I’ve got some really awesome and successful friends.  They are super crafty and creative and just by glancing at their lives, feels like they’ve found that key – whatever that might mean for them specifically – that has taken them to the next level.

You know the ones I mean?  Like the girlfriend that I used to work with, years ago, in daycare, who is now a successful skincare business owner.  I remember the day I ran into her at the grocery store, we were both not working at the time, and she tells me that she is starting with this network marketing business and she’s determined to make it.  I wished her the best at the time, but never believed that too many people were ever successful with those kind of businesses.  Well, here we are, maybe six years later, and she is at an executive level with her company and growing.

I have another friend, one who is the wife of man that used to work with my husband in the Air Force.  After time, and several moves later, I’m delighted to see how she has succeeded with her photography business.  I can remember when she first started, taking family pictures, and just in love with the hobby.

Another friend, loves making various crafts with leftover wood that she would find around town.  She now owns a brick-and-mortor business that also offers classes so others can learn how to create their own crafts.

It’s so great to see and talk about.  I love these success stories.  I gobble them up, wherever I can find them – they are the best sort of inspiration to those that might not have found their “key” yet.

But reading about the story at this part of their journey is also a little dangerous because it also glosses over the years of hard work and self doubt they went through to get to that point in their life.  Their success wasn’t in an instant and it certainly wasn’t easy.  Most of the time it came in fits and probably at the expense of precious moments they could have spent doing other things.

So, I guess my message to you, to all of those struggling with their key at this moment, is don’t give up.  I can’t promise it will be easy, because the best things in life never are.  But I can say that that I’m struggling with you and hope we all are able to get to that next level.

What “key” are you struggling with right now?  Do you know anyone who has been successful at finding their “key”?

I really enjoy creative and awesome Halloween costumes.  I get frustrated when shopping for costumes for myself I see the shelves overwhelmed with costumes that barley have any material to them and cover even less.  I can just imagine now, the look on the faces of the other families if I was to put on the “nurse costume” and take my seven year-old daughter Trick or Treating.

So, while I struggle to find something other than a giant sheet to wear for Halloween, my daughter on the other hand, found herself a cute Eiffel Tower costume from TJ Maxx that she’s excited to wear.  For those that are still looking for kiddo Halloween costume ideas, I found this video:

Also, for some pet costume ideas, try this video:

What about you? What are your Halloween plans?  What is your favorite costume idea?

The holidays are coming.  I couldn’t believe that they already had Christmas decorations out at stores and some of my friends have already started Christmas shopping.  It’s been an eventful few months for us, so running into October took me completely by surprise.  That might seem a little odd, since everyone is on the same calendar but, when you aren’t paying attention I know that time flies a little faster.

I get excited about Halloween and I’m honestly not too sure why.  I’m not the horror story kind of girl, never have been.  I’m not into the haunted houses or scary rides at amusement parks. (I have volunteered at a haunted house, and that was a little fun.)  But there’s something about Halloween that brings out the kid side of me, you know?

When thinking about potential blog posts for this month, I considered briefly talking about some of my favorite Halloween movies, but then I participated in this Twitter challenge (#3fictionalcharactersthatdescribeme), and I had the epiphany to go a little farther and talk about Halloween movie characters.  I thought that at least on this blog, we could push Christmas talk back for a few weeks and focus on giving some of the Halloween movies and characters some love.

Now, one of my favorite movies of all time is “Nightmare Before Christmas,” (and honestly, almost anything Tim Burton touches is a favorite of mine), but my favorite character from that movie is Sally.

I connect with Sally on so many levels.  Between the metaphor of picking herself up after falls and sewing herself back together and caring for others (even if they don’t appreciate it); I don’t know how anyone couldn’t appreciate Sally.  She’s kind of an unsung hero in the that movie and when I saw the Twitter challenge, her character was the first one that I thought of.

What about you?  Do you have a favorite Halloween movie?  What three fictional characters describe you?