The Not-So-Great State Fair of Texas....and other adventures in Dallas...

Samantha, her little (by age only) brother, and myself embarked on a mini-roadtrip to texas on Saturday morning. We were supposed to be seeing Samantha's beloved boys [The threesome that is Hanson], but due to an illness, their concert was cancelled....more on that in a bit....

   

Look at these cheerful faces...So excited to be roadtripping...Even if it was only to Texas for two days. It was a pleasant journey...minimal traffic [until we actually got to Dallas, of course] and with the exception of this little accident...there were limited delays.

Interesting thing about this accident...it must have occured less than a moment before we decided to take this exit in search of a gas station. We ended up having to turn around [driving the wrong direction on an off ramp] in order to get back on the interstate [by doing a really sharp U-turn...tire screeching included]. It was a sign of things to come...

Well, we arrived near the fair...and I use the word "near" with serious intent. It took us about 25 minutes to get to a place where we could park...and then we were asked to move about 100 feet down the line because we had parked in the non-marked "handicap" spots. grr. THEN...we "got" to take a tram to the actual fair entrance [or at least about a 1/3 mile from the entrance].

Dumbest tram ride, ever! At least there was a breeze?

After our long trek to the gate, we saw this lovely sign....It was a sad moment which only got more sad as the day went on (because we had to endure the non-so-great fair atmosphere without the reward of good music)

But hey, at least we didn't have to stay til 8:30 (thank you, Jesus). I might have actually injured someone.  Now, on to the good stuff...what did we eat at the fair?!?!

Well, don't get too excited...we didn't eat as much as one might think we would given our enviroment and my love of fair food. I will say this though, The GREAT State Fair of Oklahoma had MUCH better food.  We searched for what seemed like years to find a corndog...a CORNDOG...that's a staple fair food, right!?! We finally found one and I was a little happier...just look at my face.

And then there was the Fried Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It was tasty...but it was no Red Velvet Funnel Cake.

Then, we found some lunch...Sammy ate this tasty(?) chili dog and I enjoyed some delicious sweet ice tea [not pictured]...we also took time for a food court photo op....

Then, it was time for one of my favorite parts of the day...the people watching!! We met this lovely fashion -challenged lady while in the food court...poor thing.

Then later, we ran into this "Denim Hipster"... 

And last but not least, "Dreadlock dude"...These things were SO sick...I guess we should all admire his dedication?

We eventually got fed up with the heat and rude people and decided to leave. So we made the LONG journey back to the gate, so we could walk to the tram and ride to our parking spot...They gave us these seemingly innocent teas on the way out....hmm.."Two if by Tea"...how catcy...wait, whats that?...RUSH LIMBAUGH? TEA!?! What a genius trap. Way to go Texas, way to go.

Also, in exchange for some [phony] information, I got these rad Dallas Cowboy faux-ray-bans....Not too shabby, right?

Before heading back to the hotel, we made a few other stops....World Market...Where I found these delightful items...Giant Tootsie Pop and LOTR Pez set...[ignore how completely exhausted I look, please]...and this adorable little package of nutella...LOVE!

We also stopped by one of my new favorite places in Dallas, Good Records. It's kind of like a heaven on earth for a girl like me...I had to behave myself. I could spend hours in there looking through all of their vinyl....I managed to escape with only two purchases this time...

We discovered, on our way back to the hotel, that everything in Dallas is an adventure. We apparently took a wrong street while on our way back to the hotel and ended up in this....

Gross, right? 15-20 minutes and less than one mile later, we found a little patch of grass to escape the interstate [thank the Lord for SUVs] and made our way back to the hotel...we're all starting to get REALLY grouchy and hungry right about now. We went to the room, freshened up [a.k.a. washed our feet] and went out in search of a Which Wich...we never found it. We decided to settle on Popeye's and then a visit to Half Price Books...Here's my loot...

We made it back to the hotel (without incident...at this point we feared the interstate) and I look this obligitory hotel photo...woot...then we crashed.

We woke up, ate some breakfast at the always delicious Einstein's Bakery (Bagels...something like that)...I got the Spinach, Mushroom, and Swiss...it was HEAVENLY...

I guess it wasn't a horrible trip. It started off rocky, but once we were away from the fair our morale improved greatly. I'm glad I got away for a little while...and now, I get to enjoy an ENTIRE week without work [I love working at a college and I love Fall Break!]  Here's a tentative agenda (because you're dying to know)...

Monday: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! [well, maybe a little cleaning and movie watching, but nothing requiring too much effort]
Tuesday: It's Nephew's 2nd Birthday!!! I can't believe he's going to be 2!
Wednesday: All-day(ish) Movie marathon!
Thursday: Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde with the MomLady and Friends
Friday: Coaster making party with some lovely ladies for the Cup Runneth Over Project

Until next time...

  Peace.

-M





A month is too long....

Hello all! I know i've slacked a bit on this whole blog thing...I can't even say that it's because i've been busy...I think it's more that I've been lazy...

In typical Meaghan fashion, I'll be updating you on the past month through a variety of photos. That's the best way to update you, without boring you to tears. [I will warn you in advance...this won't be chronological]

First up!....The Great State Fair of Oklahoma!

MomLady, my wonderful friend Marcus, and I (disregard how creepy my MomLady looks)

Typically, I like to try to go during the first few days of the fair...it smells a lot better, but fate had other plans. We ended up going on the second to last day. It was still a blast! The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the people were interesting (as always).

 Look at these delicious treats!!! [left to right: Corndog w/mustard, Red Velvet Funnel Cake, Fried Peaches]. Let me just tell you about the funnel cake. IT WAS AMAZING. I'd be willing to say that it was better than a regular funnel cake. It had powdered sugar AND creamcheese frosting...YUM! The fried peaches were also delicious. And who doesn't love a corndog at the fair?

How cute is this goat?!?! [random]

I also watched my first pig race. [also random]

Look how cute we are...I love my MomLady. Oh, see those tiny people behind us? I didn't tell you about them did I? Well, we chose to go to the fair on this particular day based almost entirely upon their presence...that's right, people...those tiny people are THE VILLAGE PEOPLE!

Look at them in all of their glory! They're so fantastically cheesy! They're old...and they've added a soldier (for political reasons?). I wasn't really a fan of this addition. One cool thing though...he did give a shout out to all of the people who serve or have served in our military. That was cool. Also, the indian ("native american") chief mooned the audience....It. Was. Frightening.

Moving on...

As many of you know, September is breast cancer awareness month, and to show my support (you know, instead of posting some "mysterious and vague" status on Facebook), I decided to do something that both supports a cause and makes my tummy happy...so...

I ate this delicious donut! How cute is this thing? I believe whole-heartedly that those little pink ribbon sprinkles made this donut taste a million times better!

Another random event....

I am a self-professed movieaholic. I love movies...almost everything about them actually. I love the whole theater experience. Well, on one of my lovely movie outings, as I was waiting for my friend to arrive at the theater, I noticed something odd....A woman pulled into a parking spot across the isle from me. She was in the spot, but kept inching forward. She ended up with the front end of her SUV about 1/3 of the way into the spot in front of her. Stupid woman, right? It's gets better. She then proceeded to turn her tires and inch forward a little more...she was now parked in 4 spots. 4 SPOTS! Now she's stupid AND greedy. Being the slightly snarky and sarcastic person that I am, I decided that this was unacceptable. So, I wrote that jem of a lady a little note and placed it gently under her windshield wiper....

At least I was nice about it, right? Right? Meh, even if she thinks I'm hateful it needed to be done. Its not as though she was unaware of how she parked...I watched her turn around and look at her car as she locked it....so, I have no regrets.

Next!

What else happend, what else happend?....Oh! My birthday is soon and my WONDERFUL MomLady was nice enough to get me these super rad tickets....

TO BEN FOLDS!!! I'm so excited to see him again. My love for him has been rekindled since the start of the new season of The Sing-Off [if you don't watch it, you should. The end.] We're gonna get all dolled up and I'm so excited! Expect pictures of that!

MomLady and I took the nephew to a high school football game. He obviously isn't interested in taking a picture with is favorite aunt, but he LOVED the marching band. He does this cute little dance anytime he hears music, and the band was no different. We had a good ol' time. And yes, I really do think I'm his favorite aunt...He loves me.

I was also honored to attend the premier of a project that two dear friends of mine have started recently. The project is called the Cup Runneth Over Project. After visiting Africa several times, and witnessing the dedication of a water well in one african village, my friends felt urged to do something to help the people of Africa. They started this wonderful project which gives all of it's proceeds towards well pumps (100%!). They are selling coaster sets (which might seem odd, but is a simple reminder that while our cups are full, so many others are empty) and I encourage you to check them out! You can find more information on their facebook page. CLICK HERE!

Also, I made this rad skirt. I went thrifting with the MomLady and found this semi-ugly ankle length skirt circa 1991 (you know, the kind you'd wear with scrunched socks and high-top boots)...and thought to myself...I can make that cute. It already had the green polka-dot thing going for it. So, I added a little fabric to the bottom and sewed it into this lovely little bubble skirt. It still needs a little work, but I think it turned out quite well. See MomLady, this is why you should trust my creative instincts! (she had no faith)

Well, that's pretty much all I have today. I hope to be a little more frequent with my posting this month...it is Halloween month, afterall! Until next time, I leave you with this doodle....

  Peace.

-M