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State Fair 2023

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The end of summer is officially here (although, not by calendar standards, as G likes to point out.) The Minnesota State Fair 2023 kicked off on Thursday, and we were there to cheer on the RHSMB. Per tradition, they were the first band in the parade on the first day - what an honor! We're so used to long parades, that when the whole thing was past us in less than 15 minutes, it was a little shocking. Due to copyright issues, I can't post any video of the band online, but trust me, they were great! We ate the perfect amount of fair food that we weren't stuffed, and since it was opening day, it was a little less crowded than the weekends (which was a great thing for us.) G did so well this year, and didn't complain or beg for anything. Now that he's older, it's much easier to bring him places like this, and we can all enjoy it.

We even managed to meet up with my friend Emilie who was there for a work event. It was great to catch up for a few minutes, and take a break from all of the walking.

I dropped Ava off at the high school at 9am, where the band had a quick rehearsal, and then left for the fair. They had the chance to walk around for a bit before their performance, and then they had several hours afterwards where they could keep enjoying the fair, before the buses brought them back to RHS. The only time we saw Ava was when she walked by us in the parade...and also from the Skyride!

Scott, G, and I took a MTVA bus to the fair. It's so easy, I don't know why more people don't do it. We caught the bus at the Eagan transit station, paid $15 for bus tix, and then sat back and enjoyed the ride. We got dropped off close to the entrance, and we even managed to catch the 3pm bus home. Last year, we had to wait an hour for the bus (we had just missed the 3pm bus, so we learned our lesson this year.) And we were back home before 4pm! It was really hot, so G and I went to the pool, while Scott headed out to work on a truck for a bit. 

I picked up Ava that night from the high school, and then we all crashed. We were really tired, and I was surprised to remember I had to work the next day, ha! But Friday flew by, and then it was the weekend again. :)




Outside the DNR building


Gotta watch the fish!


We had NO idea that "Fix It Felix" was a real game...we only knew about it from "Wreck it Ralph"!



Up on the Skyride...


...and we saw the band! There's a yellow arrow pointing to Ava here


Heading home with G's new Squirtle - he behaved so well and only asked for this one item!


Scott and G headed up north this weekend, so Ava and I went out for dinner on Friday night, and then did some shopping. It was a great way to kick off the weekend - I love spending time with her. When we got back home, we ended up watching two movies...until midnight! I introduced Ava to "Clueless" and "She's the Man"...those are movies that G wouldn't find interesting, so we took advantage of it being just the two of us as the movie choosers. 

Sounds like Scott and G are having a great time up north this weekend, hanging outside, working on tractors, going on rides in the woods, etc. It's a nice change of pace for G, and gets him away from suburbia for a bit. I think Scott would live up there permanently if he could.

Ava's heading over to a friend's house this afternoon, and then they are going to a "end of summer" party tonight. That means I will be all alone (with Pria, of course) until I head out for book club at 7pm. It's so weird to have everyone gone...but I love it! I am surrounded by so many people, every day, that these moments of "alone time" are fleeting and precious.

This was a surprise toad that I spotted one night when I let Pria out...it was so big!


On Saturday, the four of us headed over to Deb's house for a family picnic, where we were able to catch up with family members that we hadn't seen in almost a year. And then my mom and I went to a musical last Sunday, and then I spent the evening with my parents. We had a wonderful dinner, and several hours to just chat. Lots of really wonderful family time this past week!

Getting ready to watch "Mean Girls Jr"

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