2009 Fair

So, as promised, here I am updating about the fair a few weeks ago.

We ended up driving this year. Yikes...long drive, but totally worth it to spend quality time with family. We even dropped in to Wichita to pick up our long awaited wedding album! yay!

Here's a pic of the sunset that night:


We got in late on Thursday night, but had a good drive. Chris, being the gentleman that he is-wanted to drive so that I could fall asleep (like I always do on a long drive). Being stubborn, I managed to stay awake (although, I didn't tell him how nice it was to be away from the city lights and see ALL those stars! It is so beautiful when you can see that far in the country. So, I guess it was a combo of me being stubborn and my own selfishness of taking in the beautiful evening sky!) We even got to town early enough to catch the last 30-45 minutes of the fair that night.

We got to sleep in on Friday, July 31st. That is a rarity any more. I could not believe how amazing it was to actually have a good night's sleep (after b-sitting for the 2 year old all week and getting woken up at around 3am.) After we woke up, we spent the day around town, taking in the sidewalk sales and checking out Leoti's new quilt shop. I was SO excited to get to FINALLY go after Carol has been talking about the new quilt shop for awhile now. It is really quite cool. There are SO many fabric options! AND...I have my eyes set on my next quilting project...but I have to finish Clint's first....! However, we are planning on being out in the Leoti area around the holidays, so maybe I can get my fabric and start it up then...hmmm...

Anyway-

On Saturday morning I had a LONG run. (20 miles!) My goal was to try to get up early enough to finish my run by the time the parade started. I MADE IT! I woke up at 6ish and hit the road. I was so thrilled!!! I made a 9-minute mile time for the entire 20 miles! I must say that running out in the middle of nowhere is kinda nice....you don't really know exactly how far you have run because there is nothing but mile markers out there....not much else. AND....it's FLAT! Here in Oklahoma, there are some hills, which is good traning for my marathon...but it was nice to have a nice, flat run for that distance.

At the parade, I sat eating my can of peaches, sipping on some water, and watching the horses, cars, semi's, and floats roll by. I was a bit sore, so I talked Theresa and Chris into running and getting the candy : ). Oh, and I did get to meet the rest of Chris' Great Aunts and Uncles from Illinois. I knew a few of them from visiting my brother, Paul, but now I know the whole bunch.

After the parade, I took a nap : ). A few hours later, we went to the fair grounds, had lunch, and ran the "muffin tin toss". This is one of the games that you toss 3 baseballs into a set of muffin tins. If your baseball lands in a muffin spot that is colored, you win a cool hat. Here is Chris, working hard:



After our shift at the muffin tin toss, we went and rode some rides. This is one of my favorites:


It was such a beautiful and enjoyable day. Here are a few more pictures from the trip:

This is Chris and Terry working hard on the Ferris Wheel:







Here is a video of a number of the rides. (I some how missed the little cars that go around...I don't know how, but I did! sorry!!)

**you should be able to "fast forward" through the round up, as that one goes on for a few minutes, but there are still other rides after that, so don't miss those!**




On Sunday, we had to head home. Sad to have left so soon, but we'll be back in no time!