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BARROW JOURNAL
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011
Halloween and turning 40
When you’re a child, hav
ing a birthday on Halloween
is a pretty cool thing.
Besides cake and presents,
you also get to dress up in a
funny costume and go trick
or treating. You get invited
to parties, and though they
aren't for you, everyone
pays you special attention.
When you’re an adult
with children, hav
ing a birthday on
Halloween is a
pretty cool thing,
but only because
it’s easily forgot
ten.
My five-year-old
is so excited that
Halloween is com
ing. He decided
several weeks ago
that he wanted to
be a ghost. Since
I’m not a crafty
person, we went
to several stores the other
day looking for a costume.
Why are ghost costumes
so hard to come by? Sure,
we could just throw a sheet
over his head, but I wanted
something more creative.
We finally found a ghost
costume his size, but it has
a scary mask with it. He
doesn’t want to wear the
mask, but he’s happy with
the rest of the costume. I
tried talking him into wear
ing make-up or at least a
white hat, but he doesn’t
want that either. So, his
costume may look a little
incomplete, but he likes it,
and that’s all that matters.
As for my two-year-old.
I’m hoping he’ll be happy
with the Peter Pan hand-
me-down. Since it’s a non
frills costume (which we
needed when the eldest was
this age), I’m hoping it’ll
work well for him too.
We’ve done a little deco
rating. “Little” is the key
word. As I said, I’m not a
crafty person, and decora
tions tend to stay subdued
at my house. But we’re
slowly adding on
to them each year,
and my son and I
have made a bat
and pumpkin out
of construction
paper. We strung
some pumpkin
lights in our activ
ity room and a few
paper ghosts on
the front porch.
I’m happy to
report that the
small pumpkins
my son grew
this summer and harvest
ed in August are still firm
enough to sit on the porch
without attracting flies.
Unfortunately, his second
crop of pumpkins is not
going to be ready for the
holiday. The plants are
flowering right now, and
I doubt they’ll survive
the winter, but you never
know in this unpredictable
Georgia weather.
We still have to visit a
pumpkin patch, attend a
Halloween carnival, and
read more Halloween
books. But behind all this
ghostly activity, I am aware
that I will be reaching the
summit and climbing “over
the hill” on Halloween.
Once she reached the age
of forty, my grandmoth
er told everyone she was
39 for about 42 years...
until the day she died. My
mother takes a different
approach. Sometimes she’ll
tell people she’s older than
she really is because she
wants them to think she
looks great for her age.
At least for now, I don’t
mind telling people I’m
forty. I think I’ve earned
my age, and I’m look
ing forward to this next
decade.
Perhaps some will argue
with me (and I welcome
that because I’m still learn
ing on this journey), but
I think by the time you
are forty, finally you have
a grasp of the myriad of
emotions, possibilities and
disappointments that life
offers. You have probably
lived enough to see or be
touched by most of them.
At forty I know I’m
extremely lucky. Though
I have lived through heart
ache, disappointment,
lonely times and humbling
times, I have kept healthy,
and I have not suffered
severe tragedy. But I’ve
watched disease and trag
edy touch the lives of loved
ones, so I know how easily
it could happen to me. I
try not to take my life for
granted.
Not all my dreams have
come true, and this still
stings.
But I hold onto this tiny
card I found in the packag
ing of my one of my son’s
toys: “You know what? Not
all dreams come true. But
that’s okay because you can
always make new dreams.”
It’s attributed to “Katie,
age 4.”
It doesn’t surprise me
that such wisdom comes
from a four-year-old. I
have gained more wisdom
from rearing young chil
dren than I ever had in
my previous, childless life.
And the best perk of home
schooling is that I get to
explore the world and learn
along with them.
They have taught me that
happiness is truly in the
small details. It’s in the
everyday routine and the
little discoveries we make
along the way. I think this
is why I love photography
too. It has given me a keen
eye for small details, light
and shadows. Everyday
objects come alive in the
right light.
If there’s anything I hope
to instill in my boys as they
grow older it is not to for
get those feelings of won
der. I want them to hold
onto their curiosity. The
world begins to get darker
as we grow older, but that
doesn’t mean those small
joys are gone.
So I’ll be sneaking candy,
lighting jack-o-lanterns,
and following my boys’ lead
on my birthday. Hopefully
there won’t be any trick
ery. Just smiles, giggles
and treats.
Shelli Bond Pabis is a
Winder resident and colum
nist for the Barrow Journal.
You can reach her at
writetospabis @ gmail. com.
Local man named DOT district construction engineer
The Georgia Department of
Transportation has named Barrow
County resident Johnny Emmett its dis
trict construction engineer for Northeast
Georgia’s District One, which serves 21
counties.
Emmett has worked with the DOT
since 1993. He began his career as a
maintenance employee in Metro Atlanta.
He was promoted to engineer techni
cian and transferred to the construction
division in the Gainesville district later
that year. He worked his way through
the construction division serving as an
inspector, construction project manager,
district construction estimator, assistant
area engineer for construction.
Emmett served as area engineer for
Clarke, Jackson, Oconee and Walton
counties. Most recently, he was the assis
tant district construction engineer for
Northeast Georgia.
Emmett’s new position as district con
struction engineer became effective on
Oct. 16. He is now responsible for con
struction supervision of 300 construction
projects with an estimated cost of $200
million annually.
“Johnny is an asset to the people
of Georgia and to the Department
of Transportation. His work in the
Construction Office will help Georgia
DOT continue to improve our transporta
tion network. His understanding of con
struction specifications and his ability to
work well with contractors make him the
man for this job. I am proud to announce
Johnny Emmett as District Construction
Engineer,” explained district engineer
Todd McDuffie in a statement.
Johnny, his wife Sheryl and daughter
Morgan live in Barrow County.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Tom Heagy, Jessica Brown and Robert Stephens
rehearse a scene in “Terror by Gaslight,” which opens
Friday at the Winder-Barrow Community Theatre.
‘Terror by Gaslight’ set
to debut this weekend
The Winder-Barrow Community Theatre will present “Terror
by Gaslight” Friday through Sunday, Oct. 28-30, and Friday
through Sunday, Nov. 4-6, at the Colleen O. Williams Theater,
Winder.
Performances on Fridays and Saturdays will start at 7:30 p.m.,
and Sundays, at 3 p.m.
The thriller is by Tim Kelly and Terri Duffield is the director.
The play is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists
Play Service of New York City.
“Terror by Gaslight” is the final show of the 2011 Main Stage
Season and will put guests in the mood for Halloween, accord
ing to organizers. The show is scary and may not be suitable for
young children.
The thriller takes place in 19th century Philadelphia, where
Dr. Cyrus Norton, a brilliant but eccentric surgeon, is creating
an “anatomical museum” to further his standing as a recognized
expert on anatomy and dissection. The problem is that he needs
cadavers, and by law, these can only be obtained from the public
gallows, so he is forced to deal with the unsavory Gin Hester and
her sinister partner, Scrubbs. Chills mount as a persistent police
detective moves nearer to learning the truth about the blackmail
and vicious murders caused by this alliance.
Cast members include Terri Duffield (director), Stephen
Parker (assistant director), Ruth Miller (stage manager), John
Berberena as Dr. Daniels, Jessica Brown as Marilyn, Elizabeth
Day as Opal, Elinor Hasty as Mrs. Culp, Shanon Hays as Gin
Hester, Tom Heagy as Dr. Norton, Troy Hensley as Detective
Harrison, Karen Lowe as Constance, Heather-Leigh Nies as
Kitty, Justin Patterson as Scrubbs, Robert Stephens as Dr. Dover
and Lee Sugarman as Dr. Withers.
Credit/debit card orders can be made over the phone at Winder
City Hall at 770-867-3106.
Tickets may also be purchased in person at city hall. Tickets
can also be purchased in person with cash or checks at Pam
Veader’s State Farm Insurance Office at 41 S. Center Street in
Winder.
Advance ticket prices are $10 for seniors (55-and-older), stu
dents and teachers and $12.50 for adults. Tickets purchased at
the door are $13 and $15.
A portion of each ticket price will be donated to the local Rape
Crisis Center as part of the WBCT continuing program of giving
back to the community.
For more information, visit www.winderbarrowtheatre.org.
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