A Dearth of Blogging Means I've been Otherwise Occupied

I've probably mentioned before that October is pretty much my busiest month of the year. Anyway, I went and made it busier by getting the house painted. The blue didn't turn out as gray as I though it would, but you know what, the house is painted and I'm done worrying about it. For those who might be interested:

My birthday came and went without too much fanfare. I had a cold and didn't really feel like doing anything, so I told Ben all I wanted for my birthday was to not have to cook. Ben fulfilled my wish by taking Henry out to McDonald's and bringing me some carry out from Boston Market. Ahh, one of my best birthdays ever. I'm married to an awesome man, people.

I managed to stay healthy enough to get the cars inspected amidst a multitude of other errands, and I got to read a whole bunch of books. Then last week, after recovering from another plague, I was feeling well enough to volunteer the Fun Run at Henry's school. I counted laps again this year, which was very difficult since there were two classes running at the same time. I had about ten numbers to keep track of, which gets tricky when the kids run in packs. After that I had an hour to kill before I was scheduled to don the bear suit. Yes, somehow I got roped into volunteering to wear the mascot suit, even though I pointed out that the suit would probably be too big. Probably. Yeah. Did I mention that most of the older kids at the school are as tall or taller than me? The suit's crotch hit me at the knee, and the legs had to be taped against my ankles so they wouldn't drag the ground under the bear bootie things. In order to minimize the spread of germs, everyone who wore the bear suit had to wear a surgical mask under the bear head, so a stifling experience became more so. Plus I was practically blind, as the head only provided vision to the outside world through two tiny eye holes. Luckily there was a pair of middle school kids escorting me around, otherwise I'd have tripped and fallen or become lost. The little kids didn't seem to see anything funny about me, but the older ones were curious to know who the short person in the suit was. It wasn't really all that terrible an experience, but I think I'll opt out next year.

Yesterday was busy with a morning planning meeting for upcoming Primary activities, then book club at one. I had just said bye to the last of the book clubbers when Henry got home and we all headed out to the state fair. This was our first time taking Henry to the fair and it was really fun to see his reaction to the crowds and noise and lights, and the livestock. Henry refused to touch the baby chicks. I couldn't figure out why until I remembered that he was once bitten by a bird. I guess it was good for the chicks though, who I imagine were probably sick and tired of being picked up and stroked by fairgoers. Henry wasn't pleased with the smell of the barn that housed all the cows (it didn't stink that bad) and was happy to get out of there so he could go on some rides. His first ride was a great big slide, but his favorite was one where he got inside a giant hamster ball and rolled around in a pool. I rode with him in a bumper car (he ran and picked out a green one) and he finished up with a trip through a fun house. Then we ate, watched pig and goat races, bought some cotton candy, saw some more exhibits and went home.

Inside the hamster ball:

At the pig races: