The Fair!

This year I have gone crazy about the fair. I've had fair enthusiasm before, but I'm finding it more magical than ever. 

I mean, look at the Midway. It's full of lights and corn dogs and cold drinks. There's gambling! And giant produce! Pig races! Tractor pulls! (Okay. Actually: I learned this year tractor pulls are as boring as they sound.)

Above, my friends (the hot hotties in the center) play Fat Albert. A game of chance involving rats where you put down a quarter in hopes of winning a cheap toy sheep. That's right: Gambling is apparently legal at the fair. Woot!

I tried my first pickle chips at the fair two years ago and fell madly in love. Of course, I had to have them this year as well (on both visits -- with ranch dressing).

My friend Allyson was in the pit of despair because she kept almost winning Bingo, but never actually won Bingo. Life is hard. Also pictured: The sheep my friend Sarah P. won when playing Fat Albert.

I'm scared of heights, but I like Ferris wheels. How does that make sense? It doesn't. It also means I clutch the edge of the seat throughout the entire ride.

So pretty! It's all lit up like Christmas, but there's fried food and pop music instead of eggnog and Christmas carols.

I love giant produce. I love watermelon. I love giant watermelons.

I also love carousels. Can we say whimsy? Whimsy.

Newsies!

This makes my heart pitter patter.

Um...

So, uh, hi guys.

It's been a long time.

I got married. It was awesome. The perfect wedding. The perfect day with the perfect man. I am so in love. I try not to be nauseating, but you're allowed to be nauseating when talking about getting married. As a little girl, I believed in big, huge, amazing true love. Then I grew up and got over it. Then I met Robert and I believed in it again. So far, marriage has been wonderful.

We went to Ireland for our honeymoon and it was so so beautiful.

I left my job at the paper (although I still write for them occasionally) and started school. I'm in the first year of a two-year master's degree program. After the first year, I'll be a licensed teacher. I've been thinking about it for years. It's a big leap. It's scary. But I love kids and education so I think this will work out. (Fingers crossed.)

I promise to update more often starting *right now*!

Wedding dress

Wedding Day

i love you much (most beautiful darling)

more than anyone on earth and i
like you better than everything in the sky

-sunlight and singing welcome your coming

although winter may be everywhere
with such a silence and such a darkness
noone can quite begin to guess

(except my life) the true time of year-

and if what calls itself a world should have
the luck to hear such singing (or glimpse such
sunlight as will leap higher than high
through gayer than gayest someone's heart at your each

nearness) everyone certainly would (my
most beautiful darling) believe in nothing but love

-- ee cummings

rabbit driving a carrot

An IKEA trip with my best friend Sherrie resulted in my buying this rabbit driving a carrot. I would like to point out his adorable yellow glasses and striped coat. So whimsical. So fantastic. I use it to hold jewelry and delicate purses. I think it was meant to be a children's coat rack?

Good advice