Grateful

We interrupt house building to bring you the State Fair of Texas!  

Jeff and I have been going for 12 years now and we can’t say anything quite compares to visiting this year on High School Day.  Oh my.  From the moment we parked the car at the Walgreens across from Fair Park, I knew we were in for quite an experience.  

We always start the day at the fair off right with MONGO sized candy from Walgreens. Don't ask.

"Howdy, folks!" The day we went to the fair last year, Big Tex had an electrical short and burned.  It was bad-- sort of a freaky sight so we went to see the new guy pretty quickly.  B said he looked "creepy" but it didn't stop him from buying his fourth bobble head of the fair icon.

First ride-- Julia didn't want to ride by herself and Jeff knows to not even ask me.  I can do roller coasters but not these spin, spin, spin things.

So I learned our friend, Jack, would hang glide off Mount Everest if he could.  He chose the $49 dollar ride first, the one that you have to sign papers to get on.  Like 164 feet in the air at 70 mph, round and round.  I called his mom.  Her exact words were, "Holy Cow!  No!"

I thought so.  {You have NO IDEA how relieved my B was.}

So he settled for this.  Twice.

Here is our "altar" picture-- we had our own photographer this year.  {Thank you, Jack.  You did a great job.}

Midway wins.  

We found out Jack likes cars.  And the camera.

Julia doesn't ask for many things but to be walking from the fair empty handed was just too much for her.  She wanted a "prize".   So she tried.

And Jeff tried.

And finally they had a boat race and Julia won.  Prize in hand, she was ready to go.  {Jeff's usual hot fair skills have all been spent on his hot house building skills.}

We had stayed into the night last year due to getting off late because of school.  It was fun to see the fair once the sun went down but last year was not High School Day.  The darker it got, the more crowded it got.  So as we were walking out of the Midway--- everyone holding a hand or a shirt to push through the dense crowd-- it happened.  I sensed something strange then I heard unusual activity, then came the noise and harder pushing and when I saw people running I grabbed kids and did what any mother who has watched the news over the last 20 years-- I grabbed who I could I ran for cover--- behind a lemonade cart-- making myself and Jack and Julia at home underneath someone's feet!  I made them crouch down, called Jeff to see if he had B and listened.  Policeman were everywhere at once and thankfully, there was nothing worse than fist fighting.  It broke out literally 5 feet from us as we were walking out.  Yes, it freaked us out for a bit and we all got back together and made a bee line for the car.  And even that was an adventure as we watched two girls get arrested at the gates.  Three wide eyed kids, two of them being verbal processors-- they missed NOTHING and talked about EVERYTHING until I said, "Let's watch a happy movie!"  I still had library videos in the car from the Atlanta road trip and they watched Air Buddies all the way home.  I think they wouldn't have complained about Dora at that point.  They just wanted something calm and familiar.  

And yes, the Lord heard our thanksgiving over and over and over.  

On to no less exciting things but definitely happier things-- the Saints won their game on Saturday and play at Texas Stadium Saturday night at 6!!  Isn't that crazy?

Recognize our fair friend, Jack?  Great kid.

And, for Brighton, it was on to the the Fall Jazz Piano Festival at TCU.

And Julia had a little fun of her own with Atlee.

They've been doing this-- putting on make up together-- since they were six, I think.  This time they were Interpol agents.  But they needed make up.  Of course.

And they are getting better at it.  Less Bozo.  More, well, Interpol agent.  I didn't even have to ask them to wash it off before we headed to dinner. {These make up dates can spur on GREAT conversations.  I love these girls and am honored that I get to talk to them about things of the heart.}

And here is where I've been picking up lunch-- the truck that sits outside of Lowes!  I've had my fill of Lowes but not these tacos!

And today, I am making an almost 10 year old boy his caramel birthday cake.  And that right there makes a crazy season of life feel very very normal.  

Grateful.