Weekend trip

Over the weekend we took a little trip.  We went to Cowboys Stadium and watched ACU play Tarleton. 

We all enjoyed the trip.  This was our second time to go.  In the past we have gone to the State Fair of Texas around this time of year.  Last year we decided to go watch the Wildcats play instead and thought it would be fun to go again this year.

We left Saturday, ate a late lunch, and went to the stadium.  We arrived to our seats about 3:00.  The boys walked around for a little bit before the game started.  It was a great game and ACU won, 34-31.  

We stayed at a La Quinta in Euless.  If you are in the DFW area and need a place to stay, we really like this LQ.  It is newly built and very nice and the beds are very comfy.  It has an indoor pool and fitness center too.

Sunday we did a little shopping, had a yummy lunch, and then came home. I'm glad we can do fun things like this as a family.  We all agreed it was fun and that the weekend sure did go fast for us!  

Have a day of blessings!

Weekend trip

Last week Caleb was blessed to attend art camp.  He attended this camp last summer as well and had a great time again this year.  Friday he had at art show at 11:30 where we got to go see all of his work.  Then we came home and loaded up to head to my Dad's in Lubbock for the weekend.  My husband took the rest of the day off so we could leave sooner and not arrive so late.

We had a little "excitement" Friday night around 2:30 when the power went out.  It came back on around 5 a.m.  Something had happened at the power plant to cause the outage all around town.     

Saturday Caleb had the wonderful experience of looking at the equipment used by the SWAT team as well as one of their special vehicles.  Caleb asked Mr. Brian so many questions and was so interested in everything he had to say about his work. 

Saturday evening we went to an outdoor play "Fiddler on the Roof."  It was at a park where you took your lawn chairs and picnic supper.  I took this picture of the set.   

Sunday we went to church, had lunch, and fed the ducks before leaving for home.  Caleb likes to go feed the ducks when he visits Grandad.

We had a nice visit and made more memories together.

Have a day of blessings!

Our anniversary trip!

June 2 was our 11th anniversary.  My husband and I went on a little trip to the DFW metroplex.  We met my Mom Thursday evening and Caleb went to her house.  Then we went out to eat Mexican food when we got back home. 
We left on our trip Friday morning.  We stayed at the same hotel we stayed at last year.  It is a new La Quinta and very nice, clean and comfortable.  Plus we found a good deal online for it too!  I recommend it if you are going to be in the area. 

Friday we ate lunch at Steak & Shake.  We even got dessert, something we normally don't do! I had an M & M milk shake and my husband had a hot fudge brownie sundae. 

Then we went shopping.  My husband had told me for my birthday my gift was to find new plates.  I have been looking since then but haven't found any.  I was on a mission to find some.  Friday evening we ate at another Mexican food place.  When we went back to our room we went to the hot tub/pool.   

Saturday we slept late and went to some shops in Grapevine.  Vendors were set up on the main street, and we looked at those booths too.  We shared bbq for lunch and then went back to the mall and got the plates.  I couldn't decide for sure Friday.  I had wanted to go to a cupcake shop.  The one I'd found online in Grapevine was closed.  My sweet husband remembered the location of The Cheesecake Factory where he'd taken me last year so he drove to that area to try to find a cupcake.  Instead we found Nothing Bundt Cakes (which my  Mom had recommended when I told her I was looking for a cupcake place), and we shared a little chocolate chip cake. 

It was near The Container Store so we went to look there.  They were about to start a travel demonstration so we went to that and entered our name in the drawing for a $15 gift card for watching.  My husband's name was drawn.  He found one of the travel items they had demonstrated to buy, an Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder.  Then we headed to pick up Caleb. 

 We had such a nice time together.  It was wonderful to have time just the two of us!    

Have a day of blessings!

2009 State Fair trip!

Howdy folks!

For the past several years we have made a family trip to the State Fair of Texas. (Here is last year's post.) I remember the first year we went that right before we left for the day we went to the baby booth to change Caleb, and he peed all over his pants. Other memories are when Caleb was old enough to do "Little Hands on the Farm." Also he was so excited the first year he got to do the Pee Wee Stampede.

We were all looking forward to the trip. This year since we have a school boy we had to go on the weekend though instead of during the week like we've always done before.

Friday after school we loaded up. We made a couple of stops along the way. We stopped for me to pick up coupons for the Fair at McDonalds. Then we stopped for supper.

Then the boys wanted to stop here . . .

. . . to get one of these.

I found a room at La Quinta for $34 a night with the weekend special plus the discount we have through ACU! We've been pleased with LQ overall, and I was excited to find one so cheap compared to most others that were $70-$80 normally. We ended up going to bed late because when we turned the lights off we saw a flashing light in the smoke detector. It was enough to be annoying, so we switched rooms. It was like a camera flash, and it went off every 45 seconds to a minute. We were glad it wasn't beeping, but it was worrying Caleb and hard to ignore.

Saturday morning Caleb was awake very early, I think around 6. He went to the bathroom and said he was hungry. I gave him some graham crackers I'd stuffed in our snack bag. After 7 Daddy took him down to try the continental breakfast. He didn't eat much though--I think he was excited for our day!

Since it was the first Saturday of the month we found this . . .

. . . so Caleb could make this.

He's been to all the workshops this year, and this was his third workshop in a different city than where we live! I knew he'd want to do this month's project since it was a fire station. I just love the little bank. As you can see in the picture it has three slots for saving, spending, and sharing, which is what we've been doing with Caleb except in envelopes and a piggy bank. I like having it all in one place!

Next it was on to the fair. With the coupons we got Caleb's admission free and four dollars off one adult ticket. So we all three got in for $26. (Not that anyone cares, just for my own reference!!)

We went to the favorite petting zoo.

Then it was time for the 12:00 Pee Wee Stampede. Caleb got his number and hat. He was in both bare back riding and bull riding. He won a trophy in the bull riding! It was so fun!
We headed over to find some lunch.

Caleb and had corn dogs. (Lunch total was $16.) We walked around some of the booths, and the boys loved the auto show. We always get in the seats of several of the vehicles. This year they had a fishing booth. None of the fish were biting though. Caleb wanted to scoop one up with a net! He was very patient, and I wonder how long he would have stood there. It's probably time to go fishing with Gramma again! He really wanted to catch a fish.

We went over to hear the wonderful Marine Drum & Bugle Corps.

There is something stirring to stand in a very light drizzle singing the National Anthem with hundreds of others. After the performance we headed back across the park. Caleb wanted cotton candy. Of course the price is a bit ridiculous, but he always wants it and I always say no. But this time I said yes. :) Daddy and I had a funnel cake. I was debating on getting an ear of corn but didn't want to be too full for supper! I took Caleb to play in Big Tex sand box. He loved it. It was neat how all the kids were so content in the sand and none of them wanted to leave!

We went over for Daddy to test drive a Traverse. Caleb and I rode along. Then Caleb got to go to the kids' area and drive around a kids' sized Escalade. By this time it was a steady drizzle. Caleb said he wanted to do the Ferris wheel. I told him it was kind of expensive, and he got to do the cars this year. Plus I was thinking how we needed to leave soon and I didn't want to walk over there or stand in line. We had a full day and Caleb was okay with not riding it this year.

We all got pretty wet walking to the car. Caleb fell asleep while we drove to eat.

We all slept well and headed home Sunday morning. It was a great trip and I'm happy we have this tradition!

Have a day of blessings!

Marriage Monday: Traveling with our husbands

It's time again for Marriage Monday! It seems like so long ago that I wrote the June post for Marriage Monday. This month's topic is traveling with your husband. Here are some questions for thought posted by our hostess Christine at Fruit in Season along with my answers.

How often have you traveled with your husband? My husband and I have done some traveling together through the years. He travels some for business so Caleb and I go with him sometimes when he does, depending where he's going and how long he's staying. He's been to Phoenix and D.C. recently (we didn't go!). I'll miss traveling with him during the school year once Caleb starts school this year.

Have you traveled around the country? Internationally? Most of our travel has been here in Texas, but we've also been to Louisiana and New Mexico. We've not traveled internationally together.

Where was your favorite place and why? Each place holds special memories. We went to South Padre Island on our honeymoon....and both got sunburned! I totally love to go back to Abilene since that is where we met and it holds so many great memories for us. I guess our favorite place as a family is probably San Antonio. Our trips to New Mexico have been fabulous as well! Anywhere together is special.

Who does the packing and planning? I am a list maker so I start making lists of things to take. Depending on the trip, I fix a box of snacks and other random items that I want to be sure and remember, like batteries and the phone charger. For long trips (like our trip to New Mexico that included several stops), I made a list of days and then what clothes I'd wear each day. He gets out his own clothes usually. I will gather up the toiletries. I've been known to leave behind important items, so I try to double-check each room of the house before leaving.

Are your travel styles and preferences compatible? We're compatible I'd say. I like to have a plan well in advance of where we are going, what we're doing, and how much it will cost. We like to do family fun things together.

How do you make sure the trip is fun for both of you? We both give ideas of what we should do or see when we go some place special. We also decide together about where we will eat.

If you have kids, do you usually take them with you? Yes.

What are your future travel plans with your husband? (I'll assume you have some future travel plans!) As a young girl I went to Missouri with my parents and we visited several places including the Precious Moments Chapel. I want to go back together someday. As a teenager my husband went on a motorcycle trip with his Papaw to Colorado. He frequently talks about that trip and actually that trip is what he talked about the first night we went for a walk together before we started dating. I really want to go back together. I've never been to Colorado so it will be special to see that with him. We want to go to Washington, D.C. (in a couple years we're thinking!) Also, I would love to see the Grand Canyon.

Join us for Marriage Monday the first Monday of each month!
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"Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day." Psalm 96:2

As long as it is called Today: Christian parents (June)

I'm glad you're here for "As long as it is called Today." Our focus on the third week of the month is to encourage one another as Christian parents. I hope you will join me each week on Tuesdays as we encourage each other in our daily lives as Christians, spouses, parents, and home keepers.

Be sure to read the answers to last week's question or leave an answer.

Today's question: Share something you do to make traveling fun for kids.

My answer: Caleb was amazing during all our traveling over 2000 miles this past week. He read a lot of books. When he'd need something else we'd sing. One time we looked for things of a specific color as we were driving.

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave your answer in the comments. Be blessed today!

You're Gonna Miss This....Moment #5

Today I'm linking with Pam for You're Gonna Miss This...moment.

While my husband was on his business trip to Phoenix this week, Caleb and I went back to Gramma's house. Over the past four years we've done this often when Daddy's been away traveling for multiple days. Caleb likes to visit at the school where my Mom works as a secretary or go eat breakfast with her in the cafeteria. It's always a little mini-vacation for me because Mom cooks or we go out and I don't have regular chores to do while I'm here (I finished two books though since no chores!).

I had the realization this will be the last time we're able to do this. School is nearly out and Caleb will be in school next year. Whenever Daddy has trips next year we'll be at home so Caleb can go to school.

It's been fun to come to Mom's. I think about how much Caleb has changed through the years. When he was little, just crawling around, he'd sit at her bedroom door and cry when she'd go take her shower at night. He couldn't wait for her to come back. When she'd leave for work in the mornings he'd cry and sit by the window to see if she was pulling into the driveway. Through the years this has changed. He still misses her and says he wants her, but he doesn't sit and cry during her showers anymore or when she leaves for work.

We're gonna miss this...

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"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Our weekend trip

Friday morning we left for San Antonio. We arrived about lunchtime so we stopped outside of Sea World for our lunch at one of our favorite BBQ places--Rudy's.

After lunch we headed down the road to Sea World!

I'd checked out the deals online and found they have a card called a "Fun Card," which was the same price as one-day admission You can use it to get in as many times as you want throughout 2009 which was what I was looking for because I knew we'd be going two days this weekend so we got one of those for both myself and Caleb. We got my hubby a season pass. It cost $25 more than the Fun Card, but we got free parking with it which by itself would have been $30 for both days plus 10% off the food and souvenir purchases in the park. So it was a good deal for us.

We started off at the dolphin tank feeding the dolphins. I loved the sweet smile on Caleb's face as he saw the dolphins up close.

Here is a cute little guy we saw eating a snack on the way to the aquarium.

Next Caleb rode the Shamu coaster a few times. He loved it last time we went and it was one of his favorites this time too! He is the kid in the middle card with the hands up (he's so brave, huh!).

Next we fed some ducks on the way to the Shamu show "Believe."

Here are a couple of pictures from "Believe." Caleb walked down, down, down the steps and we all got soaked! I had warned him we'd get wet!

We fed the ducks again and had some ice cream.

Caleb kept telling us he wanted to ride this big huge water ride. He rode it the first time with Daddy. One of the really nice things about going on Friday was there were virtually no lines for the rides. Then I rode it with him the second time. He loved it!

We all enjoyed the show with the seals, sea lions, otter, and walrus.

The park closed at 6 on Friday so we went to our hotel and then to eat at our favorite place Alamo Cafe.

Saturday morning we first went to the SAS factory. Last time we were in town we went, but it was really close to closing and we didn't get to look around so we wanted to go back. It is a general store and a fun place to browse. My husband has worn SAS shoes to work for several years. This time he got a new brown pair, a style he hasn't had before. They told us they just came out with tennis shoes, something they've not made before. I tried some on and they were SO comfortable. I ended up buying them with some of my birthday money. I told my husband how neat it was as we left to have the money to pay for the shoes. They aren't really cheap but we know they are good quality and will last. I had been needing a new pair of tennis shoes because mine were worn out and my foot's been hurting me lately. Anyway, I have a "clothing envelope" that I put cash into each pay day so we had the cash available to buy the new shoes...hooray for no credit cards!!

Then we went to the "boy store" (Home Depot in case you don't refer to it as a boy store!) for the kids workshop. Caleb has been to them each month and we had time so we went in San Antonio! He built a wheelbarrow flower planter for Mother's Day.

We headed back to Sea World after a quick lunch. Saturday was spent mostly playing and looking at the animals since we'd seen all the shows on Friday. We left Saturday night tired and worn out!

Sunday we checked out. They ended up giving us a $30 discount because for some reason housekeeping didn't clean our room anytime Saturday. It surprised us when we got back Saturday night to find the room as we'd left it and we'd never had trouble before at a LaQuinta. I was glad they gave us a discount though! We headed home and stopped also for a little shopping at an outlet mall.

Hope you have a great week ahead! Do you remember what we're doing on Monday??
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"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." Deuteronomy 33:27

Introducing Fire Bear John

On our trip to Louisiana for Women of Faith, Caleb and Gramma went to Build a Bear Workshop. I'd never been to one before. My Mom decided it was pretty much a "Gramma" store!

Caleb picked out a bear and had fun stuffing it. He knew immediately he wanted a fire fighter outfit for the bear. He named him Fire Bear John (Caleb's first name is John). The rest of the evening and weekend he had such fun carrying around the bear and taking the fire suit on and off. One the way home Gramma started crocheting a shirt for Fire Bear John. Then Caleb said he needs pants so Gramma made the pants right quick too.

This weekend she visited for Easter and had brought another suit she'd made and one she'd bought at a consignment shop for Fire Bear John. Caleb likes changing the outfits! Here is a picture Caleb took of John in his new green suit. I told him I was posting it to my blog!
I told my Mom she should make these clothes to sell! She is really talented!
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"I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26

It's a Grand NEW DAY!

I am very thankful to the generosity of the ladies at Laced with Grace who hosted a giveaway for Women of Faith tickets back in the fall. I was surprised and excited when I won. I chose to go to the conference in Shreveport this past weekend. Where can I even begin to share about the weekend?

We left home Friday morning. My Mom attended the conference with me and my hubby was our driver. The theme for the conference this year is "A Grand New Day." We got to the conference center about noon, just in time for our lunch and to hear the start of the next session. We enjoyed singing from Sandi Patty and lessons by Marilyn Meberg, Sandi Patty (I loved her talk), and Steve Arterburn. The boys picked us up when the session was over, and we visited the Boardwalk for supper. Caleb also got to make a bear at Build A Bear workshop. This was great fun to watch his excitement as he picked his bear and outfit. (More on this later in another post.) We went back to the conference in the evening for an amazing concert by Stephen Curtis Chapman as well as a lesson with Patsy Clairmont. She is so funny!


Saturday morning we were back for another blessed time with Lisa Harper, Sheila Walsh, Lisa Whelchel (from Facts of Life), Allison Allen. Our afternoon started with Mandisa (wow can this girl sing!) and then more from Marilyn Meberg and Lisa Harper finished her lesson.


I'd never heard any of these speakers before so it was quite a treat to learn from them all. God really used them to speak to my heart. I plan to share more over the coming weeks little tidbits I gained and hope will bless your life as well if I can get those things into words. The theme verse for the weekend was so fitting for the Grand New Day theme. You can see it below (Lamentations 3:22, 23).


Again I'd like to say thank you to Laced with Grace for this opportunity. My Mom and I both enjoyed our Women of Faith conference experience more than words can say.

***Please note the two posts below: one for prayer requests and one about a Laced with Grace giveaway. Thank you.***
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"The Lord's love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning." Lamentations 3:22, 23 NCV

Our Valentine's Day weekend

We decided a few weeks ago to do something special for Valentine's Day this year. I've probably shared this here before but the weekend is special to us. On February 13, 1998 during our freshman year of college a cute boy gave me a special Valentine card in the Bean (the ACU cafeteria) during lunch with our group of friends. The card said "Will you be my Valentine?" and was homemade (which just melted my heart even more!). I'm so glad I said yes! I think I waited until Sunday actually to say yes because Friday after lunch we both headed in our separate directions to our homes for the weekend.

Since February 13 was on a Friday this year we decided it would be fun to go back to our "college city" of Abilene for Valentine's Day weekend. My husband took off work and realized he was off Monday too for President's Day so it turned into a four day weekend for us.

We left Thursday night and stayed the night with my Mom. Caleb got to go to school with her in the morning. He loves this (and she does too!). We stopped and picked him up as we were leaving town. My husband handed me a Valentine and said I really needed to open it. I told him I could just wait till Saturday. He kept telling me I should open it before we leave. So I did. (It wasn't too hard to convince me!) He got me a car charger for my Ipod called Itrip auto. I'd been looking at them but had not purchased one yet. This one is not just a charger though, it can also play the music through the car radio. It was really sweet of him. We have an envelope (in our Dave Ramsey plan) for gifts but he had used his own money out of his own funds to get it. I'm glad he got me to open it early!

We got to ACU in time for chapel. Friday is singing day and it was a wonderful time. At the end the president of the university, Dr. Money, got up and spoke briefly about some recent issues with the NCAA that was announced last week. I don't understand all the rules and regulations but one thing mentioned was a local church had a Christmas party for some students. Their receiving small gifts was against the NCAA rules. Kinda crazy in my opinion. Anyway.... After chapel we walked around campus and then went to the Bean for lunch. When I was in college I won a contest hosted by the Bean for a dessert contest. I won 10 tickets for a place on campus called Reservations Only. I never used all the tickets and emailed them to ask if I could use them previously when we thought we were visiting campus. I was told that Reservations Only was closed but come visit the Bean. This time I tried to email but didn't get a response so I just took them. They did give us a discount which was fine with me! The Bean has changed so much. It was much more open and looked very modern. Caleb enjoyed eating there and all the food choices. After lunch we visited with one of my husband's professors. We also went to the Campus Store. Caleb got a hat just like Daddy's. He was SO excited. He kept saying thank you for this hat, I've always wanted a hat like this.
Caleb took his nap after that in the car in a shady spot we found (after we hit Sonic's happy hour!) and then we headed to the zoo. It was an absolutely gorgeous sunny day. It was a perfect day for the zoo. All the animals were playing and we got to feed a bunch of them. Caleb's favorites were the prairie dogs, buffaloes, ducks and giraffes.

The giraffes at this zoo have always been my favorite because there is a tall bridge you cross and the giraffes come to the bridge and lick the animal crackers off the cement as you drop them down to them. It's always funny to see a giraffe tongue!

Saturday morning we got breakfast at Burger King and let Caleb play for a while there. It was a dreary, chilly day (we were so glad we'd gone to the zoo Friday afternoon). I went by James Avery to try on a ring I really like and then we went to a couple other stores followed by the children's museum. After lunch we went back to the hotel for Caleb's naptime. After his short nap Friday, he was wearing out. We went back over to ACU and walked around a while. We looked at the sculpture "Jacob's Ladder" also. It was a bit chilly so we didn't stay long. We ate early at Cracker Barrel for supper before it was busy. The boys played a couple rounds of checkers by their fire too. Then we went back to ACU to go bowling. Caleb saw the bowling alley Friday when we were walking around so after that he kept asking if we could go bowling. It was so much fun for us all.

Sunday morning we got to go to the church we attended while at ACU. Caleb enjoyed his 4 year old class. The teacher was the mother of one of my students I had while doing my student teaching. She was a 2nd grader then and now is a sophomore in high school!

We ate lunch at Gattiland and had a great time in their play area on the bumper cars. Caleb was tall enough to ride and he absolutely loved it. We went back to my Mom's that night and came home Monday.

It was such a nice weekend together. We made many happy memories in our favorite place! I was thinking when we were walking around campus Saturday how special it was to have Caleb there. As we were walking around reminiscing from our college dating days, it was special to have him running around the path in front of us and then stop and come back between us told hold our hands.

Another thought from this trip related to our FPU class. We had planned everything we wanted to do and were able to only use cash and put the hotel on the debit card. When we came home I thought how nice it was that it was all paid for and next month we won't see something we did on the credit card bill. In the past we'd put the hotel on it knowing we'd pay it off. It was just delaying paying for it though. It's nice to have it paid for and just have the happy memories to bring home with us!!

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"For great is his love toward us,and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD." Psalm 117:2

Thanksgiving 2008

I have enjoyed coming home and catching up with my bloggy friends, reading about their Thanksgiving's. Now I'll share mine.

We went to my Mom's house Tuesday evening. Caleb got a new camo robe from Gramma. At home he always takes mine or my purple blanket and at her house he wears Gramma's; now he has his own! He helped her fix notes and candy to put in the mail boxes of the teachers at her school. Wednesday my husband and I did some Christmas shopping. I saw two guys from high school at Walmart and then saw another dear friend I grew up with at church when we went to eat lunch. Thursday we had a delicious Thanksgiving lunch. As my cousin said later my Mom made enough to feed a small country. Later in the day my aunt and cousin came over. Who knew how fun a game of "Hungry Hungry Hippos" could be or how it would make a boy laugh!!! Caleb has been saying he wanted this game since Daddy told him he had it as a boy. It was a nice surprise that they got him this game without even knowing he wanted it! They gave him "Twister" (also known as "Twist" by Caleb) too. He likes falling over and making everyone else fall over with him! My husband met his Dad and brothers at the deer lease Thursday evening. Friday morning we did some shopping. We didn't go out early but found some good deals. I got a Bluetooth for my husband. He'd specifically asked for this when he saw it in the sale ad so I went ahead and gave it to him. I found a couple more things for Caleb too and got those wrapped in the afternoon. Friday night my husband surprised me by coming back from the lease. I thought he was staying till Saturday morning. Nice surprise! Saturday morning we went to watch the NCAA quarter-final game (hope that is the correct terminology for the game!) between Abilene Christian and Northwest Missouri State. ACU lost :( We had a great time at the game though and on the trip. We of course went to "our spot" at ACU at Chapel on the Hill where my husband proposed December 2, 2000. I was thinking on Friday how next week will be our 7 1/2 year anniversary and how it will be the anniversary of the date he proposed this week. Sunday we went to church, loaded up, and came home.

I'm looking forward to Christmas! We have some events planned for the month like the annual Christmas parade. My husband pulled boxes down from the attic tonight. Caleb was ready to hang the lights, but that will be done another night. I needed to see what forgotten items I had boxed up last year. I squealed with delight as I opened two boxes....one with Christmas shirts and another with Christmas cards and the paper for our annual Christmas letter.

I love this time of year! Happy December to you!
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"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23, 24

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope all of you have a lovely Thanksgiving with your families. Our plan is to go to my Mom's house tonight actually. My husband is able to take off Wednesday and Friday. We'll probably do some shopping Wednesday. Thursday after our meal my husband will go to the deer lease. He plans to come back and get me Saturday and we'll go watch a football game. More on that later!

Things will be busy in the coming days but I wanted to tell all of my bloggy friends Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful to have "met" you and be able to share a little bit of my life with you. I look forward to reading about your lives as well. God bless you all! You are special to me!

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"I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving." Psalm 69:30

State Fair

We had a wonderful time! I'm trying to catch up on my emails and blog reading.

We arrived Sunday afternoon to our hotel. It was one we had never stayed at before, but we (my husband, I had nothing to do with finding it!) found it okay. We unloaded and went to visit my brother-in-law and his wife and see their new home. After that we went to have supper at a BBQ place. We got way too much food! Caleb and I should have shared. I wanted a BBQ sandwich and wasn't sure he'd eat it. I should have just shared a kid's plate with him; I couldn't believe the meat portion they gave on a kid's plate! It did work out nicely though because we had some leftovers that we put into a plastic bag in our ice chest for another time. After we ate we waited for my friend to come over. She was my college roommate, and we like to get together if we can. She brought Caleb a set of (toy) fire fighter equipment set, and he was thrilled! The set even had a whistle, crow bar, and fire extinguisher. He's never had those so he was excited to play fireman! Caleb took this picture of wood while we were sitting outside. He thought the stacked up wood was so neat!


My husband and I didn't sleep much that night. It was too hot, then the fan went off, then his CPAP wasn't working. I heard Caleb at 6:30 so I went to his bed and he told me he was "shivering cold." A few minutes later he whispered, "Mom, the sun's up." I went and showed him it wasn't the sun, it was actually a light shining outside. I told him he could come lay by me and rest some more. He didn't go back to sleep though! It was raining outside too! We had breakfast and headed to the fair ground. We arrived before 9:30.

We loaded up the stroller and headed to the gate. On our way we stopped at McDonald's and I found two trays sitting on an empty table. I asked the people at the next table if they belonged to them; they did not so I took both of the tray liners for the coupons. I was glad I didn't have to buy anything to get the coupons! So we got in for $22 again this year with the coupons.

We were disappointed not to get to see Caleb in the Pee Wee Stampede this year that he loved so much last year. The arena was nice and muddy! He didn't know why he couldn't just have it in the mud! He did get to be in the Backyard Circus though. We were walking by and realized it was going to start in about 10 minutes. Caleb surprised me by marching up to the front on his own and sitting with the other group of kids on the green carpet. I went up and told him the man might ask for volunteers. If he wanted to help he could but he didn't have to. So he raised his hand right then and a girl beside him told him not yet! The Backyard Circus is a little show for the kids to use their imaginations. They put an orange shirt on him that said TIGERS. He was looking at me like I don't want to do this so I went up and told him what was going to happen while the girl did the tight rope act. When it was his turn, he was ready to go. He was the last one of the group to jump through the "ring of fire."

We went to see a cow milking demonstration, toured the barnyard petting zoo, watched a dog show (Caleb made me laugh there as he was clapping and cheering with such enthusiasm!), checked out the vendors, and listened to the amazing US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. We all loved this show! We got there right as they were starting and found three empty chairs on the front row. It was very moving to hear them play. They played "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as a tribute to veterans and those currently serving our country. During one song the drummers came up to the front. I noticed the one on the end staring directly at me. At the end he reached in and gave Caleb five and shook his hand. Caleb was so excited!

We enjoyed some "fair food" too. Caleb and I shared my chicken sandwich and his corn dog. We had a funnel cake in the afternoon. In the Food & Fiber Pavilion they were handing out ice cream cones. The past couple of years they passed out yummy little rolls. We couldn't figure out why everyone in the place had ice cream until we got up to that booth, expecting rolls and getting ice cream instead! We also had roasted corn as we were leaving the park. I had been wanting one so we finished up our tickets on that.

We rode the Ferris wheel together also. I asked Caleb as we were walking if he was sure he wanted to do it. I told him it was really tall and much taller than the other Ferris wheel he'd ridden. He loved it and was excited the whole time!

We all slept that night, and after doing some shopping and having lunch, we came home Tuesday afternoon. It was a fun trip, and I look forward to going each year! I'm glad we have this tradition. I've put together a slideshow. I hope it comes out okay. I've never used Picture Trail. Let me know if you have trouble viewing the pictures.

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"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." Psalm 16:8