One FAIR Day

I don't really feel like posting right now. I did until I had to wait like an hour for my pictures to upload from my iPhone! Okay, so it was like 5 minutes maybe. And yes, I'm complaining about this. :) Anyway, Derek has work early tomorrow and should be sleeping, but he instead is channel surfing in the living room so I can have the computer... so I can post on our blog. I probably actually should then.

With that in mind (I never did learn how to keep inner thoughts in), here ya go. For the sake of posting more. Because looking back, I really have been slacking.

A couple of weeks ago (mid-August), the FAIR came into town. This used to be a huge deal to us. We would meet up with our friends Micah and Brittney, go eat carnie food for dinner, and follow it up with a stroll around the booths. It was something we did routinely (annually) for a few years. It was a tradition of sorts. Micah and Britt have since moved away, but even then we've carried on the tradition with just us. This year, however, we almost missed it.

We ended up going on a Saturday morning and only for like an hour. Derek had to work the night before (lame) and also had to work that afternoon-into-night (also lame, but normal), so we had to squeeze it in when we could. And I'm so, so glad we did!

It was so fun to take our kids this year! They both were old enough to think it was pretty sweet- especially James. We told the kids they could each ride one ride (generous, I know), and James picked the Ferris Wheel. We decided to make it a family affair. afFAIR. ha. Let me just mention here that I seriously dread the day when our kids don't love spending time with us. I know it will happen eventually- and probably much sooner than I realize, but it breaks my heart to even consider. We've gotta take advantage of the fact that they love our company now, I guess. I'm sure we don't enough.

So after much confusion involved with talking to the not-so-fluent carnie (not judging, just funny), we got our tickets, waited our turn and hopped on. Initially they stuck us in a pink box (box? not sure of the word). But I embarrassed Derek and asked them if we could switch for a blue one (again dealing with the fluency issue). Luckily, they not only understood but also let us switch. Hooray! Because as much as we love pink, I knew James wanted to ride in the blue one (his favorite color). He didn't pitch a fit about it, but when we switched he was really happy about it. :) Sweet boy.

I don't think I've ever ridden the Ferris Wheel with a boy (if I did and it was with you, boy reading this, I apologize for forgetting). I'm pretty darn sure I've never ridden one with Derek. Either way, it was the first time I've ever ridden one with my whole little family. And it was wonderful!

It sounds really cheesy, but if there is such a thing as carnie perfection, we had it. It was seriously a hugely happy moment for me. Moments, as the ride lasts a while. The kids were amazingly adorable and happy, and Derek and I loved watching their excitement (again, mostly James... Jolie is still young enough to think being carried and moved up and down is a normal part of life) and experiencing something fun with them.

Just writing about it makes me smile.

Anyway, I'll stop gushing over my fabulous family and show you some fun pictures. Enjoy!

Thank you, random stranger, for taking our picture for us.

I love Jolie's face in this one.

Great job with the genuine smile, sweetheart.

James was so excited.

Jolie eventually figured out that she was too.

I love this one a ton because you can just see

the hint of James' smile. So genuine. So sweet.

The following pics are evidence that we did, in fact,

eat carnie food. We just got one huge corndog to

share, though, and then got something yummier

(is there such a thing?) and healthier on the way home.

Mmmm. :)

So there you go. One FAIR day. ;)

A Decade in Review

Ten years ago, I graduated from high school. I know; I'm old. Next month, my graduating class is having our ten-year reunion. I most likely won't be able to go (sad), but I sent in (as requested) the above recent family picture along with the following blurb about my life over the past ten years. It was interesting to go down memory lane and think of all I've done over the past decade. This blurb is obviously condensed (well, as condensed as is possible for me- haha), but still- fun to remember.

After graduation, I attended Eastern Arizona College in Thatcher, AZ. I lived with my best friends Cassie, Stacie and Brianne for a while, which was awesome. I took a bunch of classes and graduated with my Associate's degree in about 3 semesters. Then I moved out to Logan, Utah, for my Bachelor's degree- and a bit of an adventure.

I attended Utah State University, with a major in French and an emphasis in Secondary Education. After about a year here, I met my husband- Derek. I met him at a party at his brother's house (his brother was a friend of mine). I seriously saw him and angels sang. It wasn't necessarily love at first sight, but it was something quite close. We started dating within the week, dated for about 1 1/2 years, and got married in June of 2005.

I graduated from USU that December and got a job teaching English as a Second Language to adult immigrants. Derek and I lived in Paris the summer of 2006 (a.maz.ing.), and the following school year, I taught French at Preston High School in Idaho (it's about a 30 minute commute). I also coached cheerleading. I only taught for a year, though, because the following summer, my son was born. Since then, I've basically been a stay-at-home-mom but have still kept the ESL job- teaching a couple of nights a week.

I have two kids: James (4) and Jolie (18 months). They are spectacular! I love being a mom and am still very blissfully in love with my husband. Really, life is pretty great. We still live in Logan and hope to stay here to raise our kids. It's a great place- "city" enough to satisfy me with a mix of agriculture and "country" to make me feel at home.