I laughed out loud when BT received a “by invitation only, non-transferable” offer to a new establishment in Frisco: The Gent’s Place Men’s Fine Grooming, LLC.

Anyone who knows BT knows that The Gent’s place couldn’t have wasted their advertising $’s on someone less likely to use their services.

Brow Waxing: $15.  I recently spent thirty minutes trying to convince BT to let me pluck four coarse “old man” eyebrows that had gone awry. That’s the closest anyone is ever gonna get to grooming BT’s brow.

Hand and Foot Repair (aka manicure & pedicture): $70. BT’s idea of hand and foot repair is to use his teeth to “clip” his nails. He wouldn’t event spend $2 on a pair of clippers, let alone $70 to have someone trim his hooves. He even declines my insistent offers to do it for free.

The Gentlemens Refinery Head Shave: $50. First, if you’re going to spend big bucks on a fancy schmancy direct mail piece, please punctuate. “Gentlemen’s Refinery” (possessive) not “Gentlemens Refinery.” Second, BT shaves his own head, thank you very much. He repurposes one of the plastic bags from the dry cleaners, carefully spreading it out on the bathroom floor to help catch the fallout, and seven minutes later, BT has worked his magic with his trusty old pair of hair clippers.

Complimentary Beer, Wine & Whisky: The stiffest thing BT drinks is orange cream soda.

Although I do wish BT would splurge on some fingernail clippers, I love being married to a man who takes a no-nonsense approach to personal grooming.

we all scream for ICE CREAM at the annual Texas State Champion Homemade Ice Cream Freeze-Off!

On Saturday, BT further solidified his position as “favorite parent” by treating the family to another fun road trip–this time to the tiny east Texas town of Sulphur Springs, the site of the annual Dairy Festival (http://www.myssnews.com/news-telegram/news/5271-hopkins-county-dairy-festival-will-get-under-way-friday-with-ribbon-cutting.html).

I’m a bit of a germ-a-phobe, so the thought of eating ice cream made by a bunch of (really nice red neck) strangers in kitchens that may not quite pass health code inspections really freaks me out a bit. And I was further shaken as I stood in line waiting for the ice cream serving to begin. The purveyor on my left serving Peach LICKED the scoop after dishing out the first portion. The little girl helping to serve the Turtle Cheesecake was picking her nose. The Banana Nut contestant next to her dropped the scoop on the ground. (Does the “five second rule” really work?)

But once you get past the possibility of contracting a food-borne illness–which I kept telling myself is really no different than the risk that exists at any chili cookoff, church potluck, community bake sale, corner lemonade stand, and any fast food joint, for that matter–the event was quite fun.

For $3 per person, you get a little styrofoam cup, spoon, and all-you-can-eat ice cream. After sampling until you’re satisifed (or sick, as the case may be), you then cast your vote for your favorite flavor.

And no Tolbert day trip would be complete without a stop at a fun antique store–I found a a cute old mailbox that we’ll use to exchange notes with each other.

And because we plan on making this an annual excursion, a few reminders for myself:

• Get an earlier start so that we can see the parade and hot air balloon launch.
• Don’t stop at Ruby’s Cafe in Greenville for breakfast–FILTHY bathroom. In fact, I feel compelled to call the health inspector on Monday.
• Try Mary of Puddin’ Hill in Greenville instead (http://www.puddinhill.com/)
• The cleanest restrooms in Sulphur Springs were in the Genealogical Society building on Main Street. The sandwich shop (Plain & Fancy) had a good, clean restroom as well, but their food was only so-so.
• Bring a cooler next time; they had some really yummy stuff at the Farmer’s Market.
• Bring LOTS of water. It was hot, hot, hot!
• The Dairy Museum (free admission) next to the Civic Center was quite interesting and served free novelty ice cream treats.
• Bring towels and swim suits; it looks like Coleman Park (complete with a waterfall and swimming hole) is a fun place.