Cornbellys

Last year we talked about going to romp in the field of dreams maze up by the point of the mountain but it never happened. This year would be different though, and the best way to do that, invite some friends, set a date and make sure it happens. We invited our friends Dan and Alexa Larsen along and got ready for a fun and spooky night at the Cornbelly Corn Maze. We set off into the maze and went through its twists and turns. We only went back the same way once but eventually we persevered and got through it. Then we got to everything else Cornbelly's had to offer.They had an attraction called "Creature." A huge inflated monstrosity where you entered it's mouth, worked your way through its bowels, avoiding the frights within, till you safely escaped. Luckily no one was eaten. After a few laps on the tractor race track and jumping on the trampoline we got in line for the Fablehaven Haunted Maze.

The line was rather long so we enjoyed the spectacle of would-be cowboys and cowgirls taking on the mechanical bull. After a time we made it to the front and entered the maze in apprehension. We were instructed that the occupants of the labyrinth could not touch us but they were probably going to get pretty close. The trek through the dark alleys of corn brought scary, creepy, frightening, come-out-of-nowhere people who caught us at every turn. We were lucky to avoid all the chainsaws and shackles and eventually make our way to the exit. It was a lot of fun but my heart was definitely beating a little faster at the end of it.

Labor Day Weekend

Ever since we've been married I've heard nonstop questions from my extended family about when Skyler would go up to my grandparents ranch. After talking with my parents we decided to head up for a 6 hour drive to Driggs, Idaho for the Labor Day Weekend. We had a great weekend visiting with family. Skyler had asked my dad several months ago to take him fishing and was able to go on Saturday. They both claim that they caught fish, but we never saw the fruits of their labor so we aren't quite sure. :) Skyler was also exposed to the Ripplinger family habits of card playing all weekend and actually did pretty well. It was nice to have a break to spend with family.

The only downfall of that weekend was getting sick. On Saturday morning I woke up with the worst sore throat I've had in a long time and huge tonsils. It got progressively worse until Monday morning when I couldn't even talk. We woke up early that morning and drove back to Provo so I could try to see a doctor. The only open place we could find was Instacare so we ended up waiting 3 hours to be seen. The doctor gave me some cough medicine and told me to come back in a couple of days if I wasn't improving. A couple of days later we went back and the doctor decided to test me for both Influenza and Mononucleosis. I headed over to the hospital for nasal suctioning after getting some blood drawn. I've decided that it was THE WORST thing I've ever had done which involved sliding a flexible plastic tube through my nose into my sinuses. I'd done this several times to babies at work so I figured I knew what to expect. 2-3 minutes and several tears later it was over. The next couple of days I waited until the results were in. Turns out I had a high level of antibodies for Mononucleosis which means I've had it before and I'm fighting a reinfection. Great! The annoying part of the whole ordeal is that there isn't anything you can do to treat the infection. I was told to drink water and get some sleep because it can take up to six months for symptoms to go away. Urgh!

Fortuitous Seats

Pretty much every day when I get to school, after my first class, I sit down and look at BYU's newspaper, the Daily Universe, online. On the 4th, a Monday I looked at the paper as usual and saw the weekly ad for the Front Row Fanatics tickets. This weeks competition was a quiz on BYU football. Knowing most of the answers, I quickly filled it out, looked up the answers I didn't know and sent it in. I promptly forgot all about it. Come Thursday however I got a phone call from someone at the Daily Universe saying that I won. I couldn't believe it! I never win anything. We got front row tickets at the 5 yard line, t-shirts, and a date at the big game against San Diego State.

Sitting down next to us was those two guys, dressed up in colonial drab holding up signs saying "In Bronco We Trust" and "Declaration of Independence." We had a lot of fun sitting in the middle of a bunch of cheering fans and being right close to all the action. I think all the yelling I did led to me getting sick the next week. After the Cougs pulled out a win by stuffing San Diego we got to high five the team as they went around the stadium after the game.

Carolina Sun

So we finally found a good use for humidity. Normally I am very opposed to the idea of living anywhere near the stuff and avoid it all costs. Sadly my family decided to locate themselves in a state where it has free reign. However, in the middle of Tiffany and me going to North Carolina we discovered a most useful aspect of humidity. While jetskiing and playing on Myrtle Beach, once you get out of the water, you stay warm. Even on a windy day you still stayed warm as the water in the air was like a moist blanket. This is a lot better than my experiences back west when you get out of the water and are immediately attacked by the chill wind and goosebumps become your constant companion. Besides that though we actually had a good time in Charlotte.

Myrtle Beach is a pretty fun place. The seashells there are very different from the pacific coast shells made mostly of sand dollars and bivalves. The Atlantic had much larger and thicker clam shells as well as a good number of little conch shells (if you can find them). The trip to the beach with Shawn, Chad, Taylor, Emmy, and Bailey proved to be plenty fun and eventful. The ocean water was warm and inviting, a bit too inviting. We never got cold and wanted to stay there forever. I got buried up to my neck in sand, Tiff and I were beat up by the waves on boogie boards, and I think Bailey missed her swimming lessons cause she kept trying to dive into the waves.

My nephews were super cute. They started playing football this year and they look great in their huge helmets and shoulder pads. I saw one of their practices and it reminded me of the two years I played football in elementary school. My nephew Will would have worn his football uniform all day if he could. It's neat to see the nieces and nephews get bigger and older every year. Half the time you barely recognize them after not seeing them for a year. A nice punctuation on the trip was lunch on the last day with the whole family. After some jostling of tables we were able to get all 14 of us near to each other. It's nice to be around family and have every one about. The kids are entertaining to watch and interact with. It will be exciting to have kids of our own some day.