Spooky season never ends?

I’m going to do my best to document all the adventures from Kiddo’s visit here, to refresh my memory, beyond just the photos.

She arrived a bit after 11 PM, I think. My dad had gone with to the airport. I drove. We didn’t have long to wait, as we’d timed it pretty well. I was still struggling with getting my phone number ported to my new Mint Mobile phone at that point and therefore had no fewer than THREE phones on me… my new one, my old one, and my mom’s phone, to keep in touch with kiddo, not having realized the airport would have free WiFi.

We dropped my dad off and headed to the Taco Bell by their house. I got a couple of their newer burritos and their diablo chicken nacho fries with the Frank’s Red Hot sauce used in the diablo.

Not as spicy as I would have imagined? But tasty.

I think she got a cravings box, and a large Baja Blast.

I believe we watched something on TV while we ate, that first night…

OH the new Family Guy Halloween episode.

The final gag was pretty funny. But she enjoyed it a lot, the whole way through.

Our first full day together, we headed to Blaser’s Acres in the afternoon.

We took a LOT of photos, and I picked up some apple and cherry butters.

We were running a little late heading over to Blaser’s Acres. Because I had initially hoped to also do the corn maze with her that day, but neither of us was up to it by the time we got there.

I just asked her what was up, and she reminded me the delay was painting press-ons for my costume, and the polish not drying fast enough, then me giving up and putting on a Christmas set that honestly is just prismatic silver sparkles in shiny red so really you can use them any time. I had gotten them for after Halloween. And they looked pretty good with Rogue, anyway.

I thought that plastic bag was out of the frame when I set it down. Will have to run that through a photo editor or something. Cover it, or edit it out somehow.

That night, we went to a museum in Sturgeon Bay that was hosting a writing contest for Halloween, called Tales from the Museum. My piece was one of 12 finalists and was read aloud by one of their readers. There was a lot of suspense there. The adult category was read last, and my story the last of those.

I didn’t win even second or third place, but the event was still fun, I suppose. And I think it was a pretty good story, all in all. About a fairy lamp, and a spooky fey being.

Here’s what inspired the story, in case I haven’t already shared it.

Her crime says she rang the bell too many times. She said she felt like she did that at my parents’ house, and I said, well, I definitely remember you buzzing the door a lot at the apartment, always in and out versus just staying outside to play. (The buzzer was SUPER loud, and I will admit, I got annoyed. But oh, to have some of that time back….)

We dropped my parents off back at home, and went to the grocery store for more Halloween candy for their house, and more microwave popcorn, and soda 12 packs for me (she doesn’t generally drink zero sugar, and I do).

Then, we went to Kwik Trip and got some wings and dipping sauces and Long John donuts.

An employee there that night came up to me and had RECOGNIZED my costume and told me how great I looked and asked for a photo, which made up for not winning a prize for my story.

Then, we camped out in front of our local Domino’s and placed an order in the app for pickup at the Drive-Up window LOL… I could not BELIEVE how much cheaper it is to pick up your own pizza. They’re really close by. I should do that more often.

So we had wings and pizza and soda.

By then, it was Halloween Eve. We watched K-Pop Demon Hunters, which I really enjoyed. We would eventually see someone dressed as one of the characters at a Halloween party.

The day OF Halloween, I got into costume immediately. She waited until later.

What did we do before Trick or Treating? There was something. OH yes, lunch at Cheesesteak Rebellion, a FABULOUS Star Wars themed Cheesesteak restaurant. I had the falcon, and we split the Sidewinder fries with some Wasabi Ranch.

I think it was Halloween day when we popped into a local bakery to browse and sample Kringle. I got us a small box of their famous New York Times cookies. And we saw this, but I didn’t buy it. I just thought it was incredibly cool.

Then, we headed back to my parents’ house to help pass out candy. Yeah, they (kiddo and my dad) were pretty generous with how much candy they gave to each kid, but even with the bags we added to the haul, they still ran out before the night was over.

Following trick or treating, we drove to The Art Garage for their Halloween party. I had entered the pumpkin contest; my entry was pretty modest, all things considered. Nonetheless, they did use a photo of it in their advertising of the pumpkin contest on Instagram, which was pretty cool!

My pumpkin suffered some boo-boos in transport, but I was able to patch her face with some Wite-Out at my parents’ house before I dropped her off, the day kiddo landed, earlier on.

That last pic is a mask I made at their mask-making station.

They also had a prize raffle. I won a small basket with a hand-knit scarf, loose tea, and a really cute fired pottery mug, with The Art Garage’s logo on it.

Kiddo painted a mask to look like Vessel’s from Sleep Token.

There were a ton of delicious snacks at the party. Chili. Fancy cheeses. Dried cherries. Dates.

I had my first macaron.

And we mingled.

Heading home, we got fancy sodas at McDonald’s or at least mine was fancy. One of their specialty Sprite things. It was kind of a pinkish purple. She had a large Coke. And we ate leftover pizza. Also, the Heinz Marinara and Ranch that they stock at Kwik Trip are both SO good.

Over leftover pizza, we watched Hocus Pocus, as kiddo had never seen it. She had some very funny hot takes on the movie. Her sense of humor is pretty dang impeccable.

The day after Halloween, we were ALLLLLL over town.

First stop was The Frappe Spot. I had a French Toast Sandwich and a Nutella Frappe. Kiddo had a Caramel Frappe. Amazing photo ops inside like a Boba shop would have. And the sandwich was really good. The top layer was just one bonus piece of bread sliced, which was perfect to go along with the included side cup of maple syrup. The rest of it, I ate savory-style.

Still some leftover Halloween decor up at the restaurant, too!

We got stopped by a train heading downtown. Which reminds me, heading home some time during her visit, kiddo put on “Rockstar” by Nickelback; we both tried singing along, making hilarious mistakes along the way that had us both laughing hysterically. I think I sang, “with her bleach blonde bunny” or “with her Playboy bunny” or something.

Downtown, we checked out my closest apothecary. Kiddo noticed goat milk soap with photos of the goats and their names. We are planning to go back for a bar of that, since she found goat-themed stuff to give her boss, and that would be very on-theme.

Then, we headed to the shop where I work so I could introduce her to everyone. I was sure to time it for a day the whole management team would be there (and for when I still had peak discount opportunities, so we could both get some things).

A coworker offered us some leftover treat bags from trick or treat giving away, since she was in bed for the first couple hours, not feeling well, etc., and had a lot left over when she wasn’t answering her door.

From there, we hit the mall.

I got a new boho bag at a shop I like, where I bought the one I had most recently been using but that had a lot of tears in the lining. Found one made with the same general design, just different colors/different style. Sunflowers, more green, less purple, etc. And I picked up a Kuromi water bottle, since the one I scored free as a work incentive, the handle has broken. The boho store, everything was on a BOGO 50% off sale, I think, so I also got a jasper bead bracelet.

We browsed a lot of places, and I got kiddo some new Sleep Token merch. Oh, and I got more pins. Not many. Just a few. Which meant FINALLY putting my existing pins and the new ones back on my denim jacket, having finally washed the dang thing after taking all of them off.

At that point, I realized I had a lot more than I had remembered, but I fit most of them, anyway. Almost every last one. A couple fell off today. Not sure if the backings have loosened or if there were so many crowded so closely together that they sat funny in the fabric or knocked each other off? But I noticed them falling and didn’t lose them altogether. May try different backings for those two.

I smelled a new Bath & Body Works fragrance which seems very Michelle-coded, and it was, indeed, amazing. Not that I need more bath stuff. I will probably just eventually get it in foaming hand soap, as I am almost out of that. But my Halloween soap, the last bottle, did indeed last up until November 1st rolled around.

I resolved I may try wandering the mall on my own now and then, even if it is full of people and chaos, to treat myself a little now and then, and get out and about. I work over there, anyway. In that general vicinity.

There’s a ramen and poke bowl restaurant I drive past or used to, with my older route to work, so we stopped there for lunch/early dinner. Anime art on the walls and weirdly AI imagery on the flatscreen and what kiddo thought was AI generated music?

Partway into the meal, it occurred to me that I could have photographed the food, or us enjoying it, but I didn’t. We had sesame balls and some kind of appetizer that’s like a squid ball, and ramen, and I had a black sugar milk tea. I kept the cup the milk tea came in, cuz it has their logo on it super cute.

We stopped at my parents’ house briefly after ramen and checked in with them.

Was that the night we started watching Supernatural together? I think so, because we watched another episode tonight (I’m saying “tonight” even though it’s after midnight).

Might’ve been the lucky night we finally encountered hot whole pizzas at the gas station ready to go, one of them fresh out of the kitchen, as a late-ish dinner.

Today, we hit Door County. Renard’s, Fish Creek, Door Peninsula Winery.

No pics taken at Renard’s, but I took a TON at the winery.

I did pick up Pumpkin Butter, and some seasonal fall decorated cookies, at Renard’s. The cookies are awfully cute. May photograph some of those and share them. Just because they’re too pretty to simply eat.

That lil lizard reminded me very much of Jim Morrison.

I do love me some unicorns!

Thor’s hammer, repurposed.

Kiddo and I made pressed pennies, and we all sampled some things. My mom tried a couple wines. Kiddo picked up chocolate that’s advertised as goat’s poop, and I found a magnet that said “Door County” with animated goats on it and got her that along with some postcards.

Then, a fish boil, after doing some shop-browsing, and buying caramels at the confectionery.

Note the plethora of pins, and the Sasquatch.

Thrifted bracelets I scored today

I got video of the boil-over too and shared that elsewhere.

Came home and watched one more Supernatural episode, as mentioned.

Tomorrow, we may pick up the goat’s milk soap, but we are definitely driving to see her other grandmother, and doing either coffee or lunch with her. After that, we may just have a mellow day at home, because we have been hittin’ it HARD. And we still have to go to kiddo’s former favorite restaurant to go to with my mom, where she loves the Turkey Dill Wrap, but that may be a Wednesday activity, for before her return flight late that afternoon.

Which just leaves Tuesday open.

We’ll come up with something. Updates to follow!!!

But this is largely for me, as a record of our adventures, for when she’s back home, so I can relive everything. Though I will also have the trinkets and things I got myself while she was here, to remember her by.

OH I will also add this before I forget… weirdly, on the day she wore my 100 Reasons to Stay Alive suicide prevention hoodie, Starbucks wrote “You Matter” on her cup, even though we’d been in drive thru and they had no way of knowing, whereas the other cups just said “thank you.” DId I mention the hoodie in conversation with the employee listening in? Maybe?! But still. HOW ODD! How totally fitting. We joked all that day about how much she mattered, and I went so far as to say she mattered a little bit more than the rest of us.

That was the hoodie I wore today, so I could get away with just a denim jacket, to show off the pins. It’s a heavy hoodie. Kept me fairly warm while watching the fish being boiled, outside in the dark.