Iowa State Fair

I can hardly describe how much I love the Iowa State Fair. I have so many happy memories on those fairgrounds. Tracy & I met in Altoona and spent the night at Jason & Suzanne's. It was nice to see the whole Kurth family. We went to the Fair for a couple of hours on Sunday night. We saw the fireworks and people watched. I had my first lemonade and a pork chop on a stick. But, the event of the evening was trying the new Fair "treat," fried butter on a stick. Tracy & I split it, and I think even half of that thing was 2 bites too many. It's half a stick of butter on a stick, dipped in honey, dipped in cinnamon batter, deep fried, and drizzled with icing. It tasted like a cinnamon roll-flavored pancake soaked in melted butter. It didn't taste bad, but it's definitely not something I'd eat again. It's always fun to try the new Fair food though!

Tracy and I love the Skylift, and we rode it twice. There's no better view of the Fair, and there was a beautiful breeze.

Lemonade is my very favorite thing at the Fair, and here is the traditional picture of me drinking a cherry lemonade. There is only one stand that makes these (that I know of). I always have to go there!

It was such a nice day that not many people were hanging out in the Varied Industries building. We walked right through. Since it's the 100th birthday of the Butter Cow, there were lots of fun things around the Fair to celebrate. Here's a Butter Cow made completely of canned goods!

Tracy & I used the photobooths in the Varied Industries Building, and it was a time warp right back to Midlands Mall in Council Bluffs. We had a ball, as you can tell from the pics.

Some other highlights were: the best corn dog ever, sampling Iowa beers, watching grape stomping (they never called our names... boo), everything in the Cultural Building (love the big sand castle & the tie dye the most), listening to the 34th Army Band from Fairfield, apple cider slush, seeing the amazing draft horses, and drinking more lemonades. I can't wait until next year... our State Fair is the BEST state fair!!!

Being a Grown-Up Sucks

I haven't written in ages! I set the goal for myself that I would post anything new until I had documented my entire U.K. trip. Hm. I just can't seem to take the 5 hours it would take to type that stuff. I still want to do it, but I can't just not write until then!

Yesterday, I had a grown-up lady kind of day. Skip this paragraph if you're squeamish. Pap smear, blood draw, and my first ever mammogram. Um... OW!!!!!!!! And, I mean... OW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This might be TMI, but no female should ever have to see her breast like that. Seriously. The only upside to it was I thought I was just making an appointment, but since they could get me in right then, I didn't have time to freak out about it. It was also convenient because it was in the same building as my ob/gyn. I had a new ob/gyn yesterday. I really liked her, but she is 12. At least she looked 12. A 12-year-old Barbie lookalike. Luckily, she's a 12-year-old Barbie lookalike who really knows her stuff. She made me feel very comfortable.

I treated myself to lunch after that ordeal at Noodles & Company. Fun place. I also had a Cake & Shake from Coldstone Creamery. I was NAUGHTY! But it was mmm mmm good!

OK. Enough grown-up lady stuff. Sorry about that. I've been rehearsing for a show called Time Out of Rhyme which opens Friday. I'm playing Mother Goose. It's a fun, small part with a lot of down time. I'm finally finishing Elora's baby blanket. Good thing, since she's turning 4 in September! I really love crocheting. I wish I had an hour or two every day in my real life where I could sit down and do it.

School starts next Friday for me. We haven't been able to get into our classrooms at all because of asbestos removal. It's kind of nice, because I have no reason to feel guilty. Usually during this time of year, I'm feeling like I need to be at school all the time, and I hardly enjoy the last couple of weeks.

My very last hurrah of the summer will be a day at the State Fair with Tracy... YEE HAW!!!! Lemonade, here I come!