Since I got back from Romania, the girls and I have yet to spend a big holiday together (unless of course, you count… Labor Day?), so Halloween was our chance to get back into our holiday routine. First it was the cookie party, but now it was time for the main event. From picking out costumes to decorating the porch to mapping out our trick-or-treating route, we were definitely ready to have some fun together as a family. In tacit acknowledgement of how far behind I am in posting, here is the 2023 version of the Calkins Family Halloween.
The girls were really torn this year on what to dress up as. Elaina wanted to go as Harley Quinn from the start, but also really wanted to have a theme-costume with her sister. Gabriella had no clue what she wanted to go as, even after multiple visits to the Post Exchange, Target, and the local costume store. Elaina and I were pushing for her to go as Poison Ivy, but even with the sweetener of me dressing up as Batman or the Joker, she was not going for it. Wanting something that was a little scary, Gabriella finally settled on a Ghostface jersey costume.
Gabriella got a bloody knife for her costume and I added fake blood to her socks. For Elaina’s costume, we purchased a Daddy’s Little Monster shirt online and torn leggings at the store. We ended up spray-painting her hair red and blue, but you could barely tell and it was fairly messy. They were very happy with their costumes and were ready to get some candy.
A couple days before Halloween, it really started to get cold on Fort Campbell. Not cold enough to cancel trick-or-treating or anything, but definitely cold enough where the girls ditched their leggings for pants and stole all my beanies. So much for Dad being warm. After hitting up all of Turner Loop, the community we live in, we headed over to Cole Park where all the Senior Officers and Sergeants Major live. They certainly handed out more candy over there to each trick-or-treater, and it probably helped that, because each house is labelled for who lives there, the girls were able to shout the unit motto prior to asking for candy. Whether it was “Glory!,” “Lifeliners!”, or simply just “Air Assault!,” the girls have got playing to the crowd down pat on Fort Campbell. Very proud of them for embracing the Air Assault culture we have on post.
We then headed over to the area where most of our friends live and it was great to see all the familiar faces (and some unexpected ones). Because you never know who you are going to run into on a military post, Halloween is a great event because you always see people you have served with many years before. The picture above is with the girls’ mother’s company command when we were previously stationed at Fort Campbell. Always great seeing and catching up with old military friends.
While there was still plenty of time left in the post trick-or-treating window, the girls were starting to get a little cold (and I was tired of carrying their bags), so we started heading back to the car.
Next came our favorite part of Halloween, all for different reasons. Elaina wanted to trade candy, Gabriella wanted to eat candy, and I just wanted to organize candy.
We had a great time this year, and even without a trunk-or-treat, the girls got a pretty good haul of candy. And they were really happy with the lack of a significant Dad Tax this year, because apparently no one gives out 100 Grand, Reese’s Pieces, or Heath Bars anymore. But they did get one Almond Joy, so I guess we will save that for Grandma.
The highlight of Elaina’s night was when she asked a group if she could have a potato that was sitting beside their firepit. They obliged, tossed it in her bag, and she would not stop talking about it. After a couple weeks though, I had to let her know that it was starting to turn and we had to throw it away. RIP Potato.
Even though it was fairly low-key, not to mention very cold, we had a great Halloween this year. The girls enjoyed picking out and wearing their costumes while I was just happy to see all my friends and colleagues outside of work. Now that I am caught up on my coursework and almost caught up on my Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) certification, hopefully I will get an opportunity to write a little more about our adventures (which we are certainly having). We have just been busy as ever but are still very excited to share our story with you. Hope you and your families had an equally exciting Halloween!
Thanks for checking in on us.
Cheers!
Adventures in Single Dadding 