Memorial Day

How was your Memorial Day? I spent mine eating bagels and Indian food, drinking a crappy homemade bloody Mary, napping, and quilting. Not a totally unsuccessful day.

However, since living in Indy, the important part of Memorial Day weekend is not Monday, but Sunday, for that is when “The Race” occurs. The Indy 500 of course. After last year I swore I’d never go again, but if any of you know Melissa, you know she is nothing if not persuasive. So I found myself at 5:00 pm asleep in a camping chair, sunburned with blisters on the bottoms of my feet, miles from home and hungry. The thing is, the race itself is kinda fun, once you are inside the track, relaxing with some crystal light and vodka. The journey to and from, however, pretty much ruins it.

This year we drove to a hotel a couple miles away, parked, and decided to walk to the stadium. The picture below shows you how scenic it was. And this was before the junkyard shortcut. Melissa walks 2 miles all the time in Chicago, so she thought it’d be the same. But, they have sidewalks in Chicago, and you are never the only one on the road. In Indy, we walked in the bike lane. Eventually we did get to a sidewalk, no worries. Actually, the walk was fine, we were still fresh and happy, and there was a nice breeze happening.

We hung out with Mel’s bro and his friends in the tailgate area for a bit, enjoyed some champagne from the bottle and then we headed in to “turn three,” which is what part of the infield we sat in. Aka Party Central.

Here was the view from our chairs. You see about 50 yards of the track. So every 3 or 4 minutes a couple race cars go zooming by, really loudly, and then they’re gone. THere’s an announcer telling whats happening, but we couldn’t hear it. We didn’t even figure out who won until about an hour after the race. Apparently the winner was Ashley Judd’s husband. Yay?

We had a hell of a time walking (hobbling) back to the tail gate area where I fell asleep and then was forced to subject myself to a 500 degree porter potty, but eventually we made it home to the most wonderful shower ever, and delicious pizza. We all fell asleep for a couple hours and then watched a awesomely bad movie at home. Overall it was a fun day, but I am glad I’ll be long gone from Indy by this time next year and there’ll be no way Melissa can talk me into it again. Or can she….

Off to Vegas

I am so excited about my mini vacation to the desert! I actually havent been outside of the midwest I think in like 3 years, which is not acceptable. I plan to eat some good food, relax by the pool, see a show, do some shopping, and perhaps gamble. I have a book of gambling tips to read on the plane. We’ll see. I’m not too concerned with trying to win money (aka losing money). I just want to have a few days of fun before I come back to insanity for the next week during which I have to find a new apartment to live in, pack my whole house, move, and sew three quilts and a purse. Luckily, the quilt tops and backs are already made, just need to quilt them and bind them. Eek! But for now, time to fun in the sun!! Vegas here I come!

Cincinnati International Quilt Show!

Not a great day for driving! First up, the mishaps: Why is it soooo frustrating to get lost? Especially when you have a GPS? I might have gone a little bit nuts trying to navigate the fair city of Cincinnati. After the show I wanted to go to Old Navy to look at some pants I’ve been hearing good things about. My GPS kept pinpointing me at the wrong place, so I didnt know if I was going in the right direction or not. I got off the right street, and onto the wrong street, lots of overpasses and  construction and metal. Lots of metal and steel in Cinci. Plus the rain. Then I was trapped on a road that followed the river, and there didnt seem to be a way to cross said river. Little did I know that I didnt actually need to cross the river, but I thought I did.  All the houses were built into the side of a hill and overlooked a valley. I had no clue where I was. My GPS kept leading me deep into the hill. Higher up. More twisty streets. More decrepit houses. Boys carrying fishing poles. It was weird. Tiny alleyways. When I eventually found a main road, and travelled down it, it was only to discover that Old Navy is gone, and a Michael’s is now in its place. Ahhh! That was a frustrating hour of the day, I’ll tell ya what. But on to better things. The Quilt Show!

Part of it was a gallery, like an art show, and part of it was a market, with lots of vendors. I’ve decided I need a long arm quilting machine. Anyone have $10,000 they aren’t using? From the show part (this was before I noticed all the No Photos signs…. Once I saw them I became a law abiding citizen…)

These quilts were from the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild. They are all modern interpretations of the “Ohio Star” block, which normally looks like this I guess.

I thought this one was neat because from far away the white squares to me looked light flashed of light, or some type of sparkle. But up close they were just some random small white squares. Cool.

This quilt was crazy! The first picture is a closeup with my hand for scale- each little square was probably only a centimeter. The picture on the left is the whole quilt. Whoa! So many tiles. I dont even undertand how it is possible to create this. Amazing. I also liked the hot pink and turquoise (duh). And the crazy chickens! (?)

Another one made of a million tiny scraps. But these seemed to be fused on top of each other, or appliquéd, rather than sewn into rows.

This was a crazy 3D art quilt. A map of Central Park in New York, with all the buildings around it.

This one’s colors didnt draw me in at first, but the DETAIL! Plus there were tons of awesome matryoshka dolls and mushrooms! And something I thought was so cool was that she had some little dolls peeking out past the binding. Now that’s thinking outside the box. I really liked it.

These were a couple more I thought were neat. The yellow flower one especially I thought did neat things with fabric.

And here are a couple shots from the market side. Lots and lots of thread. Some apparel fabrics! Brutus Buckey mini quilts. I thought it was kinda random that they had Buckeye stuff. But then like 10 hours later I remembered– I was in Ohio! And a neat “Love” quilt pattern/kit.

Plus, of course, MY loot! I had some cashola saved up for a straightening iron.. but I think my current one can hang on a bit longer. So I took that stash with me, plus used some of my recent Etsy funds. I don’t think I overspent. For the most part I tried to buy things I hadn’t seen before. Plus some affordable batting. And fabric dye, which is my new goal project. And I must be in a pink/yellow mood from the spiderweb quilt… oh, and I bought some awesome silk that was only $9.99 a yard. I hope I can figure out how to sew a pretty shirt with it. I plan to practice with voile. (It’s the pink with black bows). And that duck fabric!! It’s home dec weight. I’ve already tried scouring the internet for more but I can’t find it. I know the manufacturer is “kokka” a Japanese brand, but I can’t find it. It came in blue too. May be good for some babies I know

Thanks for reading! It was fun to wander around and think about sewing, and see what other people are doing.

The Bachelor: The Return! (of the helicopter)

Here we are, on one of the last legs of this “incredible journey.” This week will take place in Switzerland, and I’ll just go ahead and let you know that I’m incredibly jealous.

The show starts with Ben’s Plane Ride o’ Reflection. As he rides in some type of fancy plane to Switzerland (or maybe that was just first class– I want it!) we are meant to think that he is spending this particular journey thinking about his choices and about the women, although Ben has not exactly proven himself to be a deep thinker, so I’m not convinced. We get little recaps of each one.

Hmmm.....ginger ale or coke?

He seems to struggle to find anything nice to say about Nikki. Essentially, she’s nice and would make him happy. Ok…. Lindzi he seems slightly more into, but still, the best he can come up with is that what he likes about her is that she makes him happy. No Ben, what do you like about her. Aw, forget it. He then talks about Courtney and claims she’s a bit nerdy. I take offense to that. Nerds are normally smart. Courtney is an idiot; therefor, I don’t think she qualifies as a nerd. I think the word Ben wants is “incredibly big weirdo and not in a good way.” He reminds us she’s a rebel who he went skinny dipping with and then this clip flashes on the screen.

Say whaaaaa?

Hmm, that’s weird. I don’t remember this naked make-out session. All in all, Ben believes this week, with the overnight dates, will give him the clarity he needs. Ew.

Ben’s first date this week is with Nikki. Guess what they do?? You’ll never ever guess.

Surprise!....?

But Ben does get like 1/8th of a point by kinda acknowledging the fact that all he ever does is ride in helicopters, so I’ll give that to him. They fly around for a long time, in fact it’s how they spend their day.

Taking our relationship to new heights (their words!)

I guess that view is decent. They sit on top of a mountain (or so Nikki claims) and talk about Nikki’s family and how she is in love with Ben. Ben has this throw-away line, saying her dad reminds him of his dad. Uh oh. I think Nikki takes this to mean that Ben wants to be parts of her family. I think she’s overreacting. Nikki talks a lot, and Ben does his usual job of nodding and giving inane replies. Like “uh huh” “yeah” and kissing her to shut her up. Doesnt he look so excited to be with her?

Definitely feel a spark

In a voiceover Ben claims that this day showed him a spark and a new side to Nikki (seemed exactly the same to me) and he hopes she will spend the night with him. Convenient!

Oh man, Nikki is sooo into Ben. She talks about their future all the time, and she looks really happy. Ratio of words Nikki says to words Ben says. Roughly 300:1. I just don’t think theres any way she is going to win, and I’m starting to feel really bad for her. I mean, if you were the Bachelor/ette wouldnt you feel kinda messed up about letting someone plan their life with you, knowing for sure it wasnt going to happen. Also about having them spend the night when you? Ben does ask her how she pictures herself “integrating into [his] life,” which excited Nikki, but my goodness, Ben. Selfish much!? How about “how would we integrate our lives together?” Jerk. Anyways, they are off to the fantasy suite, complete with hot tub and a fire and a million candles. Aaaaand scene.

Lingering shot of the bed...

Obviously, the second date we see is Lindzi’s. They start out with some extreme sports, or so they say. Repelling down a cliff! Well, when I think of repelling (and maybe I’m wrong) I feel like you actually interact with the cliff. Like, use it to jump out and down. No? Well, these two just sloowwwwly release a rope that is hanging next to a cliff, but it doesnt look like it ever actually touches the cliff. Kinda weird, and not that cool.

We went rope dangling!

Ben says he loves Lindzi and, also conveniently, today he says he saw a more affectionate side, leading to his justification for the overnight date!

They show their dinner and they each use the word vulnerable approximately 800 times. It’s super exciting. So, Lindzi was dumped last year, but she has bravely allowed herself to fall in love again. With Ben! And that’s really all the story we ever learn about Lindzi, other than that she likes horses, and for some reason Ben.

Ben and Lindzi's bed shot

Do you think they show the beds as a not-so-subtle sign that overnight dates mean sex? So creepy.

Courtney and Ben get to have a normal date of taking a train up to one of the little towns near Interlocken (which I also did while I was there, and it’s awesome), and then they get a picnic and go eat it next to some cows. By this point I think the producers have told Ben how badly they are going to portray Courtney, because she’s given them so much material to work with. So Ben has to now act like he is concerned about Courtney’s treatment of the other women. I’m not buying it though. When the women brought it up multiple times during the season, he did not care at all, and usually got mad at them for saying anything. When he brings it up Courtney tries to excuse it by saying it was a weird situation and that she tried to be nice (sure). Ben says it was messed up regardless. Hey, go Ben! But then he instantly backs down and says he doesnt want to talk about it. That’s the Ben I know.

In a talking head Courtney’s voice sounds like she’s crying, yet she never sheds a tear. Odd.

This is how I cry

On the next part of their date, Ben tells her that in order for this to work HE needs support. HE has a lot of women friends and basically wants to know if Courtney is going to be a bitch to them. She doesnt exactly say that she won’t, she says there’s more good than bad and that she has trust issues. But, Ben wants to go land skinny dipping with her so he chooses to hear this as an apology. Interesting how that works. I’ll never forget Oprah saying “people tell you who they are.” But then it’s up to you to decide whether or not to listen. Ben is not listening.

Instead, they go to their fantasy suite and get into a giant barrel that I really hope is filled with wine!

This is what life with Ben would be like on his winery.

The next segment is just so weird. So, Emily is the next Bachelorette. She is a single mom who gets lonely and she lives in an extremely nice house. She’s also really, really pretty in the most traditional way you can be pretty. She has giant teeth. She meets up with ex-Bachelorettes Ashley and Ali and they do a bunch of odd stuff like try on clothes, get their make up done, and then go on a date with each other to see Titanic in 3D. Wha?? Way to be current, show.

Is this an image you expected to see when you started this show?

Anyways, the segment tells us nothing really, other than that Emily wants to find a love like Rose and Jack’s. In a way it’s the perfect metaphor, since this show is essentially a sinking ship, and that’s where she’s headed to find love!

But, back to our current love story. Oh yeah, the mystery guest! It is Kaci (B…). She has returned for answers! She seems super nervous and shaky. Hate that feeling.  Ben, if you’d have said more than a half-assed “sorry” last week, this wouldnt be happening. She says she was so shocked last week she didnt know what to say. Ben kind of looks like he thinks she has come to tell him something.

Yes, I will listen to you. Proceed my child.

No Ben. She wants you to talk for the first time ever. She wants answers about why he dumped her because she didnt see it coming. He basically tells her he wouldnt be able to get along with her family. She didnt do anything wrong, he just knew he wasnt going to propose. This doesnt seem to help much, shockingly. So she tells him if its not going to be her, dont pick Courtney either. Haha. Awesome. Ben gets pissed at her and shuffles her out the door. Kaci doesnt want to leave, but Ben clearly doesnt want  her around anymore.

Kaci's fantasy suite didnt go quite as expected

Ben says he had made his decision (spoiler?? so, is he telling us he had already made his mind up about picking Courney? Sorry, other two girls he just slept with!) and then Kaci showed up and threw him for a loop. So he talks to Chris about his confusion, but not really. It’s pretty boring. He claims to be confused. I don’t really believe it, but we’ll see!

Rose Ceremony time!

It takes wayyyyy too long, but basically Ben gets rid of the one girl who actually seemed to truly like and/or love him. Way to go Ben! He walks her out, as the two remaining girls stare at them.

The Phaaaaaaantom of the opera is there....inside your mind

Learning  a lesson in goodbyes from Kaci, and not wanting to risk a return encounter from Nikki, he explains that she’s great, her family is great, and he loved every minute of their time together. He just started to have doubts at the end. Yeah, but…. weren’t those doubts about Courtney?? Anyway, Nikki is upset, and now Ben is left with two women who SAY they love him, but for some reason I just don’t buy it from either one of them. So, I’m not super invested in the outcome.

Next week is the reunion/women tell all. Chris Harrison keeps referring to this season as the most controversial…. I dont think he actually knows what that means  because I cant think of a controversy other than skinny dipping, which no one but me has talked about since it happened… I hope the reunion is good, and the ladies are mean to Ben. It never happens, but a girl can dream.

2 weeks until the final show, which Chris also promises will be controversial. What, will they be legalizing gay marriage on the show? I guess we’ll find out!

Review: Twenty Tap, Indianapolis

This weekend Aaron and I tried a new restaurant we haven’t been to yet, Twenty Tap, in South Broad Ripple. They’ve been open for a few months but we don’t go down that way that often.

The bad: My only real complaint is the atmosphere. Just plain wooden booths, maybe some red and yellows. It is not warm or inviting, there is not much decor. I’m not sure exactly what’s wrong, and this probably sounds weird, but it felt like there were too many angles. This may be related to the lighting? Not enough light sources softening out the edges? It was pretty busy when we went, and the place is divided into a bar side and an eating side. In the front of the bar side there are 2 dart boards in the area where normally people would stand and wait for their tables. Or, which could be filled with more bar high tops so more people could be sitting and eating. There was not enough room for darts and it seemed like a really dumb place to try to put it.

The good: We waited about 10 minutes for a table and got a beer while we waited. They have “twenty taps” most of them were local. I think the beer I tried was called “Fountain Square Blonde.” I liked it but it was nothing super special. But our meal was delicious! We ordered two appetizers, boiled peanuts and cheese curds (a meal representing my Midwestern heritage and Aarons Southern upbringing…). I have never had boiled peanuts before, and they were interesting. Not terrible, but not amazing I didnt think. Aaron liked them because he’s missed them, but he said he prefers them even softer. The curds were really really good. We have tried a lot of curds here in Indy, but there were the best. Good beer batter, nice and chewy, and you got to choose two aiolis. We got horseradish and chipotle. They were both yummy!

For dinner we shared a sandwich. Impressively, they served tofu. This was the description of our sandwich: “Vegan Bahn Mi w/ Smoked Tofu, Pickled Carrot and Daikon, Cliantro, Cucumber, Jalapeno, and Vegan Mayo.” I thought it sounded like it would either be really good and flavorful or really dry and bland, but it was really good! Lots of flavor, warm, silky tofu, crunchy cucumber, creamy mayo, cilantro. We both really liked it. And saw quite a few other people order it too. It came with fries which were decent but salty and we were pretty full by this point.

All in all it was a good experience, and we will go back! I just wish they would redecorate.

How to Spend a Day in Zionsville, IN

This past weekend I went with my aunt to the cute little town of Zionsville, Indiana. It is only about 15-20 minutes from where I live, much closer than I thought. We got there and drove down the main street, checking things out. We were instantly charmed! So many cute little places, and the homes were adorable! We parked the car and then stopped in a store for a restaurant recommendation. I am not sure if we followed what the woman said. Aunt Kiki was looking to eat “in an old house” so we just walked down the road until we found one. After rejecting one place because of the smell of sausage we landed on a little place called Serenity. Old house: check. It had a nice front porch and cool glass front doors and it was basically a front sitting and dining room with tables added. It was cute, very home-y. It had a small menu of mostly salads and sandwhiches. And scones! Of course, Aunt Kiki lives neat the greatest scones in all the land (Foster’s Market) but we figured we would try these too. I had decaf, and Aunt Kiki ordered tea, which came in a cool tea pot and floral teacup/saucer. The first tea was rejected for tasting like hot water. The second tea passed the taste test. We shared sherry mushroom soup which came served in the cutest little Le Cruset-esque ramekin with lid. It was super tasty! I had a grilled cheese with pesto and a nice green salad and Keeks got the quiche. Scones were tiny but good. Lunch was topped by an odd concoction of almonds, cherry, whip cream, and what the lady called “pie crust” but which tasted basically like oatmeal. I wasn’t a fan, but Aunt Kiki liked it.
Then we continued on down the road, admiring all the cute houses that were now businesses, as well as businesses which were also houses (a bookstore that was full of natural light and wood, which had an upstairs apartment I would surely live in). We stopped in a great wine store where the salespeople gossiped about the lady who owns the place where we ate lunch and how she isnt allowed to get a liquor license. We were also told about some more must-see things in Zionsville.  Such as:

Nancy Noel’s gallery (called The Sanctuary). We had heard right away that we needed to check this out, and this was our second recomendation. And we heard she was in town! According to her Wikipedia page, Nancy opened her first gallery in Broad Ripple in 1970. The place she has in Zionsville is an old church that is mainly empty inside, except for her paintings and a very nice lighting system. There is a cool chocolate shop/cafe to one side, and a store/storage in the basement. It is quite nice and impressive. She is obviously quite successful, judging from her gallery alone. Her paintings cover a wide range, from angels with skeletons, to little Amish girls and quilts, to elephants, roosters, and dogs. Not all of it was my taste, but it was all lovely, and her use of light was pretty. My favorite was a giant zebra painting that didn’t fit in much with the other works, but used a lot of the bright colors that I gravitate towards. We went down to the gift shop and lo and behold, Nancy herself was down there. We didnt know what she looked like but oddly enough she was instantly recognizable as true artist/painter types usually are. She had wavy blonde hair, white shirt, and a white knitted headband type thing. She had a very calm aura that I liked. There was also a giant dog (hers) that Aunt Kiki didnt even have to bend down to pet who followed me around sniffing my grilled cheese leftovers. On the counter I saw my zebra print for sale! We talked to Nancy and her sales ladies for a while, and each picked something out to get. Of course Aunt Kiki can always convince you to buy something, especially art. It’s part of her charm. And she found a painting of a bowl of fruit with a cool bright parrot on it. We each had out work signed, and now I need to find a frame. Here it is:

I am working on gathering art and photos to make a gallery wall in the downstairs landing by my stairs, so this will definitely be a part of it.

After the gallery we walked some more, went into a few shops and the upstairs to a place called Plums which was great. It was a big loft space with brick walls, old couches, a cafe, and a bar. Perfect. I was telling Aunt Kiki I always wish for a coffee shop that also serves wine. They are not as common as they should be. I had a nice smooth sauvignon blanc and Aunt Kiki had a cappuccino that she actually liked and didnt compare to Starbucks! And, it reminded me of Rome. There was a great chalkboard wall painted with a wintery tree with cardinals (painted by the local elementary art teacher, we learned). And there was a wedding taking place there that night. A nice place for a small, cozy wedding.

Walked around some more, took pictures of this house’s garden and wine bottle tree (I want one someday. All champagne bottles!)

 

Then we went to a little museum and saw an exhibit that was really cool. This man, when he was a soldier/chaplin in WWII collected shards of stained glass from bombed out cathedrals and sent them home to the States. Recently he commissioned a bunch of artists to incorporate his shards into larger window pieces that had to do with the war. It was a really nice, free museum, and a really interesting exhibit. (Sullivan Munce Museum).

On the way home I noticed a nature trail and a really cool-looking high school made of wood and glass. Some type of fancy prep school. It was a fun day and cool to explore a little town so close to me. Who knew??

Aurora in Brights!

Aurora in Brights!

Originally uploaded by nancyjo001

And these were some other things I was drawn to at home: A crazy fabric purse at Anthropologie, 2 great couches I would love to own, and a fabric scrap owl wall hanging. Good stuff!

I miss Ohio

Ohio is a fun place to be, and I miss it already. I miss hanging out with my family and being silly and catching up on what everyone is doing and discussing upcoming adventures. My family is full of interesting and smart people, and I wish I was still in Ohio.

Came back to some sadness that I will avoid writing about for now, but just something I am noticing about myself is that when I feel bad or sad my first instinct, and the first place my mind goes, is escape. I instantly start thinking about where I can move next, where I can go, how soon I can get up and leave. I am sure this is a defense mechanism of some sort. But now it feels like I have no plan for my life, no long-term goals or even long-term ideas. I think in the next few weeks I will really sit down, decide where I want to be in a year (physically, and with writing, sewing, etc.), and figure out what I need to do to get there. But for now, memories of the weekend:

-learning how to say crossword puzzle in German (this will surely come in handy)

-Aunt Nancy’s really yummy rice dish

-cream puffs!

-Carrie’s belly, attempting to feel Finn

-love and support from my family for my Etsy shop

-watching tv in the hotel

-first business use of my new Blackberry

-giving Carrie the quilt I made

-seeing various little boys at Holly’s party and imagining the various stages of Finn that are on the horizon

-hearing about Kenya preparation (jealous!)

-just lots of good times and laughing, which is usually the case.

Until next time family!! (I was going to post pictures but can’t decide if people would mind or not…)

Also, new people are moving in downstairs. A girl my age is the only one I’ve seen but I am guessing she didnt rent a 3 bedroom by herself. Her parents helped her move in today, so that makes me like her already. She’s just like me! ALthough I hope they get furniture/carpet soon, it is really echo-y down there now.

Off for a run and then to the grocery story, unless anyone knows a recipe that can be made out of 2 week old mashed potatos, wilted cilantro, soy milk, and grapefruit juice, because that’s all I have at the moment.

Oh, and I will hear back about Renegade Craft fair on Friday. More soon. I promise!

They want 11 dollar bills but I’ve only got 10

Sometimes I just get really bored. With myself. And I want to move. I always think that if I could just move, my life would be what I want it to be. (I do know that this doesnt actually happen, because I do move, and things are usually pretty much the same. Or only small changes happen). But still, it’s as if I moved to Paris I would suddenly be really chic and stop wearing fleece. Or if I lived in New Mexico I’d become really bohemian and have a huge garden and, I don’t know, paint giant paintings of flowers/vaginas and animal skulls. Or if I move to LA I’ll suddenly have skinny thighs and look good in giant sunglasses.

And sometimes I wonder, just when I am I going to be the person I actually want to be? And then I get mad because 1. I dont even really know who that is, and 2. It is my fault I’m not anyway. I mean, if I really wanted to be stylish I would actually wash my face and change out of pajamas on my days off, but I don’t because I’m too lazy. If I really wanted to write, I would….. Which is another thing, actually. I have been thinking about writing a lot again, probably because of the Vermont Studio Center thing, which I will be attending as a writer, not a visual artist, so I should probably work on something before I go. Thank god I have a year to do that now. But I have had a weird itch to do it again. I bought a notebook. But once again I just feel overwhelmed. It is hard for me to write just to write, I get into a mindspace of thinking that if it’s not going to turn into a totally finished story than I am wasting my time. Which is really dumb, yes, I know.

Anyway, I finished the red, white, and blue version of a little pouch I have been working on. Also finished a new wedding purse design but can’t get a good picture of it because it hasnt been sunny in like 2 weeks.

It’s been a weird week. Will try to get a few more bags sewn before my meeting with the lady from N. Rue, which is on Tuesday, and then after that I am going to sew come pillow covers to put in the shop for when I turn in my craft fair application. Going to go read trashy magazines on my break now. Sure, I could start my new copyediting project, but what fun would that be!?

Fairs and fairies

In my effort not to let more than one week pass between entries, I will no doubt end up posting once a week. That’s just how I roll. But I am trying to DO the things I want to do, even when I don’t exactly feel like doing them and even when they seem hard. I guess it’s something like saying yes more than saying no. Or doing more than not doing. We’ll see.

Took a family outing to the fair tonight. I think it was my most unhealthy night of the whole summer. The list of foods includes: deep fried cheddar nuggets (4 stars), sweet potato fries (2 and half stars), cinnamon roll (5 stars), kettle corn (1 and a half stars), nachos (1 star), cream puff (1 and a half stars), deep fried pickle spears (would have been 3 stars but they weren’t fresh, so dropping it to 1 and half). I think that’s “all.” But I may be forgetting something. And this all came after a brunch at Nosh (breakfast burrito and a falafal-type wrap) a fairy cookie from Geneva. Oh man.

But the fair was not all food- we rode the Tilt-a-Whirl with a sweaty little kid who asked if he could sit with us. He was ridding this ride in a continuous loop as he had a unlimited ride pass. He would cheer every time we really got going. He was a cute one, but seemed to be wandering the fair alone. Maybe his parents were watching nearby. Or maybe they were animal owners or something. Fair animals are also nice. Crazy (Fancy) chickens, lovely cows, weird, giant, fluffy rabbits, a hare, horses racing around barrels, and pigs. Walking through the pig barn was really strange. The grunting seemed to come from everywhere and it also sounded piped in. It was too pig-like to be real.

We also saw some quilts and crafts and food, but they were not super impressive. I guess my fair standards are high after spending many summers at the Ohio State Fair- a truly magnificent one. Still, it was a good time.

Needless to say, I did not get my run in today, which was unfortunate. Lesson learned- running after going to a fair is not possible. But I will run tomorrow because I am trying to stay on my training schedule for a half-marathon in November. If I get too far behind I won’t be prepared to run it. But so far I think I’m doing ok. But I do need to get to the store for some healthy food because one thing I really learned this summer is how much of a difference it makes to work out after heating healthy, compared to working out after eating improperly. It’s like running with two different bodies!

Ok, going to go read and sleep. Trying to get up early tomorrow (By 10:30) so I can get lots of work done before I go to Indianapolis on Friday. Lots and lots of stuff to do- including fellowship apps! Must get at least the one, and preferably both, done before I leave.