I LOVE carnivals, fairs, and amusement parks. I couldn't go everyday, but I like them in moderation. The noise, the food, the rides, the music, the "carnies," the animals, the art, the culture.....it all makes for a pretty fun night.
Here we are on our "date" night. Mike has a tendency to look like he's squinting in most pictures, but he's still a pretty good lookin' fella anyway.
We splurged and bought tickets for several rides. When I went to the fair with my friend Margrena last year, I wasn't able to go on any of the rides since I was 8 1/2 months pregnant. I was a little bummed because I think they are the best part! Well, that and the extreme sugar intake that I somehow justify as "necessary."
While we were there we ran into our friends Tracy and Gavin who live in our building. We basically spent the rest of the night with them going on various rides and acting like kids again. They were nice enough to get us tickets for the BIG YELLOW slide. Thanks guys!
This is a ride that Tracy, her niece, and I went on while the boys just watched. It was a blast, but not nearly as fun as going on the "Zipper" with Mike. You have to understand that Mike has a very real fear of heights, so going on a ride like that with me was terrifying for him. I've never heard him yell the way he did on that ride. Not a girly scream, but a full on yell, like he was about to lose his life. I laughed so hard I thought my gut was going to explode!
I can't leave without getting a caramel apple. When I go to the fair I pretty much blow all my money on food. Scones, fudge, kettle corn, sugared almonds, candied/caramel apples, you name it. Then I'm on a sugar high for...some amount of time. What could be better for you than fried bread and corn syrup? Okay, so I know it's not good for me, but I like to splurge now and then.
Under one of the tents were a lot of little oddities. I don't know what it is about me, but I have a fascination with creepy, bizarre things like 2 headed babies. Also under the tent were live animals with birth defects, mutations, and the like. A 5 legged sheep, a cow with 2 snouts, a cyclops pig. Towards the end was a man showing off his fire eating skills and with the audiences encouragement, he hammered a long, thick nail into his face. If that doesn't bring you to the fair, I don't know what will.
Besides all this, we saw a sculpture made out of 700 pounds of pure butter, the fruit and vegetables that people entered, and lots of flowers. It was a fun night!
P.S. Although this post says it's by Mike, it was actually posted by Jamie, if you couldn't already tell from reading it.
