weeks straight. It terrified me. I have not seen it since then.

10. Poltergeist - All of them. I really related to Caroline Ann. We were both little blond girls.

What is your favorite scary movie? Tell me in the comments.

Susan "You'll Float Too" B.

Guess Who's Back?

It's been too long. I started this blog before I moved to London. When I lived there I had a lot to blog about. I was on a constant adventure and now my adventures seem irrelevant. But writing on this blog helps me. So I'm going to try another month long challenge. A 31 day post for the month of October. I miss my adventures in London/Europe. I miss writing. I miss taking pictures of the world and knowing what I was going to write about when I posted them to my blog. I have a lot of thoughts in my head but for now I'm just going to write about the October topics that I found.

List Your Favorite Things About Autumn

1. I love wearing Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin lotion from Bath and Body Works.
2. I love wearing sweaters and sweatshirts that feel like hugs.
3. Halloween is my favorite holiday (besides my birthday).
4. I love fall and Halloween decorations.
5. I love dressing up for Halloween.
6. I love celebrating National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
7. I love wearing Halloween socks everyday for the entire month.
8. I love pumpkin-ized food. Breads, cookies, drinks and desserts.
9. I love buying Christmas presents early.
10. I love all the Halloween themed movies and t.v. shows that come on.
11. I love carving pumpkins.
12 I love when the air outside cools after a hot summer.
13. I love the possibility of rainy days.
14. I love soup weather.
15. I love cozy blankets on cold nights.
16. I love my flannel pajamas that my mom made me.
17. I love baseball and the World Series.
18. I love football and picking who will win each week and then seeing how many I got right.
19. I love Halloween parties, potlucks and trunk-or-treats.
20. I love watching the colors or the world change; the trees, the sunsets, the sunrises.

Susan "Rising From the Dead" B.

2015: A Year In Review

I can't believe how quickly 2015 came and went! It was a good year for me, however, I went ahead and got the first mistake of 2016 out of the way on January 2nd. In an attempt to transfer photos from my phone to my laptop, I restored my phone, thus wiping all of 2015's photos from existence. Well, maybe not completely. I have an appointment with a technology genius to see if we can restore some/all of the photos I lost. Fingers crossed! I did some fancy footwork and got the following photos from Instagram and Facebook so that I would not have to delay this much anticipated (ha!) blog post.

 The year started off with a New Year's Day hike up Skyline with my good friend Jone and her daughter and work out buddies.

 I didn't realize how much time was spent with this sweet girl, my cousin, Shannon, in 2015 as proven by the following photos. Here we are after lunch and valuable catch up time.

 Sadly, this is the first and last photo taken of Tammy and I in 2015. She was so sweet and cooked me dinner and we exchanged our holiday gifts and then we both got so busy we were only able to communicate through text and social. I'm going to make it a goal to see this sweet friend of my more in 2016.

 Shannon and Hannah cooked me dinner and hung out with me! So much cousin love.

A super fun outing with one of my newest and cutest friends, Stephanie! We did one of those paint nights and I don't think we did too badly.

 On Valentine's Day, I took two people that I love most in the world to a Taylor Swift Exhibit at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles! We started off at In N Out where Christa, Eric, Maddi, Lily and I ate before our trek out to L.A. The girls and I drove out and walked around the exhibit, reminiscing about the T-Swift concerts we had been to. We sang Taylor's songs in a recording booth and oohed and aahed at the tour and red carpet dresses on display. We saw the rest of the museum but my favorite, of course was the TS exhibit. After the exhibit, I took the girls to Sprinkles Cupcakes where we got cupcakes from the ATM! Then a quick trip to Starbucks before we headed home. All in all, one of my favorite Valentine Days.

 For as many times as I was at the beach in 2014, I think I only put my toes in the sand while inhaling salt air twice in 2015. Not my best. Something else to work on.

 In April, my sweet baby cousin married the love of his life and I was so honored to be a part of their special day. Here I am with my squad. I adore these girls.

 Quick cousin pic during all the wedding festivities.

The happy couple and Chris and I.

 The summer kicked off with a visit from my favorite Utah family! We did nothing but fun things for a whole weekend! 

 Angel game with the whole fam!

 Then we went to Aquarium of the Pacific! We also had a movie night and trips to the park.

 Chloe got baptized!

 The fourth of July is for sure my second favorite holiday. Kaylene and I went to my ward pancake breakfast.

I bbq for my parents and Eric and then that night, we all headed to St. Johns to watch the fireworks.

 Stephanie and I went to Top of the World in Laguna Beach and hiked until I felt like I had got a sufficient sunburn (not on purpose of course).

Always a wedding guest, never a bride. I was so happy to be at Makenna's wedding. She was stunning and I was so proud of her. 

 By far the highlight of 2015 was taking my girls to the Taylor Swift 1989 concert! We saw her in San Diego this time around. I convinced the girls that we needed matching t-shirts and they convince me that I needed to make them. So after weeks of sketching, planning, screen shots and designing, I not only made our t-shirts but I also made us hoodies! Super cute and the girls said they loved them.

 We ate at Burger King (their pick) when we got into San Diego and we made a quick stop at Starbucks before heading to Pet Co Stadium. Our seats were GREAT! We got bracelets that lit up to Taylor's songs and the girls and I danced and sang and had a good time. I love our T-Swift concert experiences. The girls get along and we always have a great time. The girls got a concert book like they do every tour and Lily got guitar picks. She started taking guitar lessons in 2015 so buying picks seemed appropriate.

 Just before we left for the concert.

My sweet nieces. 

 Labor day was still one of the hottest in the books! I invited a cute boy to hike Skyline with me. Sadly, nothing ever developed between us. After our hike, I had lunch with Kaylene at Miguel Senior.

 Kaylene said, "Let's go to a Centennial football game and wear our Letterman jackets." So I said, "Okay!" We met for dinner at Nordstrom and then headed to the game where the huskies mopped the field with the other team. I'm pretty sure they won because we were there cheering them on.

 My first favorite holiday, Halloween! I love dressing up every year. Two of my co-workers, David and Taylor showed up and the three of us were so excited to represent some of the Justice League. My boss, Doug, did a little photoshop magic!

 My favorite day of the year, MY BIRTHDAY! I don't mind getting older. I really don't. I just love my birthday SO MUCH. Mostly for the cake, but also for all the great friends and family that I get to hang out with. My sweet friends from church, Kerri, Stephanie, Jenny and Jone took me out for pie.

My goofy co-workers, Doug and David took me to lunch. These two guys are two of my good friends. I'm so lucky to work with two people that I get along with and have such a good time with. It makes going to work that much easier.

 Of course my family showered me with love and cake on my special day!

 OH MAN! Thanksgiving was so fun this year! Eric's family and I went up to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with Jason, Abby, Lizzie and Captain. Thanksgiving morning we played in our first Turkey Bowl! The blue flag team won! It was so much fun but also FREEZING!

 We played games, cooked dinner, took pictures and watched a Inside Out.

 By far, my most favorite Thanksgiving.

I was so lucky I got to play with Camille while I was in SLC! We did a little shopping, walked around Temple Square and took pictures, froze our little California hineys off and had dinner!

 On our back to California, we stayed in Vegas. Right on Fremont Street. What a great area! I've never been to Fremont Street and it did not disappoint! The kids and I zip lined through Fremont! We stood in line FOREVER, froze a little once we were at the top and zipped about 45 seconds! It was really fun. I'm actually scared of heights so this was kind of a big deal for me.

 Maybe I just love dressing up. I went to an Ugly Sweater Christmas party and maybe my sweater isn't "ugly" but it sure was itchy!

 December started off by saying good-bye to a great man. Steve, my dad's cousin passed away. He was one of the kindest people I know. He was such an example to me and I'm truly going to miss him. In life, he owned a gun safe company. It was told to me that he would often joke that when he dies, to just put him in a safe and bury him. Well, check out his casket. A few of the guys that had worked for him, designed and built the top of his casket to look like a safe. A very sweet tribute.

Not a bad looking casket. It may be weird, I really like the matte look.

These sweet girls and I had an ornament exchange. We did the 12 Days of Christmas, but with only 6 days being represented. We will do the other six next year. It was so fun to have dinner and give our ornaments to each other. I can't wait to do it again.

SO, that is 2015. 

Susan "that is so last year" B.

Let's play catch-up! Lots has happened, so here is a run down:

 This sweetie-pie and her parents came down at the end of July for a fun weekend.

 We took a boat ride around Long Beach harbor. The rest of the family was there too. It wasn't just the two of us or anything.

 My girls. They melt my heart.

 While everyone else was posting 1st day of school pictures of their kids, I posted this picture of my 1st day of work! It feels so good to be employed again! I really enjoy my job. I was hired at a marketing company as the social media specialist.

 Ice cream date.

 This handsome boy turned 10! We are into double digits people!

 This pretty lady celebrated a birthday too!

 And so did this goofy guy!

 I spend an afternoon at Tanaka Pumpkin Patch with some mid-single folks.

 I LOVE Halloween. It's my favorite and if there is a pumpkin patch to visit, I'm down.

 Corn maze? Kind of on the weak side.

Trunk or treat with my girls. Belle, Pink Lady and Alice in Wonderland.

 Orange you glad he was a banana? (see what I did there?)

 We dared him to put on his sister's old costume and trick or treat a second time to get more candy. No shame. BTW, that shirt on his head is acting as a wig.

Susan "More tricks than treats" B.