There must be some sort of alarm in my head that tells me that I have not blogged in a month!  I suppose that not much has changed, and therefore there is nothing to blog about.  Of course every time I sit down to blog, I do think of a thousand riduculous stories that I deem worth sharing.  I'll choose Halloween, because it fits the chaos and challenges of this month.  

Where to begin?  Well, I'll preface it first by saying that Rachel's parents were out here this week visiting us.  So, normally having people stay with you adds to the chaos- but I think our house is actually big enough now, that it really was not inconvienent in the least.  Rachel's dad grew up a couple hours from here and so we got to visit the farm that both he and his grandfather worked.  So, Lucas and Ben got to see their Great Great Grandparents Farm...  What does this have to do with Halloween?  Nothing, but I had to throw it in here because that is both rare and cool.

Halloween morning we decide to go to the zoo in Sioux Falls.  So we wake up early, drive an hour and tour the zoo.  Other than a rhino trying to spray us with urine, a pretty uneventful and fun trip.  We drive home though, I head to work for a couple hours (because taking a day off is prohibited these days), and then come back for a night of Halloween fun.  Or so I thought.  I get home and find the neighbor outside with my kids and no one else around.  So, I think whatever, they must be inside.  I chat with him for awhile then decide I better let Rachel know I am home.  So I go inside and find no one in the house.  So I ask my neighbor where was every one was.  "Oh, they must not be back with the realtor yet."  The what?  Huh?  Apparently, my in-laws had contacted our realtor and were looking at the house immediately behind us.  How's that for a Halloween scare?  Actually, I think it would be cool if they lived there...  I think.  Well after sorting all that out- I think they were more curious than serious, we began to make dinner.  We were of course running late, and just sat down to eat when the doorbell rang.  It was our neighbors ready to go trick or treating.  They have a boy Lucas' age, and we really like hanging out with them and thought it would be fun to all go trick or treating together.  They, being polite and nice South Dakota folk, say not to worry about it- they'll start trick or treating around the neighborhood and we can meet up with them in a bit.  So, feeling bad, we rush through what was perhaps the most delicious dinner that week, and scurry to get everyone into costume.  I was going to shave my goatee to make a better Joker- but there was just no time for it, so white paint over the goatee.  We make pretty good time and head out to trick or treat.  We don't see our neighbors, but figure that they must be down the block- so we decide to do the few houses behind us and then look for them again.  Well, first I'll say we must look ridiculous because all of us are dressed up- me as Joker, Rachel as batgirl, Ben as Batman, and Lucas as Iron Man.  After a couple of minutes of conversation at the first house, we go onto the second.  Here we are not only invited to come into the house, but then are instructed to sign a book, and finally to pose for a photo!  If we were still in LA, we would have be gone in a flash, but here in South Dakota- well you take the time to get to know your neighbors and what's the big hurry?  The final house was the home that the in-laws looked at buying and a 300+ lb woman answered the door.  You might think it would be a little awkward since they had just gone through her house a few hours earlier, but that was quickly trumped when Lucas asked me why "Her legs went like this..."  referring to the bowed legs required to hold up such a frame.  I, like any good parent, shushed him along and discussed it with him later.  So, now we go back to our street and I head to our other neighbors house (who we also talked to for a few minutes) and right when we were leaving finally see the folks we are supposed to be going trick or treating with.  So, I am thinking that they must have started on the opposite side as us- since they are talking about going to the houses behind us.  Little did I know, that in fact, they had not been trick or treating, but had been waiting patiently for us at their house for 45 min!  So while I am thinking to hurry up on to the next house so we can catch up with them and finish the neighborhood, they see themselves waiting 45 min and then us heading in a different direction.  Then it gets even funnier (for me anyway) because I proceed to take Lucas and Ben to the next house and the next one and so forth- thinking that I am just going to to trick or treat the rest of the block and then head back.  Meanwhile, Rachel thinks that I am just going to do one more house- and keeps getting more and more frustrated with every additional house I go to.  See, she had found out the neighbors had waited, and wants us to stop trick or treating the block so we can go to the next thing (an event for kids in town) all together.  So, the neighbors finally track us down and we go to a house all together, but then we are done.  Ben is getting tired, so I suggest we put him to bed and then go to the event.  The neighbors say they'll do one more house and then meet us up there.  I ask them if they will wait for us to come back because I am not sure where the place is.  She asks in a priceless face "You want us to wait for you!?"  I have no idea what is going on still, but having been married and clueless several times before I know that something is wrong.  Also, having this experience, I decide to just stay dumb and figure out what is going at a later time.  So I say, "Yeah, we'll be just a second." and off we go.  We come back and they are getting into their car (so luckily they didn't have to wait) but I am sure that she is just super pissed at this point.  We drive up to the event and she pulls up to a spot that she is going to back into.  Well my father-in-law pulls in behind her, not realizing she is intending to back up, and basically steals her parking spot.  So, our poor pregnant (did I forget to mention that part) neighbor is forced to drive down and find another spot to park!  Well, we finally go inside and do all kinds of fun activities and then I catch on that we have been screwing them over the entire night.  I apologize and she graciously accepts the apology- but I wonder if they are now thinking of us as those rude West Coast neighbors.  I think that story sums up our month well- the awkwardness of a new culture, new friends, the busyness of our lives, and the zaniness of being a Kerby in South Dakota!