OH YEAH...

So..we braved the crowds and decided to do the quintessential end-of-summer activity and hit the biggest waste of money, (otherwise known as the State Fair), this weekend. Our niece Olivia was having a sleepover so it seemed like the perfect time. I won't go into ALL of the gory details of the State Fair being the mother of all money pits, but let me give you a few highlights: $6 entrance fee per person with a discounted ticket, $6 funnel cake, $6 for a 3 minute jumpy thing, $20 for a handful of ride tickets. Now that I've gotten my complaining out of the way, let me show you all the wonderful ways that we had fun.

I had some really cool pics, but most were taken vertically and for some reason I can't turn them so I only put a couple on here. Here is one of my favorite reasons to go to the fair: the fun slide. The name alone dares one to resist.



Here is the afore mentioned jumpy thing. Three minutes of pure jumping enjoyment with the help of a harness and bungees.


One of the major highlights...(and free, might I add), was petting the newborn kids. (As in, baby goats). They were so cute...just learning how to stand and eat from their mamas.


Olivia and Owen really hit it off. Even though there is a 2 year age difference here, Owen's fearlessness was really good for Olivia and they bonded on the rides.


End of the night. Out of tickets and out of money, so it was time to go home. We almost felt like a little family here, but I'm pretty sure no one would ever believe Olivia was my child.


p.s. In order to save and avoid the $5 parking fee, we parked a couple of blocks around the corner in the total ghetto. On the way in, we only passed one pit bull and one person in a wife beater carrying a 12-pack into their home. It helps to have a gangsta (Peter) around to feel safe. I'm pretty sure that's how they get people to pay for parking because you are taking your life into your hands if you park elsewhere.