Fair, days 2 and 3

Well, for the most part, the fair is over.  I'm sore, tired, hot and broke.  I think that means we had a great time.  Right?  RIGHT?  LOL  Yeah, we did.  It was quite awesome, actually.

Yesterday was a horrible day at work, but 5:00 eventually came.  I stopped in the town we used to live in to pick up Tara, a friend of Monica's.  She planned to attend the fair with us and spend the night.  Also invited were Missy (my friend from growing up in this little town) and her son, Cole.  When Tara and I got home, they were waiting for us.  We all packed up and headed up the street.

Friday is "wrist band" night, where the kids can ride all night for $15.  That's the only night we let them ride, since buying tickets gets VERY expensive.  They rode and rode and rode.  We saw a lot of old friends, but nothing compared to the kids.  I swear, they knew every kid there.

That's what I love about this tiny little town.  Everybody knows everybody.  I feel safe letting my girls run off with friends, (checking in with me between each ride because I'm a normal, paranoid mom,) but running off anyway.  Kevin came home a bit early, since his job is extremely physical, and he was tired and sore, and Missy and I made it until about 10.  We rounded up our four charges and headed home.

Today, I slept until 9!  I couldn't believe it.  Everyone got dressed and ready (Cole spent the night, too) and we walked up there again.  At 10:00 am, it was already hot.  We looked around, had a healthy breakfast of corn dogs and ice cream, and Natalie played some games.  The other kids were MUCH to mature to participate in such nonsense.  They had people to see, places to go.  That's why there are more pictures of Natalie than the others.  (Here is a video of the Hula Hoop contest.)

We came home shortly after noon, and Tara and Cole were picked up mid-afternoon.  Then, Kevin and I napped.  We slept a long time!  Natalie woke me up (in the recliner...I'm old, ok?) and said, "Mom, it's 6:30."  ACK, the parade starts in 30 minutes?  I got up, slammed a Diet Coke to wake me up, and we walked to the parade, leaving Kevin waking more slowly in bed.

After the parade, Kevin walked up with a couple of chairs and a small cooler of sodas.  We listened to the band, and the girls networked a bit.  We ate more carnival fare, and the girls were cool with the fact that there was no riding tonight.  That was, until IT happened.  My friend from high school, Tony, walked over and handed me a book of 25 tickets!  He was walking away when I closed my gaping mouth and said "Thank You."  How cool!

The girls almost peed themselves with excitement.  At 3-5 tickets per ride, they only rode 4 rides, but it was such an unexpected surprise, they were happy as clams.  We walked home more sore, tired, and broke than ever, and we deemed the weekend a success. 

Tomorrow is a day of rest.  Well, we have to mow the yard, weed-eat the bank, go to the store, clean the house.... *sigh*  Oh well, I can promise you there will be another nap in there somewhere.