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