Great Weekend

We had an absolutely fantastic weekend, mostly due to the generosity of others. On Thursday, Phil called me in the afternoon and asked if I thought we could find someone to watch the kids on Saturday, because his boss had just offered him his tickets to the Arkansas-Auburn game in Fayetteville. I thought about it for a minute or two, hung up with him and called my mom to ask if they would want to kid-sit. Thankfully, she said they would, and I called Phil back with the good news. Saturday, we got up early, left by 7:00, and got to the stadium just in time for the team to take the field. And what a game it was! He has been to several games in Fayetteville since we have been together, I have only been to one since I graduated, and that one didn't end well for the home team, as I recall. However, this game was fabulous! The weather was cool, we had wonderful seats, and the Hogs were on FIRE!!! The temperature was only about 45 degrees at kickoff, and the skies were cloudy. By the end of the game, temperatures were in the mid-50's and the sun was beaming. Since our tickets came from the owner of Phil's company, you know they were good seats. We got to see how the "other half" watches football games! We were in the outdoor club seats, which are under the overhang from the indoor club seats. There are about 10 rows, all the seats have backs and cushions, as well as cupholders, rather than being bleacher seats like the rest of the stadium. Also, the overhang can sometimes obscure the view of the massive Jumbotron in the north endzone, so above each section of the outdoor club, there hangs a big flatscreen television. They don't want you to miss any of the replays! So, from our comfy seats, we were able to watch the Hogs ruin Auburn's "undefeated" status, and they did it quite soundly. Aside from a tense moment or two in the 3rd quarter, the whole game went in the Razorbacks' favor. I was so glad we got to be there in person to see it!

After the game, Phil and I wandered campus for a little while, visiting the student union Hog Heaven shop, looking for something to eat, and then visiting the other Hog Heaven shop in Bud Walton arena, where Phil found a hat he couldn't live without. We eventually made it back to the car, and hit the road headed back to Little Rock. I napped on the way home, which I might have felt bad about had Phil not been listening to the Ole Miss-Alabama game on the radio. When we got back to town, we met everyone at the Jump Zone for Grant's birthday party. I can't believe that kid is NINE years old!! The kids all had a good time, and we had some tasty cupcakes and ice cream before we came home. Good day 1 of 2.

Today, we got up and went to church, and then met a guy Phil works with who had some passes to the Arkansas State Fair for us--admission, parking, and 2 unlimited ride bracelet coupons. Without these freebies, I doubt we would have made it to the fair this year. It just wouldn't have been in the budget. Anyway, we went out there, got a really good parking spot, and let the kids ride some rides for a few hours. Nathan was a riding maniac, but only the kiddie rides. Unfortunately, I think he will be too tall for most of those next year (he was almost too tall this year), but I don't know if he will have the courage for the bigger rides yet. Amy started to ride several things, but ended up getting scared and wanting off before the ride got going. She really enjoyed the carousel, and she rode the Scrambler TWICE--once with Phil and Nate, and once with me and Nate. After we rode rides for a while, we wandered down to the livestock area to see some cows and stuff, but the kids were quickly bored by that. When it was almost time to go, we broke down and got some Fair Food: the kids both wanted cotton candy, and Phil and I had a hard time deciding, but he ended up with some fried potato thing, and I got a smoked turkey leg. He chose better than I did. The turkey leg smelled waaaay better than it tasted. Oh well. I did manage to pick up some kettle corn, so I considered the trip a success.

So, there. We were able to do two things that we wouldn't normally have been able to do, thanks to the generosity of those around us. Thanks to Phil's boss, John, for offering us the tickets to the game, a million thanks to my parents for watching the kids (handful that they are) so we could make the trip to the game, and thanks to Lee, who gave us the tickets to the fair. We hope that someday we are able to return those favors. We had a great time, both Saturday and Sunday.