Fair day #1!

My family went to the fair this past Friday. We're usually the type who arrive at the fair at 9:30 or 10am, and stay all day. This time, we didn't make it there until 2, but we still stayed for the fireworks. And I took a grand total of 4 very blurry pictures while we were waiting to ride the ferris wheel.

First we checked out all our family entries... various 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths and Honorable Mentions were awarded to some. In between checking entries, we got some corn on the cob... it's tradition. Anyway, the last entry we got to was my doll dress ... it got 2nd... even though it was the only one in the catagory... apparently the judges didn't think it was good enough for a first, even if it was the only one... I found that pretty funny! And kinda sad...

After we checked all the entries we went to take our traditional picture on the invisible bench. Then we went and rode rides, ate our traditional gyros at John the Greek, and rode more rides... David got me to go on Freak Out (I think that's what it's called...) with him this year, and it was actually pretty fun! There's also a new swings ride! Instead of the swings just going in a circle, you went around AND up really high (I'm not explaining it very well). It was pretty neat.

Then we walked around the Expo center... mostly because it was so COLD outside, but Sarah and I enjoyed seeing all the animals... I especially enjoyed seeing the calves, chicks, ducklings and I think they were baby miniature donkeys... they were all cute, anyway. After that, we rode the ferris wheel and froze... it was so cold up high, whenever the ferris wheel got to the bottom it felt warm.

Then we got some hot cider and hung around the "Heritage Circle" watching the blacksmith and sitting by the tobacco barn fires while we waited for the fire works. About 15 minutes before the fireworks went off, we went through gate 8 before they closed it for the fireworks and settled into our traditional fireworks watching spot. We watch from the parking lot just out side the gate, and then try and get to our car and get out before the crowd of "after fireworks" leavers start leaving.

It was so much fun. I always enjoy going to the fair. The bad part is Sarah picked up a cold, and I've got a little bit of something too... I'm not coughing as much as she is though, I just don't feel very energetic, and I have a scratchy feeling in my throat.

Hopefully we will recover quickly, because we're supposed to be going back to the fair this Friday to see the 10th Avenue North and Jeremy Camp concert with some of our friends...

~Lizzie

Due to popular demand... pic overload II

OK. Here are my pics from the snow day. Be grateful, 'cause it took me forever to pick out these from the 500 odd pics from that day, even more forever for them to upload, and a slightly less forever for me rearrange them in the right order. (stupid picture uploader...)

My version of that tree...

I like the "no trespassing' sign. :D

Shadow staking birds. She almost caught one too but Lizzie didn't want her to so she scared it off. :(

....and there y'all go. :D

AHHH! It snowed!

I can't believe it!! I was completely skeptical. Snow? Yeah, right. But it snowed! Probably because I didn't believe it. And I was so shocked and excited!! I'm going crazy!!!!!!!!! I'll probably post pictures later.

*squeals*

~Lizzie

Scarves and Free Hot Chocolate

The Lighthouse Homeschool band played at The Lighting of Wake Forest tonight. And as you may have gathered from previous posts, Sarah plays in the band, so we went outside to freeze to death while being supportive. Just kidding, it really was fun. But I was really cold. And I was trying to wear a scarf because I really wanted the extra protection from the cold, but I just can't stand scarves. For some odd reason, when I wear a scarf, it causes me to jut my head forward into bad posture. Which gives me a headache, decreases my air flow, and makes my neck ache.

But the good news was that after I was thoroughly chilled and despairing of ever being warm again, the people who were selling hot chocolate decided to give away the last of it, thereby making it possible for me to have some! It was soooo nice and hot... it warmed my hands up through my gloves, and, of course, warmed my insides too.

We have a really busy week coming up. Monday the boys have basketball practice and Sarah has band, then Tuesday we have swimming and the boys have a basketball game. Wednesday we have swimming and water polo, Sarah has band and her private flute lesson, and then we're going caroling. Thursday we have a light swim practice, a swim meet and Sarah's band concert. Friday is another basketball game and Saturday yet another basketball game. And somewhere in there I'm supposed to be doing school so I can GRADUATE. SO not happening... and have I mentioned that after than insanely crazy week we'll only have two weeks to prepare for Christmas? There are at least 5 parties to plan, a million gifts to buy, food to cook, and then right after that, NEW YEARS.

Wow, just thinking about all that makes me exhausted. I'm going to go get some sleep while I can.

~Lizzie

Can't.... breathe.....

*gasp for air* I hate colds. And I think we're running out of tissues... Oh, dear. It was the strangest thing, because this cold just kinda exploded on me (after swimming in the feels-like-it's-38-degrees-instead-of-78 pool) yesterday. I felt fine, until a crazy game of (non-gambling) poker gave me a headache and by the time we got home I had a pretty good cold. It was even worse this morning, and the weirdest part is that Jessica got a cold almost exactly the same way at exactly the SAME TIME.... *insert mysterious music*

In much happier news, Shadow got to come home yesterday and is doing very well. She's only on 400 different kinds of medication, but we're hoping she won't need those too long. She's eating good, and acting normal... for Shadow, anyway. I'm so grateful to God, because on Monday night the vet wasn't giving us much hope, so we went to see her and prayed for her, and the next morning, she was doing SO much better!

~Lizzie

Wow, it's cold.

I just went outside, and realized something fascinating. You see, it's 38 degrees outside. We swim indoors, and supposedly the pool water is 78 degrees. But stepping outside, and diving in the pool feel exactly the same. Actually, stepping outside isn't quite as bad. And I suppose we could be all scientific and say that it's because the air isn't packed as tightly as the water, so it doesn't cover as much of the skin surface, which is why it feels the same.

But I was mostly going for sympathy.

And for those of you who heard about Shadow, (our cat, she's been in the hospital with kidney failure since Sunday) she's doing better this morning!

~Lizzie