Janelle and I decided to have fun on Friday night by dressing up as characters from the Harry Potter series and attending the Grand Hallows Ball at our local Borders store. Janelle was Professor Minerva McGonegall, and I was camera-carrying Colin Creevey. Our friend Bridget was Professor Trelawney and her kids Andrew, 7, and Elizabeth, 10, were Harry and Hermoine. Janelle had stood in line earlier in the day to wait for an arm band, so as to be one of the first in line. She ended up getting #86 even at 9am!
Anyway, we arrived at Borders precisely at 9:30pm, at the beginning of the Grand Hallows Ball, just in time for us to be bombarded with papparazzi! We were by no means the only ones dressed for the occasion, as probably nearly 75% of the people there were dressed up in one way or another, but I do think we had some great costumes. Janelle and Bridget had made them two weeks earlier in preparation for our midnight excursion to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. After reminding ourselves not to look at the camera and smile (which is way harder than it sounds) we kind-of got over the fact that we were being followed around.
We received Glowing Wands, played Snape Bingo, participated in a Spelling Bee, and even entered a costume contest! Janelle, Bridget, and Elizabeth all made the second round. Janelle and Bridget made the final round, and Janelle won! At least, she won the "Queen of the Ball"! They also picked the best male adult costume, and best children's costume. This unexpected turn of events not only got her a crown, but a $10 gift card, and, best of all, 2nd place in line!
All-in-all, it was a night to remember. What a moment in history! We walked out the door at 12:03pm with our brand new copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The next morning we were on the front page of the Greeley Tribune! The picture above is from the newspaper, and you can see all of us, except my head is cut off!
