A memory to warm my heart

and get me all geared up for Friday!

So, in case any of you don't already know I'm quite a Wizard of Oz fanatic. What? You've missed those posts? Oh. Well let's just recap them here:

The whole long story
A permanent reminder
Ruby Slippers
Toy Suprises

Wasn't that a lovely trip down memory lane? Ahhhh....

As much as I carry on about this fascination on my blog, imagine what my poor family, friends, and coworkers have to endure. Every tiny reference in a tv show, movie or commercial immediately heightens my senses and causes me to break out in song or line recital. It's sickening. It really is. I mean I *assume* it is. You would really have to ask those who see the LIVE Looney Bin stage show. There are daily performances. You should check on ticket prices.

ANYWAY the point is that this passion is not a secret. Anyone who has known me for at least one month knows this about me.

And these two people have known me much longer than a month.

Meet Ed and Suzanne Riley. Ed was my boss for a couple of years, and he and his wife are directly responsible for the job I have today. It's a very long story with many characters and different plots and surprise endings throughout. But that doesn't matter.

This picture does.



Halloween is hands down Ed and Suzanne's favorite holiday. (Well, it may be a toss up between Halloween and St. Paddy's Day. Their last name is Riley, remember? Get it?) They go all out, usually having parties and lots of fun for all ages and completely jump on the costume wagon. The first time I went to their house at Halloween, this INCREDIBLE SPECIMEN OF A WITCH was sitting in a chair by their front door. I had heard of her existence, but had not seen it until that night. I was speechless. She is just shy of life size, she talks, she looks just like the real thing and IT'S THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST, PEOPLE!!

As a side note, Ed is NOT dressed up in the picture as any of the following: Mr Clean, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Stewy from Family Man...OR my husband. He had already removed his costume before I got there....and Suzanne is the one without the green face.

ANYWAY....the picture was taken a few years ago on Halloween night. I was working a day shift when I got a call from Suzanne's daughter, Lori, who also happens to be a co-worker. Lori told me that Ed and Suzanne wanted me to stop by for a bit because they had something for me.

You can see where this is going, can't you?

When I got there the party was was pretty much over. I was there about 20 minutes and Ed looked at me with this sparkle in his eye and sheepish grin on his face. As the story goes, they were in the process of selling their large home and downsizing to a townhouse....and needed to downsize their belongings in the process.

And he handed her to me while they both agreed that they could think of no other person who would take better care of her.

I cannot put in to words the twitter of emotions and giddy, childlike squeal that came out of my mouth. And I shed a couple of tears as well.

She happily resides in my living room....well, most of the time and NOT just at Halloween, much to the dismay of my husband. She is currently sitting in my mom's living room because I haven't had room for her in my car during any of my moving trips.

*sigh*

I miss her.



But she will be returning home soon. She will gleefully take up residence in my living room again. Well, as gleeful as the Wicked Witch of the West can be. And she will be there for a constant reminder of these fabulous people I'm so happy to call my friends.