this year for halloween, i decided to host a party.  i never really had a housewarming party, so i thought it would be a good chance for my friends to get to see my place, plus i have so dang many halloween decorations… in fact, i fell in love with a lot of really cute ones early on in the season, so my excuse for buying them was my halloween party.  genius, right?

anyway, my college friends angela and kyle came to visit that weekend, and i was so happy that they were able to come to the party, see my place, and meet my dallas friends.  the party was actually the day after halloween, due to halloween being on a thursday this year, but that didn’t stop us from dressing up and having a grand ol’ time.  we went out afterward, and it was a wild night, but i loved every minute of it.

[a special thanks to angela, ashley, and aurora – gosh, those a’s! – for taking pictures at the party while i was playing hostess and letting me post those on this blog!]

the preparation itself was half of the fun:

{a witch’s cauldron + the annual tin of popcorn from nama that i so look forward to}

{planning out the table and getting the mini keg ready!}

{i made milano ghosts and little labels for all the food and drinks, among other things}

{the kitchen was the “drink station,” so i made this “pick your poison” sign for the fridge.  there was also one on the front door that said, “come in and stay for a spell.”  thanks for the ideas, pinterest!}

and finally, the food was on the table, the drinks were ready to go, the people arrived, and it was partytime:

{the table full of goodies}

{my decorated living room}

{one of the big hits of the party was the cauldron with “poison potion” and dry ice, while it lasted.  oh, and check out that handsome cowboy!}

{captain america working her magic!}

{the costumes were fab.  also, if you can’t tell who i am, don’t feel bad.  i was going for hipster cinderella, but i didn’t end up wearing the glasses, and i admit that it wasn’t the most recognizable costume.  i had fun wearing it all the same :)}

{so happy that angela and kyle were able to come all the way from houston!  also, in this pic, you get a glimpse of the “glass slippers,” which could also be mistaken for stripper heels.  i promise that this was a one-time wear, people.  i have no desire to wear 6-inch heels, well, really ever, but i had to do it for the costume… hence the pale blue giant in every picture…}

{dried brain matter (popcorn), eye of dragon (grapes), night crawlers (gummy worms), vampire repellent (garlic pesto crostini)}

{black widow bars (pumpkin bars), bleached bat wings (tortilla chips), monster mash (guacamole), blood & guts (salsa), night crawlers (gummy worms), eye of troll (meatballs)}

{isn’t my friend noelle’s instagram selfie costume the most clever idea ever?  sadly, i didn’t even get a picture of her with it – we were all stealing it to take our own “selfies.”  pretty rad though, noelle.}

{congealed zombie blood, a.k.a. jello shots}

{my friends aurora and juan had some very impressive makeup going on – it looked SO real, even when you were right up close.  they even added a realistic-looking yellow stain to their teeth.  so cool that they went all out!}

{this picture didn’t include everyone, but it’s a large portion of the group – it includes the people from this camping trip}

{as you might imagine, things got more wild as the night went on…}

{…as things tend to do with 20-something-year-olds}

{we even got some tongue-out action shots…}

it was a happy halloween, that’s for sure.  [or day after halloween, whatever.]  when angela and kyle and i got back to my place, we took a little dip in the hot tub before bed – the perfect way to end the night.

in the morning, the three of us had brunch at bread winners, complete with mimosas and spicy bacon bloodies.

we took the trolley over to klyde warren park, which is totally rocking my favorite places list right now.  it’s the same park that i went to with julee and her niece, and it is the best.  i’m no park connoisseur or anything but i know this place has to be winning awards like Best Park That People Without Kids Still Want To Go To and Playground That Makes The Most Adults Want To Be Kids Again and stuff like that.  also, it didn’t help that the weather was TO DIE FOR.

{and did i mention that the park is built over a highway?  that makes it even more interesting}

{there is a cool-looking restaurant called savor in the park}

{chess and checkers tables.  and OKAY, i admit it.  seeing kids running around in paper crowns and eating a picnic lunch on blankets does help remind me that i have ovaries.  and they are still there.  yup, i feel you ovaries.  someday.}

{these knit tree “sweaters” make my life.  so does the fact that there are racks of books and magazines for people to borrow because everyone knows that there’s nothing like reading on a blanket at the park.}

after strolling around, people-watching, and scoping out the food trucks that line up along the edge of the park, we took the trolley back over to uptown.  we bummed around the shops at west village for a bit, stopped at starbucks for a coffee [my first red cup of the season!], and then spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, watching football [a little] and catching up on life [a lot].

late that afternoon, angela unfortunately had to head back to houston, so we said our goodbyes, but it was great knowing that i would be seeing her in houston the following weekend for her birthday!

kyle and i talked some more and then went to the common table for dinner before hitting up some of the more low-key, pub-style bars [ginger man, idle rich, and uptown pub] to sip on some brewskis and talk about life.  it ended up getting pretty cold that night, and it was so nice to just sit at a table chatting in a cozy bar while it felt all wintery outside.  my only regret is not having any wood to make a fire in the fireplace when we got home.  oh well, next time.

kyle went home mid-day on sunday, and i spent the day catching up on real life since i’d been in “party mode” for the last week or so, trying to get ready for all the people coming to my house.  i also had a lot of decorations to put away.

but it was definitely a dream of a weekend.

thank you, friends, for coming to my halloween party.  who knows, maybe i’ll even make it an annual event!  kyle and angela, thanks for making the trek down here.  it’s always a joy hanging with you two.

xoxo