Every Pumpkin Counts

When I was younger, my parents used to host a huge pumpkin carving party where all the neighbors on the block would join us on our deck in the backyard, carving pumpkins and talking and laughing and drinking and generally having a grand ol' time.

I was always so proud - BOTH my parents have always been very creative. In life, and of course, in what they've carved on their pumpkins. And, the QUALITY with which they produced those masterpieces was always top notch. I suppose I could have been a little biased, but I always believed our house had THE BEST pumpkins EVER.

As years past, we continued the carving events, sometimes out on our front porch instead of the back deck, when less folks showed up. But slowly, that tradition faded away as we kids got older and less interested in doing "dorky" stuff like carving pumpkins with our parents.

Recently, my parents turned me onto this awesome site, which I immediately added to my blog reader. And, as I watch the numbers tick upwards into the hundreds day after day, with people all over the WORLD posting to the site, it has made me more and more proud and excited and thrilled (and scared), about the upcoming election.

So does it really surprise you that I caught the fever?

I was up for the challenge. Was everyone else?

Jon had never carved a pumpkin before, so he wasn't so sure. Uncle Kai definitely was - as you can see from the amazing portrait he carved, above!

With only 30 minutes notice, I showed up at my parent's house the other night with several pumpkins to carve - ready to roll up our sleeves and tackle some of the magnificent stencils provided on the Yes We Carve site, so we could contribute to the momentum of this wonderful movement.

Although Logan fell asleep right as we got started, I like to think that this was his first year experiencing the resurrection of a family tradition I hope to keep alive for at least several more years to come.