Snow White is always a hit! Happy Halloween

Halloween is Big around here and I love it. It gets kind of crazy even slightly stressful, but getting to see all those adorable little ones in their costumes makes it all worth while. 2 1/2 years ago when I started @ the Museum and they told me about Trick or Treat Street I would have never imagined it was as BIG as it really is. When I first started I bought a Snow White costume, back then my hair was short and quite dark. Kids loved it! It was perfect. Since then I've brought the costume out on several occasions and every year on Halloween for sure. This year was no exception. The day isn't over yet, but I needed a break from the floor so I thought I'ld make my post now (I may be sleeping the weekend away). So far I've had my picture taken with Tigger, a hot pepper, a couple witches, a lion, Mulan, some Pharohs, Curious George, Winnie the Pooh, Dorothy, several mini-Snow Whites, and a bout a milion other princesses. It's always a blast seeing the kids faces light up when they see me. Yesterday I helped set up a theater show by The Littleauge http://www.myspace.com/thelittleague (a hip hop performer for kids, put on by an amazing former preschool teacher) while in the show they have a dance contest to give away a free CD. Of course I had to get out on the dance floor and encourage the kids to bust a move and when I did the little girls came a running. Soon I had my own circle of dancers all wanting to hold my hand. It was pretty adorable, but oh so exhausting. I think I may have litterally danced my behind off. I guess the $30 I spent on this dress 3 years ago was really worth it. It may have been the best $30 I've ever bought. HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!

Photos from Top to Bottom

1. Snow White and the Evil Queen (a former co-worker) Halloween 2006 my first TOTS

2. Snow White Halloween 2007

3. Curious George as a Cowboy & Me as Snow White Storytime for TOTS 2008

4. Our Adorable neighbor Christopher as a Lion getting his photo taken with me. 2008

5. One of the many mini-Snow White's getting her photo with me this year.

And so it begins...

It's Trick or Treat Street Time @ the Museum (the museum's BIG halloween event). Today was Decade Day and I went for 80's. I bought canvas shoes and decorated them with Pacman, Saved By the Bell, and New Kids on the Block. I borrowed a New Kids on the Block shirt from a friend and made a pretty awesome outfit out of thrift store finds and misc items I had at home. Today is only day one of the Museum's Halloween celebration and I'm already exhausted. Stay tuned for more to come.

Photos top to bottom
1. My lovely socks and shoes (you have to see them in person to really appreciated them)
2. Me showing off my 80's gear
3. Tenille and I posing for the camera

Ideal Fathers...

Jesse's band
They've been together since early 2006 and ironically they played their first show on Father's day that same year. Jesse is the lead vocalist, occasional tambourine player, & mad clapper, Paddy is the drummer, Adam is the guitarist and back up vocalist, and Mike is the bassist. They lost their original bassist and back up vocalist when Vinnie, the first Ideal Father, hurt his hand in an accident @ work last year. Loosing Vinnie was really hard for all of them, but after some time off they managed to bounce back with the addition of their good friend Mike. Since then they've played several shows with great write ups in local papers, been mentioned on CU Boulder's radio station, and been in the Under Ground Music Showcase. Jesse just left this morning to go to the recording studio for the next couple days with guys. They're working on making their first recordings that will hopefully be done and ready before Christmas. It's taken them a long time to come up with the cash for the recording, so they're all very excited. It took tons of low paying gigs, one bake sale (where I made some amazing mint/chocolate bars), a few shirt sales, and one Under Ground Music showcase, but they finally made it. I'm going to add links to their Myspace (where you can listen to their music) and several other web pages where you can read reviews. Enjoy!

myspace
backbeat
the night we met
DPUMS
shows
last.fm

Videos available on their myspace under the video link.

Photos top to bottom:
1. (L-R) Adam, Paddy, Jesse, Mike
2. The guys playing @ the Under Ground Music Showcase
3. (L-R) Mike, Adam
4. Jesse
5. (L-R) Adam, Jesse

October thus far...

Oct 2008 Several of my friends are getting married, so there are lots of weddings to go to. We're planning Halloween costumes and both working lots of overtime. In late Sept the Museum started being open late one night a week and I recently started a 2nd job through Catholic Charities on Wednesday evenings, so that's been keeping me busy. For my 2nd job I work with another teacher playing, crafting, and teaching a group of kids while their grownups take parenting classes and have some support group time, so far I'm loving it. Just yesterday we got back from Utah. We drove to his grandparent's house in Ogden to celebrate his niece Nasia's baptism and 8th birthday. It was a long drive, but we had a nice visit with part of Jesse's family that he hadn't seen in ages and I had never met. As visible in the pictures above... Jesse's niece and cousin seemed to really like me, so much so they decided to play beauty parlour with me and do my hair and make-up. Now we're both preparing for a busy couple weeks. Jesse's band will be recording soon, I have another wedding to go to, we have company staying with us next weekend, I've got lots of overtime coming up with Halloween and before you know it the other holidays will be here. I really can't wait for the next couple weeks to be over... I'm already exhausted.

Photos top to bottom:
1. Erin, Jesse, Bobbi (Jesse's Mom)
2. Kyle (Jesse's nephew), Jesse
3. Erin, Nasia (Jesse's niece)
4. Erin, Jesse
5. (L-R) Nasia, Kaylee (Jesse's cousin), Erin

The last 2 months...

Aug 2008 We find an apartment after months of hunting and we move into our new place together. On the 2nd Ideal Fathers performed in the Denver Post's Underground Music Showcase for the best local bands. That same week they also had a write up as the Critic's choice in the Westword paper and Jesse was mentioned by name (this made his day, week, maybe even year). This time he was the giddy school girl trying to contain himself.

Sept 2008 We celebrated Jesse's 26th b-day by going to a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds show, going out to a fancy dinner, having a b-day/house warming party, and then we went to Taos, NM together to visit Moe and Ben. In Taos we went on a hike and Jesse went Rock Climbing while I kept my two feet safely planted on the ground and took pictures of the daredevils. Urban Farms comes to the Children's Museum and I fall in love with farm animals all over again.

***Urban Farms is an actual working farm (non-profit) that teaches inner city kids about farm life. They mainly deal with school groups, but are open to the public on weekends. They teach classes about gardening, spinning wool, knitting, horse back riding, and much more. It's a really amazing place. http://www.theurbanfarm.org/

Photos top to bottom:
1. Ideal Father's @ the Under Ground Music Showcase
2. Newspaper clipping from Westword
3. Miss Apple (a Scottish Highland cow from the Urban Farm), Erin
4. Erin, Jesse having dinner for Jesse's birthday
5. Erin, Jesse hiking in Taos, NM

Time line continued...

May 2008 Jesse started a new job @ RedBook Soultions which he seems to be enjoying. He works with a couple of his friends, he gets paid well, and he gets to listen to music all day. He does have busy times at work, so for 6 weeks he works 50-60hours a week and the next 6 weeks he works the normal 40hours. Jesse gets his first experience on Amtrak when he comes to Iowa to meet my family. In Iowa we help celebrate Cody's (my cousin Jeff's son, who I babysat for for years) graduation, we get professional photos done with my parents, Dave (my brother), and Chelsey (his girlfriend). Jesse also gets his first taste of ROCK BAND the video game with the Sherman (my cousin & his family) Clan. My parents took us to the grotto in West Bend, IA. It was really beautiful and interesting to see. I pack my stuff into a storage unit and move in to Jesse's apartment.

June/July 2008 I take a trip back to Iowa alone to visit my grandpa in the hospital. I get to spend my dad's birthday with him (which I haven't done since before I moved to Denver). Jesse and I celebrate 1 year together. Jesse's band has lots of great shows. More to come in a future post about his band. In June I went to Taos, NM to visit Moe and Ben (our couple friend who moved down there in Feb & we miss them greatly). In July we went to Farmington, NM for his new neice London's baby blessing. Here I met his sister Brendon and her lovely family and his grandparents and his neice Nasia and nephew Kyle. We celebrated 4th of July with them and had a great visit.

Photos top to bottom:
1. Jesse, Grandma Rita (my dad's mom), Grandpa Bob (my dad's dad), Erin
2. Erin, Jesse visiting the Grotto in Westbend, IA
3. (L-R) Jeff (my cousin) & Ella (his dog) in the chair, Cody (my cousin's son), Jesse, Megan (my cousin's daughter) Rocking out to Rock Band
4. Monique (my long time friend & former roommate), Erin, Brittany (Monique's friend from beauty school) checking out the gorge outside of Taos, NM
5. Jesse, Erin, Brendon (Jesse's sister) sitting in the chair holding, baby London (her daughter/Jesse's niece), and Israel (her son/Jesse's nephew)

Over the last year we...

Sept 2007 We celebrated Jesse's 25th B-day by going to a karaoke bar with friends. Jesse was supposed to come to Iowa with me for my cousin Rhea's wedding, but he switched jobs and wasn't able to get the time off.

Oct 2007 Just before Halloween my great grandma passes away, my uncle has a heart attack, my parent's basment floods, and my father has a heart attack. I'm a wreck and I go back to Iowa last minute. Jesse was very supportive while I had several melt downs. For Halloween Jesse volunteers to help out @ The Children's Museum's Celebration with me. http://www.cmdenver.org/ We make costumes together and along with a couple co-workers we go as the Wizard of Oz Crew. At our friends Halloween Party I was as a Harlequin Clown and Jesse went as his friend Phil (who is a real character and was the one throwing the party). Jesse meets the first member of my family when my aunt Kelly comes to town for business. She hass since come several times and we love having her visit.

Nov 2007 We celebrate Thanksgiving together with some of my co-workers and friends. After Thanksgiving we fly to Kansas with his family (who I was meeting for the first time) where his brother was getting married. I was nervous to meet his Big family, but things went really well. I really enjoyed meeting them and we had a great trip, plus it was a beautiful wedding.

Dec 2007 We celebrate Christmas seperate. I head back to Iowa and Jesse stays in Denver alone. We exchange gifts and have our own celebration when I get back to town. We attend the Children's Museum Christmas party and get ridiculous White Elephant gifts.

Jan 2008 We celebrate my 25th birthday by going to brunch with a group of friends and going to the Vance Kirkland museum (which I had been wanting to do ever since I moved to Denver) with Moe and Ben. http://www.vancekirkland.org/

Feb 2008 A week after my b-day we went to a dinner theater to see Little Shop of Horrors with friends. I get miserably sick for over a week and Jesse is forced to take care of me. On Valentine's day we make a nice dinner together.

March/April 2008 Jesse helps me by drawing up coloring sheets for the kids @ the mueum and he draws up the design for our new birthday t-shirts @ the museum. My dad comes to stay with me over Easter Weekend. Jesse gets to meet my dad, my Uncle Steve, and our family friend Janie for the first time. Later that month my grandpa Ron and his wife Ginnie come to visit too.

Photos from top to bottom:
1. Jesse, Erin @ the Karaoke bar for Jesse's 25th b-day
2. (L-R) Rachel (my former co-worker) as the Lion, Tenille (my co-worker & our friend) as the Tinman, Erin as Dorothy (Toto in tow, check the basket), Jesse as the Scarecrow. I bought my dress and we made the rest of the costumes ourselves.
3. Jesse as Yoga Phil, Erin as Harlequin Clown
4. Erin, Jesse @ Jared's (Jesse's brother) Wedding
5. Erin, Jesse @ the Children's Museum Christmas Party

Where it all began...

May 31st 2007 The Children's Museum's Birthday Bash Fundraiser

I was working to support my non-profit job. Jesse was suckered into wearing a Wild Thing costume by his friend and my co-worker Tenille. During the party I thought I saw Tenille and the monster pointing in my direction talking about me, but I dismissed it and went about my business. A few days later at work...

Tenille: My friend Jesse likes you.
Me: Who is Jesse? Oh the guy in the Wild Thing costume?
Tenille: Yes!
Me: I don't think I saw him outside the suit and I definitely didn't talk to him. How does he know he likes me? He doesn't even know me and I don't know him.
Tenille: So get to know him. He's a great guy. He's cute and funny and I know lots of girls who would love to date him. He's a good catch.

For the next month I endure constant pestering from my coworkers about Jesse (whom I still haven't met). Then on June 27th Monique (my good friend and former roommate) went with me to an Ideal Father's (Jesse's band) show where we met up with Tenille. Finally Jesse and I meet and talk and his band has one of their best shows to date. From that point on Jesse kept randomly showing up @ outings my co-workers and I were going on. Hmm... I wonder if Tenille was calling and inviting him? From there Jesse and I began to become friends and eventually started hanging out just the two of us.

Jesse: I've been referring to you as my Lady Friend.
Me: Oh
Jesse: Is that okay with you?
Me: Of course. (while I try to keep myself composed and not to grin like a giddy school girl)

Neither one of us is sure of the exact date of our first date, but we believe it may have been July 14, 2007. The rest is History!

Photos from top to Bottom:
1. Jesse, Erin @ Double Daughters Bar having drinks with friends in the first few months of our relationship
2. Wild Thing costume Jesse wore @ the museum.