Welcome to the CIRCUS, baby!

Backtrack a week or so. We just picked James up from preschool, and the kids and I are running one last errand (Jolie and I had run several while James was in school, but we had one left and decided last minute to just getterdone). We go to Walmart to return a clock I bought that was craptastic and didn't work. We go to the customer service desk and wait in line. Finally it's our turn. I explain the situation with the clock, and the return process begins.

As she is punching buttons, the customer service lady asks, "Do you want to go to the circus?" I see fliers on the counter and figure she's trying to sell me something. "When is it?" I ask. I'm skeptical. She explains that it's October 13th and in town. Apparently the circus guy asked if he could leave some fliers at her desk, and in return left her two complimentary guest passes. Two free tickets! She was getting married just a day or two after, so she figured she likely wouldn't be able to go. So she was trying to give them away. To me. For FREE! ("Gratiz. That's free, yo." *Name that movie.)

So I said, "Heck yeah, I wanna go!" And she gave me her tickets! Woohoo! I was so excited. For one, free entertainment is always welcome. And two, I've not been to a circus since I was a wee one and have really wanted to take the kids to one! When I found out that adult tickets were $30 a piece at the door, I was even more grateful for the free tickets! What a deal!!

SO.... We went to the circus! And it was a blast!

Because our tickets were free, we upgraded them to VIP seating for $20. This way, instead of sitting in the general stadium-type, crowded, far-from-the-action seating, we were literally arm's length from the action! It was awesome! The kids did so well and were very captivated by it all. We got to see an elephant (though not in an act, boo), lamas, monkeys and horses. We saw a lady get turned into a beautiful, amazing-to-see-up-close tiger. We saw a man do outstanding, heart-stopping tricks on a flying trapeze. We saw a kangaroo boxing! We saw impressive juggling and spinning and twirling, hilarious clowns (well, above-our-kids'-heads clowns), amazing feats of flexibility and balance, and really just a whole lot of AWESOME!

We really enjoyed ourselves! Thank you, random lady at Walmart, for the tickets and your generosity! And thank you, crazy carnies for living the bizarre life of the circus to bring us fun family entertainment! So fun.

Here are some pics - via our phones (hence the fabulous quality):