This year is probably the best Halloween the kids have had since 2021. Sure, it rained this evening and ruined our plans to Trick-or-Treat with some of our friends, but the costumes they had for this year were awesome and we got plenty of candy at the Trunk-or-Treat at church this past Sunday. But, as we sat in front of the TV this evening, watching an episode of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” I couldn’t help but think about Emily.
Costumes of Years Past
I’ll be honest, I’m not positive all of these were from Halloween. Some of them I specifically remember her sharing with me, and some of them were slightly before my time. Regardless, you’ll get the idea of how much Emily appreciated dressing up for Halloween or otherwise through some of these.
Throwing it way back here, this is Emily and one of her best friends in high school. I saw this when I was flipping through all of Emily’s old pictures from her phone and couldn’t help but smile. I am not at all surprised they went as Elsa and Anna, and seeing Emily so young is nothing short of adorable.
Now, this one I vaguely remember Emily telling me about. If you can’t tell, she’s supposed to be Fear from “Inside Out.” Again, if you knew Emily at all, this is pretty funny considering she had OCD and was constantly afraid everyone hated her. But, she is probably the cutest Fear I’ve ever seen, and this is probably the only picture that exists with Emily in a bow tie (unless there’s some dance costume I’ve never seen).
This I know for certain was Halloween 2019. She was working part-time at a daycare and part-time at a dance studio at the time. She was a Starbucks cup and her coworkers were baristas. Adorable idea, and very well executed. And if I had to guess (I’m sure she told me and I don’t remember), she probably made the majority of her costume.
And, finally, here’s Halloween 2020: Emily as Amelia Shepherd from “Grey’s Anatomy.” Emily had to work her home health job, which meant she had to wear scrubs. This was a clever way to remain in dress code for work but also have a little fun for the holiday.
I also just loved this costume and was thrilled when she brought it back in 2021. Amelia has always been one of my favorite characters, and I loved her even more after Emily convinced me to watch “Private Practice.” I also remember Emily sending me pictures of this costume and me commenting about her being hot. (And yes, I still don’t know how this woman didn’t know I was madly in love with her when I’d just blurt stuff like that.)
2021: A Year to Remember
Our family’s Halloween planning went all the way back to August I think, when the kids said they really wanted to have coordinating costumes. We tossed a few ideas around, each one getting vetoed by at least one family member, until one of the kids said, “What about the Powerpuff Girls?” Emily started jumping up and down, and that was all the confirmation I needed.
Emily made everyone’s skirts. It was a whole ordeal because her sewing machine got messed up moving it from her place to mine, and we did a video call with my mom, aunt, and grandmother so they could help Emily troubleshoot. “They’re going to think I’m an idiot,” Emily said. I laughed, told her I don’t even know how to sew at all, so they’re just impressed she has a machine and is making stuff, and that settled her down… mostly.
The costumes turned out perfect, and tons of people instantly recognized us and complimented us on our cool costumes. It was the most fun I’ve ever had trick-or-treating, and probably the best Halloween I’ve had as an adult.
However, there were other events that weekend, both of which wouldn’t involve the kids dressing up, so Emily and I got creative. That Friday when she went to work, she reprised her Amelia costume and had to wear it all the way to Knoxville because she went for a choir rehearsal for her parents’ church’s annual Christmas program.
Then, on Saturday, Emily and I were playing a Halloween concert with a community orchestra we’d joined that fall (that’s a whole other Emily story I need to tell). I don’t know where she came up with the idea, but Emily decided we would go as an alien and an astronaut. It actually turned out pretty amazing, especially Emily’s costume.
Halloween Just Isn’t The Same
Although the kids had decided they wanted to “do their own thing” for Halloween in 2022, Emily and I had decided we would still do a couple’s costume. I offered up the idea of Kim Possible and Shego, and she was totally down for it. I won’t like, I partially suggested it because the idea of Emily in a fairly tight suit was highly appealing. But it also worked because I had fairly long hair at the time, and we all know how much I love cargo pants. Of course, this was yet another thing on our list for that October that vanished the moment the doctor told me she was gone.
I haven’t dressed up since 2021. I had a great excuse in 2022 as it was less than two weeks after Emily had died. But last year I just couldn’t bring myself to come up with a costume idea by myself, and the kids did not want to coordinate. This year I honestly just didn’t think about it, but given that it rained, I think that was okay.
Ultimately, I think Emily would want me to dress up again. She loved costumes so much, and I know she’d call me a “pretty babe” or similar if I would just put something on.
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