Our First Serbian Halloween

- Halloween - 

. . . An excuse for sweetly disguised kiddos to stock up on candy, eat all of their candy stash in one sitting, and drive parents crazy with new found energy. 

- Or -

 . . . An excuse for adult women to order skimpy "nurse" outfits online, show up as said "nurse" at the local pick-up bar, drink up a different sort of "candy," and pretend that they're children living without consequences for an evening. 

Either way you look at Halloween, it's never been a holiday I enjoy celebrating. Maybe I'll have to pay more attention to October 31st when Chris and I have kiddos of our own. Last time I dressed up, I was the "Octomom" for a Halloween party at work. Not scary or sexy at all, and I knew there was no candy in the deal for me. 

The Octomom costume that I wore to work a couple years ago. Sexy, eh??

While not a huge fan of Halloween, I am a fan of parties (and especially dress up parties), and why not use the occasion as an excuse to throw one? Plus Mom was in town, and she wanted to meet our new friends and feed them some of Mamma's-home-cooking. One little hitch, Chris, Mom and I needed costumes! I ran all over Subotica looking for some semblance of a do-it-yourself or costume store. The town has a fabric store, a store filled with fancy buttons and lace, and an art store, but nothing the likes of Hobby Lobby, Tuesday Morning, or Halloween Express. Discouraged after my futile search, I told my friends not to dress up too much. "Don't go too far out of your way, and really don't spend money on a costume. Maybe just bring like a hat or a mask - some sort of simple prop that you have around the house." 

The Halloween party was just hours away, and while mom (dressed up as a "happy housewife") cooked up a storm, I created our M&M costumes. 

The doorbell rang. We quickly slipped into our costumes, opened the door, and just stared in disbelief! Six  of our cleverly disguised friends entered our home and brought with them a whole lot of laughter and joy. The black swan gracefully danced while Henry the 8th showed of the heads of his murdered wives and the whole time an evil nurse was trying to infect us with her poisoned syringe. I was impressed with the creativity and time put into each costume. I had run all over town certain that there was no way to create anything without a do-it-yourself store, but my Serbian friends again showed me that you can do anything you put your mind to. 

We took pictures and shared a wonderful home cooked meal. 

As the evening wrapped up and we gave final goodnight hugs and kisses, mom just smiled. Once we closed the door, she said that she felt very at peace with us being in Serbia. After mom met our friends, she knew that we would stay happy and healthy even being so far away from home. It is not a big house, fancy car or even a dishwasher and clothes dryer that ultimately make you comfortable and content. At the end of the day, the stories worth telling are those which involve a community of people. I truly believe that our international transition has been so seamless because of the amazing people we have come to call friends. 

I am already starting to plan our next dress-up dinner/event!