Mietzke's POST Holden Adventure

This week has been crazy, with power outages that last for hours, and inventory needing to be done in the dark, starting a new job, and Halloween. I spent the day setting up the dining hall like an enchanted forest for the Halloween party. I went out into the woods with Bill who is working as my helper this month and gathered large branches just for the occasion, then we brought them back to the dining hall and brought the forest inside. We made pinecone bats and ghosts and lanterns, and hung blue, green, and red lights from the ceiling and branches. There were caramel apples and Christmas cookies and chocolate covered nuts, and pudding with gummy worms and broken up oreos in it. The children spent the afternoon pressing apples into cider in the cider press, helped by Chuck Carpenter, and then they carved pumpkins and helped with the last of the decorating.
The evening festivities started with a haunted Holden Evening Prayer vespers where everyone came in costume and Tom played the whole service in minor keys. It was fun and creepy, and we all laughed and worked hard at trying to sing this familiar service in a different tune. When the service was over we all headed up the hill and the whole village trick or treated and whoevers house was next would run ahead of the mob and prepare for the trick or treaters.
It was a lot of fun. We ended trick or treating at the dining hall where we held a dance and a pumpkin carving contest, and enjoyed the food and festivities. It was quite a night. Jordyn made her own costume and was a pixy who sparkled from the top of her head to her feet. She was all stripes and had made striped wings and wove thread into her wings like spider webs, it was so creative! Nyrie was a Monarch butterfly her class has been studying the migration patterns of the monarch and she really had a vision for her costume. Dave was dressed like our beloved maverick Dan and had him down to a tea. I was a television evangelists wife and I had a dark wig on a white dress and a crown.
Matt and Steph did a great job with the music and we had a lot of fun dancing and being silly. We ended the party at 9:00 and then hosted two scary movies one for kids and one for adults. All and all the day was fun and successful! I get to take the day off tomorrow and my feet will be happy.