If It's September, It's Time for the Fair

Mid-way rides, cotton candy, funnel cakes, swine barns, music, exhibit halls--all sights, sounds, and smells of the fair. Fair Week is always an exciting event that ushers in fall weather with cooler nights. It has become our custom to attend on Tuesday night for the festivities and this year was no exception.

Collin and Steve, our neighbor, always work the Riceland booth on Tuesday nights, and Robin and I have begun a tradition of tagging along for the ride, but breaking away for our own night of fun, girl's style. We tour the exhibit halls, make a round through the mid-way, and find a "clean", hopefully, sanitary food booth to buy supper on the grounds. The last two years, we have enjoyed a barbeque sandwich and diet coke from the Moose Lodge concessions. It is super good. From there, we always make our way over to the grand stand for the night's entertainment. This year's extravaganza featured country's own Jake Owen. It was ok, but two of the best we've seen have been Craig Morgan, and last year, Luke Bryan. When the show ended, we found our two best guys and decided it was time to call it a day.

Rain has plagued the NEA attraction all week. In some aspects that has been rather bad, but Collin can usually manage to turn a lemon into lemonade and the precipitation didn't slow him down any at all. In fact, the muddy bog that we had to drive through and park in brought out the kid at heart. This swampy marsh was so soured and stunk so bad that you had to hold your nose. I wouldn't even let him park in the garage. He was banned to the shop, but did he ever have the time of his life, kicking it into 4-wheel drive and spinning and diggin' in. All I can say is, I am NOT washing THAT truck! Take a look for yourself.

I'm not sure he is setting a good fatherly example either. When Bryan came home to see the truck, he started grinning from ear to ear. "Alright, Dad, I didn't know you had it in you. I'm impressed."

What's a wife and a mother to do?

Marcia

Labor Day R&R at Denton's Ferry

Looking forward to the final 3-day holiday weekend of the summer, Collin and I packed up and headed to the big metropolis of Cotter, AR, the "trout capital of the US". We found a beautiful camping spot called Denton's Ferry on the White River. I do not care to fish at all, but Collin gathered his fishing gear and waders, while also splurging on a new pole all set for a big weekend. I was perfectly happy to look at magazines while he forged the river. Collin actually had pretty good luck and caught several nice fish. He threw them all back; it may be fun to fish, but I don't think he wanted to clean them. Lucky, for the fish! Our good friends, Dennis and Regina Jaynes, who have recently come to enjoy outdoor living in a camper joined us for the big weekend. We had a great time. We had some yummy meals together off the grill, enjoyed some trout fishing, some exploring of the area, and some much needed rest from our fast paced daily routines. It was a great way to end the summer.

Wedding Weekend

We made a road trip this past weekend. Friday morning, we headed north to Sterling, IL to be with family in celebration of a wedding. Our second cousin, Jason, who is seven months younger than Micah married this weekend. It was a wonderful weekend weather wise and the ceremony and reception were lovely. We spent the night with my aunt Friday, enjoyed the wedding festivities on Saturday which were in a small town, Capron, near Rockford, IL, and drove home Sunday. It was a fast trip, but a nice one. We were amazed to already see leaves changing color ushering in the fall months. I'm including a few snapshots of the day: ceremony, reception, and dinner. I had to snap fast to keep out of the way of the photographer, but we wanted some memories of the day and a chance to share with family and friends.