All the same, last year for Halloween, I decided to take Ela to North Carolina to trick-or-treat. I did this for several reasons, one of which was that I didn't want to knock on strangers' door in DC. I felt much more comfortable doing so in my parents' neighborhood, where at least they all knew each other. It was Ela's first trip out, and I didn't want anything scary to happen.
This year, I decided to give DC a chance. I know a few more people in my neighborhood, and I didn't figure that Ela would be up for a big run anyway, so I made plans to go out with Ela's best friend, Audrey, who lives up the street. Zack found out last week that he'd be on a business trip, so I felt better going with at least one other adult. We'd hit a few houses and call it a day. After all, people do trick-or-treat here. I didn't want to be totally snooty when I know and like people around here and trust them to help my girls celebrate a fun holiday.
So Halloween arrived and I managed to convince Ela to put on a costume. She chose her lady bug one:
We left the house around 5:45, with plans to meet a bigger group at six for a short trip up a few streets. We met Princess Audrey at her house and then the rest of the group at a playground, which was nice because the girls got to play on the equipment before we headed out.
As it turns out, Ela liked trick or treating this year. She said the right words, and got her candy, and insisted on carrying her own bag. She loved all of it except getting down steps, which was hard because she couldn't see her feet in her tutu. We were out for roughly an hour, and it was getting dark when she announced that she was getting tired and wanted to go home. As we were on our way home at the time, it worked out perfectly. It was a super experience. I was very glad I had decided to stay in the area.
I sent Ela inside with a piece of candy (her only one for the night) while I waited on the porch for another neighbor friend who was coming by to trick or treat, since we'd bought candy before I knew Zack wouldn't be home. His mom was watching him from across the street. Audrey and her mom were still hitting a few houses on our street. I saw a police car pull up at the end of our street. That alone didn't phase me. I'd seen them out and about while we were trick-or-treating, and I actually like that they were so visible on a night that begs for minor mischief. Then I saw the cop come running down our street from the car. That was when I decided it was probably time to call it a night.
Apparently, my neighbor decided the same thing, because she started hurring her son along. I met him on the sidewalk with a handful of candy and walked back up to the house to close up shop. I was closing myself in the house when Fiona called. She had just gotten home with Audrey and she informed me that the owner of one of the houses she and Audrey had been visiting on their way home had called the cops I'd seen. Some men had been doing some work for him in his back yard and were held up at gunpoint.
See? I knew there was a reason we didn't trick or treat in DC last year.
So I turned off the porch light, locked the doors, and pretended we weren't home. I bathed the girls, and put them to bed, and when I came back downstairs, there was a cop car parked right outside the house. I figured that meant I was pretty safe to take the dog out one more time, so I did. My neighbor across the street informed me that they had put up crime scene tape at the end of our block. I thanked her for the information, and hurried the dog back inside. Then I set the alarm for the night.
Nothing else out of the ordinary happened, but I was glad we did our trick or treating earlier rather than later. I'm also glad that next year we'll be in Cary, where the odds of running into a mugging are much much lower.
As it turns out, Ela liked trick or treating this year. She said the right words, and got her candy, and insisted on carrying her own bag. She loved all of it except getting down steps, which was hard because she couldn't see her feet in her tutu. We were out for roughly an hour, and it was getting dark when she announced that she was getting tired and wanted to go home. As we were on our way home at the time, it worked out perfectly. It was a super experience. I was very glad I had decided to stay in the area.
I sent Ela inside with a piece of candy (her only one for the night) while I waited on the porch for another neighbor friend who was coming by to trick or treat, since we'd bought candy before I knew Zack wouldn't be home. His mom was watching him from across the street. Audrey and her mom were still hitting a few houses on our street. I saw a police car pull up at the end of our street. That alone didn't phase me. I'd seen them out and about while we were trick-or-treating, and I actually like that they were so visible on a night that begs for minor mischief. Then I saw the cop come running down our street from the car. That was when I decided it was probably time to call it a night.
Apparently, my neighbor decided the same thing, because she started hurring her son along. I met him on the sidewalk with a handful of candy and walked back up to the house to close up shop. I was closing myself in the house when Fiona called. She had just gotten home with Audrey and she informed me that the owner of one of the houses she and Audrey had been visiting on their way home had called the cops I'd seen. Some men had been doing some work for him in his back yard and were held up at gunpoint.
See? I knew there was a reason we didn't trick or treat in DC last year.
So I turned off the porch light, locked the doors, and pretended we weren't home. I bathed the girls, and put them to bed, and when I came back downstairs, there was a cop car parked right outside the house. I figured that meant I was pretty safe to take the dog out one more time, so I did. My neighbor across the street informed me that they had put up crime scene tape at the end of our block. I thanked her for the information, and hurried the dog back inside. Then I set the alarm for the night.
Nothing else out of the ordinary happened, but I was glad we did our trick or treating earlier rather than later. I'm also glad that next year we'll be in Cary, where the odds of running into a mugging are much much lower.
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