Our State Fair is a Great State Fair!

Here we are back in Minnesota. Aysia wanted a family picture! Jake was making that face in all of them...

Not sure why.

Aysia starts first grade tomorrow! She is very excited. Her teacher was blown away by her reading! She is going to do great. It might be hard for her to be at school all day, but she will adapt quickly. I know she will have lots of fun and make a lot of new friends!

It wouldn't be the end of summer in Minnesota without a visit to that Great Minnesota Get-Together!

Jake, Aysia, Hannah, Jordan, Kyle, David (Jake's younger triplet brothers), and I loaded up the van and drove to a park and ride, where we then hopped on a bus to the fair. We had a truly delightful time. I have always loved fairs. Except for the tiny swirly twirly rides. Those are not too fun for me. I will take on any thrill ride, any roller coaster, any droppy bungee glidey thing you can throw at me. But if you put me on a tilt-a-whirl, I will tilt-a-hurl.

For those of you Minnesotans out there reading this, you know about the food at this fair.

It is legendary.

And we had a lot of it.

We started off the day at Jake's Aunt's food booth, Cinnie Smiths. They make mini cinnamon rolls that will knock you off your feet!

They come with a big side of cream cheese frosting for dipping. You can't let any of that go to waste.

After the Cinnie Smiths, we moved on to one of the new foods this year:

the Texas Steak Dinner on a Stick Complete with Dinner Roll!

I wasn't quite sure how to go about eating it, so I just started at the top and worked my way down.

Then Hannah got a homemade Nut Roll that was other-worldly.

Only some of it made it into my mouth. A lot of it ended up on my face.

And a lot of everything else we ate ended up on Aysia's face!

We had some frozen grapes which were delightful and refreshing!

Every year I walk past the alligator and think to myself that I will try it one year. Well, this was my year. I walked right up, ordered some deep fried alligator bits with hush puppies, and ate them. I was a little scared at first...

But they were actually really good! Some bits were a little too chewy for my taste, but for the most part, it was chicken-esque. We didn't tell Aysia it was alligator, and she tried it and liked it too! When she found out later what it was, she was a little shocked.

Jake tried the alligator too.

Hannah refused to try it. I'm sure this comes as no surprise to those who know Hannah. She's not much of a carnivore.

Cookies, however? Right up her alley!

Aysia chose a caramel apple as her special treat. A girl after my own heart. As we were leaving the fair, I remembered I hadn't had a caramel apple, so I had to get a caramel apple sundae (basically a bunch of pieces of apple in a bowl smothered in caramel...absolutely brilliant.) for the walk to the bus.

Now these are what I wait for all year. I love these. Straight-up LOVE.

The deep-fried candy bar on a stick. Milky Way is my candy bar of choice, although I have tried all the other flavors.

Seriously people, I have dreams about these.

We also went and saw all the animals, including the largest boar, which weighed in at over 1300 pounds!

Overall, it was a wonderfully successful day at the fair!

Jake starts school tomorrow, and I think he is a bit nervous. He has some tough classes this semester, but I know he will do great. On Tuesdays he will leave the house at 6:50 AM and return home around 10:30 PM... Tuesdays might be rough.

I have a few informational interviews coming up this week and next. Don't worry, I haven't gotten employed and not told any of you! I know it will happen though. I haven't lost all hope yet!

In the meantime, keep up the prayers and the vibes. I appreciate all of them!