50 for 50: 2012

YEAR: 2012

AGE: Turned 42 on Nov. 6

LOCATION: SLC, Ramona Avenue

CUBS' RECORD: 61-101

SONGS I LIKED: "Good Time" by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen; "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers; "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men; "Tongue Tied" by Grouplove; "

TV SHOWS I WATCHED: "New Girl"; "Parks and Recreation"

MOVIES I SAW: "The Avengers"; "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

CONCERT I EXPERIENCED: Maroon 5

VIDEO GAME I PLAYED: Skylanders

Reminiscing about Halloween could have been a topic for any year after the boys were born -- and perhaps even a few from my own childhood. I'm picking 2012 because it was perhaps one of the last when I took both boys trick-or-treating. Michael would go with his friends within a couple years, and even Ben last year went on his own, despite what made trick-or-treating with Dad so great.

I got them so much candy.

We never wandered too far from our house, but I always had a plan. The horseshoe a couple blocks away always had great decorations and plenty of kids. There was a house on 2100 South -- a busy street, so not as many trick-or-treaters -- that handed out full-size candy bars. The next block south doesn't have streetlights, and it also doesn't get as many trick-or-treaters; go there after 8 p.m. and people will pour candy into your bag.

I also kept our group on task. Get the candy, say "thank you" -- and I'd have a flashlight ready to shine in the kids' eyes if they didn't say "thank you" -- and go to the next house. Don't linger too long if no one is answering, and don't bother with houses that all the lights are out.

The candy poured in. One year, Ben's friend struggled because there was so much candy in his bag, his hand hurt holding it.

In 2012, Michael was a zombie cat and Ben was a spider. The years and what costumes they were wearing kind of run together. Michael was a race car driver, monkey, Mario, Puss 'n' Boots, hippy, Batman, spider cat Grim Reaper; Ben was a dragon, zombie swimmer, Super Why, pirate, ghost. We have pictures from every year, so the memories will never fade.

The weird thing I discovered about Halloween as a parent is that, perhaps more than any other recurring holiday or milestone, it was the one that always seemed like "we just did this." If we started taking Michael trick-or-treating in 2005, and 2018 was the last year I took Ben out, that's 14 Halloweens. Add in Halloween activities at school, parties, trunk-or-treats, and other events, and every year, I couldn't help but feel like we hadn't decompressed from the previous Halloween (and sometimes, we might still have candy -- all the non-chocolate -- from the year before ...).

The other 365 days (this was a leap year) of 2012 weren't bad, either. Lori and I went to Denver for our first trip without the boys. We visited the Midwest and the boys got to experience tubing on a lake and seeing another Cubs game. Back in Utah, they competed in a kids triathlon, and we spent a few days in Moab in October. I blogged like crazy. The year had a few bumps, but nothing that roughed us up too much. 

No matter what life threw at us, on Nov. 1, there would be chocolate in the house. Bags full of chocolate. My Halloween strategy was profitable -- and once the night ended, the boys' Reese's Peanut Butter Cups weren't safe.


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