Happy Halloween 2012

It’s with a somber tone that we celebrate this Halloween, knowing how many kids and families have had their lives thwarted into all kinds of uncertainty due to Hurricane Sandy’s late-season wrath. I’m grateful that our country’s leadership has learned from it’s all-too-recent past mistakes in dealing with homeland disasters. The local and federal governments worked together swiftly and are handling this like we all hope they should. No politics from those involved, just action.

Speaking of action, that ridiculous (albeit awesome) composite at the top of this post was something I put together for my personal Facebook page. These are my family’s costumes this year. I’m Heisenberg – or Walter White from Breaking Bad. My daughter is a unicorn person, and my son is Steve from the popular video game Minecraft. My wife is doing a perfect representation of one of my all-time favorite characters – Dana Scully from the X-Files. I even made her her very own FBI badge using a recent headshot I did for her:

This evening we let the kids carve their pumpkins – they both did theirs with virtually no help from my wife and I. This is a first! I think they did a fantastic job.

And the big reveal of the final lighted pumpkins:

I know Halloween is just a silly holiday with a twisted history, but the day we like to celebrate is one that is full of community spirit, generosity, and most importantly fun. With all that has happened yesterday to the area I grew up in, where my children were born, and where my family and friends still call home, I think a little generosity and fun is just what we all need to remember what’s important to us.

It’s hard to believe that just a little over a week ago, My wife and I were there having a blast with our NY crew, and now they’re all dealing with this mess. Life changes swiftly, and it feels good to have the pictures that tell the stories of the good times. Here we are last Sunday with a bunch of our friends on Long Island at the diner in my home town. I’m glad that they are all safe, but sad for their struggles in the days to come.

Keep safe and save me a Baby Ruth!