October 31, 2016: Halloween at Jim and Melanie's House

Jim and Melanie invited me over for sloppy joe's and to go trick-or-treating. I wore Jim's Transformer helmet.    Jasmine and Gabrielle were cats.   We went to different rooms in the house and got candy.     They tried it last year and it worked out quite well.      The weather in Michigan can be cold at Halloween so it is nice to find an alternative solution.

Melanie made cupcakes and gave us cider and hot cocoa.  Jasmine and I were making videos on my phone. I had a good time hanging out with them.

October 29, 2016: Chelsea Clinton and Famous Wedding Planner, DavidTutera, at Little River Casino

Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton's daughter, came to Muskegon Heights for a rally so of course, I wanted to go see her.    She was about 30 minutes late to the event.   There were secret service people all around.     I tried to get a photo with Chelsea, but was shoved around by other folks.   

My good friend, Mirelda Tokarczyk, invited me to Little River Casino to meet the celebrity wedding planner, David Tutera.  She was so excited about going to see him.    Each ticket was $150 and she paid for mine, plus my gas, and food.  She is such a generous friend.      She knew I was struggling financially this pay period. At my age, I should be in better financial shape, but I guess I have to learn the hard way.

David Tutera has done weddings/celebrations for Star Jones, Shannen Doherty,  Matthew McConaughey, the Official Post Grammy Parties in New York City, Elton John, Barbara Walters, The Rolling Stones, Vice President Al Gore at the White House, Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, Susan Lucci, the John F. Kennedy Center, and film premieres and celebrity parties for royalty, politicians, and socialites.   

Tutera is the host of "My Fair Wedding with Daivd Tutera" which airs on WE tv.

We dressed up in formals for the seminar and cocktail party. Mirelda has such a nice figure and looked so cute in her dress.      We both had a good time.    Later on, her husband and his friend, Derek came to gamble.  I was surprised when Derek gave me $60 to spend in the casino.  That was very nice of him to do.      I won $25.  I didn't go to sleep until 4 a.m. so I was quite tired.

October 23, 2016: Grand Rapids Improv Festival

Josh and I got up early in the morning and went to Carmen's in downtown Muskegon, but it was closed, so we went to Hennessey's for breakfast.     I was surprised when he said he would pay for my meal. That was very nice of him.

Then, we went to Grand Rapids and hung out at the Barnes and Noble store in Woodland Mall until we had to be at his friend's house to talk about the Improv that he was going to be in.   He hadn't performed Improv for 2 years so he wasn't sure how it would go.    

My friend, Rhonda Collins, had run in the Grand Rapids Marathon and then met us in Grand Rapids to watch Josh perform in the Improv.    His friends are all very nice.    His friend, Jeff, was telling us about his job.  He is an electrical engineer.    I was quite confused by his job until he showed us an example on his computer. I guess I don't have a technical mind.    

Josh and I held hands on our drive back to Whitehall.  I've been crazy about Josh this whole past year and hope we continue to hang out.       

October 22, 2016: Western Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan Football Gamewith Kelsey and Charlene

Kelsey invited me to the Western Michigan vs. Eastern Michigan football game, so I jumped at the chance to go.     It was nice to hang out with Kelsey and my Aunt Charlene for the day.   It was a beautiful, sunny fall day in West Michigan.      Kelsey's daughter, Emma, is on the basketball team at Western. She received a full ride to college which is wonderful.      

Kelsey brought all kinds of delicious food for our tailgating party. I love the ham and swiss sandwiches she brought.   

We parked on East campus and walked down to the stadium.  We got to see Emma for a bit.    Western won the game. 

Emma took us on a tour of her locker room and we got to meet her coach.    Emma also took us to her dorm so we could see that. I forgot how small those dorm rooms were until I went into Emma's room.   

I enjoyed my day with my cousins and aunt. I hope we can do this again.

October 15, 2016: Ashten's Pumpkin Carving Party

I was surprised when Josh invited me to his niece's house for her annual pumpkin carving party.  Ashten has a lovely home on Judson which isn't far from my house.  I have only met her once so was hoping Josh would pick me up to go there, but he didn't.   I got there early and joined him in the art room where he had already started carving his pumpkin. I hadn't carved a pumpkin in about 30 years.   Now, they have stencils you can use to make all types of designs on your pumpkin.

Everyone brought delicious food to the event. There was beer, cider, and mixed drinks available.    Ashten had a bonfire outside.  Later on, Josh and I were out by the bonfire listening to Ashten's friend, Max, play the guitar.    I think he said he had been playing guitar since he was 5.     He graduated from a college in Iowa in music therapy.     He works in hospitals and hospices with patients with brain damage.    The sounds of the guitar help to heal brain injuries.

I met Josh's oldest sister, Heather.      Tamar and her boyfriend, Jordan, were at the party, but just stayed long enough to carve their pumpkins.

Josh tended to be off in a distance from others at the party and enjoy playing with the guitar outside by the bonfire.      I'm the same way at a party. I am not always right in the middle of things.    

Everyone at the party was very nice.     I hope to be able to go to the party again next  year.