Life + Action Figures + $8 = A crusty

I came home from running some errands the other day and walked into the office to find 24 boxes of action figures carefully displayed on the floor and my husband kneeling beside them hunched over one. These action figures usually live in our closet but on ocassion Austin takes them out to admire them, and reaffirm his favorites.
"Which is your favorite one Nicole?"
"Well I don't know."
"No, just tell me, by looks which you think is the coolest."
"Well that Captain America is cool, and I like the Wolverine in the top corner."
"hmmmm yeah, yeah those are good ones."
I then crept out and left my husband in his glory. About fifteen minutes later the action figures were carefully placed back in the closet. When he buys a new one he always tells the cashier at the store: "Please be careful, don't bend the box, I never open them." I try to look down after this so as not to see the look the cashier gives him back...I imagine it to be a cross between disbelief, amusment and irritaion, that the man in the Mr. Rogers sweater is a real life action figure collector....yep a real live one.
Last night Austin gave me a dirty look, so naturally I said "You can keep your crusties to yourself." Well I then spent the next few minutes explaining what a crusty is....that must be a Utah word, like Priest Camp or Wardie (other vocabulary that baffled him the first time I used it).
I had to work this weekend which was a bummer because Austin's choir was having a dinner get together to celebrate their recent victory in Spain. He was RSVPing via email and I was reading his message over his shoulder:
"Dave I will be coming but I won't be eating, Austin"
"Austin why aren't you eating?"
"Its $8 dollars for a "light dinner", and I can just go to Burger King and get a real dinner for $3."
"So you are just going to go and sit and watch everybody eat?"
"I am going to bring my own food."
"No you are not, you email him back and tell him you are coming and you will be eating the very nice $8 light dinner."
"No, I'm not spending the money. I'm thinking about our future childrens college tuition!"
"Yes dear, wouldn't that be awful if our children were $8 short of a college education, where would we ever come up with the money!??"
"Funny Nicole."
"Honey, email him now while I'm standing here so I can watch you do it."
"Ok fine"
I then watched as he typed his second RSVP email:
"Fine, my wife just told me to pay and eat with everyone, so I am going and eating too..."

The moral of the story is this: if you ever are in desperate need of money and have no where to turn...call me first :)