Minnesota state fair, or money sucker as Evan called it

So we decided to take Maya to the fair. It's insanely big here in Minnesota, bringing in 2 million, yes your read that right, 2 million visitors in the 9 days it's open. I thought it had to be fantastic, so today we went.

Well....it was, I guess I should start with the positive sides of the fair:
* Maya was able to see animals, which she adored, pigs, sheep, cows, horses and goats
* The lemonade was sensational
* The pretzels were divine
* We didn't have to pay for parking
* Took our 2 year old on a little river raft ride and she LOVED it. She rocks.

Not so great parts of the fair
* $11 just to get in!
* No room to move at all, 250,000 people-ugh!
* I didn't see any jewelry the entire time (this is why I go to fairs)
* Sickening displays of food one can get on a stick: sausage and eggs on a stick, pork chops on a stick, belgian waffle on a stick, fat bacon on a stick, meatballs on a stick, pig in a blanket on a stick. Seriously, I don't get nauseous even when pregnant, and this was making me nauseous just reading the signs for the food.
* HOT!

We walked to our car and Evan said "what a money sucker!"

Catching up

We returned from our hiatus of real life last week, taking a great break in Utah. We loved being amongst family, friends and of course the mountains! Three weeks seems like a while, but it's never enough time to see everyone.

Evan was able to go backpacking with is brother and had an amazing trip, coming home smelly but with a grin for a week. The downside of that trip is that he stepped on our camera...which means, yes, we now have broken two cameras in about as many months! Drat! Oh well, could be worse, but for the time being we don't have any pics to post, so just imagine some really great pictures of us. :)

I loved being in Utah for the end of summer, and although everything becomes brown and dries up, I love it. I love the gardens, the veggies, the flowers, and the mountains. I was able to take a long walk with my mom up the mountain and it was just incredible. I forget what it's like to live just below something so magnificent.

Maya was addicted to "Papa," (Grandpa) which she affectionately calls him. She followed him around whenever he was home and when he was gone would say, on the verge of tears, "Papa der?" meaning "Where's Papa?" She still says that occasionally now, and so this week we have had lots of telephone calls to Papa during the day.

We made the long trek back to Minnesota and stopped in the Dakotas along the way, long enough for Maya to see some buffalo, which she was giddy to see. We were happy to return, I was happy to have survived 22 hours in the car again! Evan started his first day of work, and I couldn't believe that the "school" phase of our life is over. It's all we've known, since knowing each other-9 years! A long time. But real life has to happen sometime, right? Maya and I are slowly figuring out what it's like to not have him home for lunch or home for the day by 4pm...but we're pretty excited to see his bus stop on the road in front of our house. Maya ran across our lawn and our neighbors squealing at the top of her lungs yesterday to greet her Daddy. So sweet.

Life is good.