Herbert and Nigel

Erik was so excited to get the goat video up that he didn't really give me a chance to add anything to the post about the Fall Festival. There wasn't a ton to do, for either us or Lillian. Next year, Lillian will probably have a good time with the little "carnival games" like the fish pond behind the curtain and pony rides.

Other than the goat fiasco, the best part was the addition of Herbert and Nigel to our household. Herbert and Nigel happen to be African Dwarf Frogs, and I just couldn't pass them up. I think Erik thought I was a little out of my mind, but he let me have my way and they came home with us. They don't do much, so we may have to add a couple gold fish to the mix just to keep things interesting. Lillian sure thinks they're fun, though, so it was totally worth it.

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Sucker Thief

Today we went to the Fall Festival 2008 at the American West Heritage Center. Really not as great as we had hoped, but they did have a petting zoo and poor Lillian had a run-in with a goat that stole her yummy sucker. The video says it all.

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Are there ever days...

when you feel like you should have just stayed in bed?

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Give me a break!!

When Erik and I got a family cell phone plan clear back in the day (I guess it would be about 6 years ago), the salesman asked if we had any requests for numbers. I jokingly said I wanted a number that was all fives. I didn't get my full wish since the 555 prefix isn't used for real numbers, but I did get a number that ended in all fives. Kind of fun, I thought. Should make it easy to remember my number, right?

Since that time, I've discovered that my number is very close to directory assistance. Let me tell you, the first couple calls I got asking if I was directory assistance were pretty strange. I finally did some research and figured out the problem.

I've also discovered that people like to give out fake phone numbers. Since the 555 prefix isn't used, most people know it's a bogus number. So instead, they tack the fives on the end of a prefix they know is real and send the person on their way.

Between directory assistance and wrong numbers, I no longer answer my phone unless a name comes up with the caller id. I figure if they really know me, they'll leave a message. (Although I've had people calling the wrong number leave messages, too. How hard is it to realize they have the wrong number when my voicemail actually says, This is LEONORA.)

But on Friday, I got a call with an Arizona area code. Since I have family there, I decided against my better judgment to answer. "May I speak to Wayne Taylor?" Ummm...wrong number. I thought that would be end of it. Nope. They called back on Saturday. I answered and told them, again, it was a wrong number. They called back twice more that day. I answered again on the third try and asked what number the were trying to reach. "Wayne Taylor." Duh...I knew that. Did I ask who?

I explained as kindly as I could that they had the wrong number and continuing to call wasn't going to change that. What does he tell me? "The bottom line is, he requested information from us so I'm calling to give it to him." How is continuing to call a wrong number going to get him the information he supposedly wants? So I told him that apparently they were given a fake number, Wayne Taylor wasn't here, and please stop calling me. He hung up on me...as if he was the one who should be peeved about the situation.

Sunday, there were no calls. Finally, I thought, the message was received. But then Monday came. FOUR calls!! And one already today. They're nothing if not persistent. Does anyone know how to block calls from a specific number?

I've stopped answering.

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Happy Fall!

As of today, it is officially fall, so I decided a change in background was in order. I absolutely love fall, and I'm so excited it's here. Here are just 10 things that I think make fall great:

1. Being able to open your bedroom window so it's cold enough to snuggle into the blankets, but not so cold that you freeze - and our new down comforter is WONDERFUL!

2. Rainy days that are perfect for curling up with a good book or favorite movie while listening to the drops on the roof (like today)

3. Sardine Canyon and its beautiful colors

4. Crunchy leaves on the ground

5. The musty smell of wet leaves after a rainy day like today (weird, I know, but for some reason, I love it!)

6. Glazed donuts and apple cider (cider, not juice)

7. Corn mazes and getting lost in them (although letting Buzzy lead the way was not our best decision ever... ;-D )

8. Carving pumpkins and decorating for Halloween

9. Fall fashion: sweaters, etc. and tall boots (or as Erik calls them, my "hooker boots")

10. Being able to eat soup without sweating to death (I love soup!)

I'm sure I could come up with more, but that will do for now. If you have any, please let me know...

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If you can read this...

Last night, Erik decided that I needed to take a ride with him on the motorcycle so I could fall in love with it. I don't know that I went that far, but we had a good time.

First, let me explain the difference between riding double on a motorcycle and riding double on a scooter. On our little Beemer, it was a very cozy ride. I'm probably lucky I didn't fall off to be honest. But it was a fun way to zip over to see friends on warm summer nights when it seemed silly to drive the car. And it was always an adventure to see if we'd make it up some of the more challenging hills in Logan. It was just a little guy, after all.

Our second scooter was bigger and actually had a back rest. But it was a pain to get off and on, and while the coziness factor wasn't quite as high, it was still pretty tight quarters.

Given my previous experiences on the back of two-wheeled vehicles, I noticed a big difference as soon as I got on the motorcycle. Now the motorcycle has what I suppose they call a backrest, but it barely goes past your hips, so it's not very useful. But I had space to spare between my butt and the back of the seat: Hurrah for not feeling like you're going to fall off!!! And going up hills? No problemo! Although it goes quite a bit faster than either of the scooters, so the wind was a lot stonger - especially when that semi drove by...

We took a nice ride through "beautiful downtown Benson" and looped around to Providence for some dinner (which, incidentally, was provided by a landscaper who is sick of hearing our complaints). About half way through, when I realized there was no way I was going to finish it all, I considered the reality that I would be balancing a to-go box on my lap on the way home. Thank goodness for that extra room, right?

So I have to admit, the bike is fun. Granted, it doesn't make for the easiest conversation while you're driving, but the opportunity to have 30 minutes to just let my mind wander and hear myself think was actually pretty nice.

N.B.: For those of you who don't understand the title of this post, click here. This is a family-friendly blog after all... :-P

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Cake Wrecks

Ok...so this blog is absolutely hilarious! At least I thought so... Having worked in a bakery, it takes on a whole new meaning, I guess.

Give it a look.

cakewrecks.blogspot.com

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Helpless

Lillian hasn't been feeling well for a couple days, and it makes me feel so helpless. She's had a fever that, first, we chalked up to teething since she's pushing a couple through. But after three days, I decided it was time to see a doctor. It's just so hard when the invalid can't tell you what's wrong or how to help. We've spent a lot of time the last couple days just cuddling since that seems to be the only thing that makes her feel better. Don't get me wrong...I love cuddling. But the reason just makes my heart break.

She seemed to be feeling better this morning, and she slept a little better last night, so I went ahead and took her to daycare and headed to work. But about 11:00, our sitter called to say that she woke up from her nap with a fever of 103. We went straight from there to the doctor. After a quick elimination of a vaccine reaction or ear infection, he looked at her throat, where his suspicions were confirmed - or so he said. My question is, if he suspected Strep to start out with, why start with the ears? He did the quick office culture, and it came back negative. But he says that's common, so he wanted to start treatment anyway until the full culture comes back in two days, especially since the high fever and the redness in her face still suggest Strep, not just a viral sore throat.

If only she could have said, "My throat hurts." Instead, I've been thinking her appetite isn't great just because she's not feeling 100%...which has happened in the past. Now I feel so bad that she's suffered longer than she really needed to 'cause I thought it would pass on its own. Do they offer mind reading classes at the University?

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