Exploring L.A. :: The Orange County Fair

This past Saturday, the family headed down to Costa Mesa in Orange County to visit the O.C. Fair. Fortunately it was cloudy and cooler than it has been recently so it wasn't too hot and we all got to enjoy the fun. So the OC Fair is very similar to fairs that Nick seemed to be familiar with in the Midwest with the games, rides, and livestock. There was actually a livestock fair. I know California is a large agricultural state, but a livestock fair in Costa Mesa? Yep, that happened. Now everyone was excited about something different. I was hoping to see some fun crafts and yummy looking cakes and treats as part of the showcase, Ellie was excited about the animals and the rides, Nick...can you guess? Nick was most excited for the weird fair food.

So lets talk animals first. There were two areas of animals, there was a farmyard/barn set-up and a livestock area. The livestock had oxen. Have you ever seen an oxen team up close? Oxen are enormous. Anyway, the farmyard/barn area was probably my favorite. There were baby chicks that you could touch and pet.

Then we saw the piglets. There were baby pigs with their mom. These piglets were only 3 or 4 days old. It was amazing watching them play and cuddle with their mom. I think the piglets may have been my favorite...

       

 

Oh yeah! There were also pig  races. In Costa Mesa, there were pig races. Yep, there was a little track and little pigs raced around the track. They even jumped over hurdles. It was quite entertaining. Ellie even was brave enough to go sit at the edge of the track with other kids to get a super up-close view of the race. I don't think she knew what to make of it. She said she liked it, but I think like all of us, she thought it was a little odd. Here we are like a mile from the beach, and there are pig races going on. Weird right?

 

Nick and Ellie then found some animals that they could pretend to ride...silly people.

Then we headed inside for the showcase events. It was pretty cool to see the doll houses, quilts, wood crafts, baked goods, etc...that people had created and submitted for judging. We explained the ribbons to Ellie and she got quite excited to search for the blue ribbons because, "those people worked really really hard and did their best". A new category at fairs is scrapbooking. They had tons of pages of scrapbooking and even full books from people. That was a new one for me.

Ellie and I then had a chance to decorate a cookie. There was a demonstration of a technique for decorating. Ellie and I were just happy to have a snack. It was fun, Ellie stayed very focused, and she did a great job. It was fun to participate in an activity together. 

Then it was time for the rides. There were two different zones of rides. One for the big kids (most rides you had to be over 48 inches tall) totally aimed at teenagers and with rides that there was NO WAY I was going to let Ellie ride. I mean these things aren't even anchored to the ground! Then there was the KidZone, with rides for the littler kids. Granted, there were still some rides that I wouldn't let her one (still, not anchored to the ground) but there were some that were deemed acceptable by me. Like the Super Slide. Ellie and Nick had to ride on the same potato sack. Both of them had a great time. Then Ellie had a chance to explore a fun-house, which she said was fun. Then there was a crazy ride that went around in a circle really fast forwards and backwards. Ellie thought it was a hoot.

There was also a game designed for little kids. Basically kids had to choose a duck, and then throw it into another pool. Five times. That's it...pick a duck and throw it into a pool. You do that five times and you get a prize. Not rigged, easy, so not a carnival game. But Ellie enjoyed it and walked away with a "duck" (aka a platypus).

Then it was time for food. There were giant signs at vendors everywhere we looked. It was totally overwhelming. I mean, check out some of these crazy foods:

So what did we eat? Well Ellie and I enjoyed some corn (grilled in the husk...totally delicious!), Nick got a foot-long corndog. Then Ellie and I enjoyed a funnel cake. The corn was Ellie and my favorite.

But because you can't go to the fair and be surrounded with tons of deep fried this and that...we had to try something weird. Nick was totally stocked for the chocolate covered bacon. He said it was as good as he thought it would be...which according to Nick was REALLY GOOD. Ellie decided to try the deep fried oreos. She got a four-pack and was generous enough to share with her parents. I wanted the deep fried Twinkies...but apparently they were out. I know real Twinkies are a hot commodity these days...but I was still a little bummed. So I got a deep fried Klondike bar, which tasted like an inside out funnel cake.

So we all had a blast at the fair. Definitely something for everyone. However, I think we are all deep fried and livestocked out...at least till next year.

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July!

Nick had to work today so nothing too exciting happened for us. We did go to the South Pasadena parade. It wasn't what we are used to with parades, no floats covered in flowers, no professional dancers and Disney music, no throwing of tortillas, and no crazy people. It was a lot of old fashioned cars, politicians, and scout troops. It was very small town and then when the John Deere came rolling down the street hauling a flatbed...well, we weren't sure we were in California anymore.












We came home, had a small lunch, and everyone took a nap. After nap, Nick started the grill and we got ready for an all American grill-out! Burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, tortilla chips...we had it all.












Happy Fourth...oh, I'll let our little photo-bomber tell you:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Mommy turns 32

So last Saturday (June 22..mark your calendars for next year) I turned 32. It was a great birthday and Nick and Ellie and my parents made sure to make sure it was a special day for me. We decided we would go up to Santa Barbara for the weekend and so we all got up early on Saturday to hit the road by 8am. However, Nick and Ellie informed me that before we left there was something we had to do for my birthday.

For a very long time (I don't remember when it started but I was pretty young) I have had a Twinkie and a Coke for breakfast. Well, when the whole, Hostess-went-out-of-business-and-there-will-be-no-more-Twinkies-in-the-world thing started to go down, Nick went out and bought a couple Twinkies (among other things) and saved one for my birthday. Last year I learned the hard way that a Twinkie and a Coke is not a breakfast of champions (at least when you are over 30). I ate the Twinkie but saved the soda for another day.

I then got my first present of the day. You may not be so impressed with the fact that I got furniture for my birthday, however, I have been complaining about needing more storage in the living room and needing something for an empty spot in the living room as well. Nick, brave man that he is, went out and got something (without input from me). It looks awesome in its spot, serves its purpose, and is probably exactly what I would have chosen.

We then loaded up the car and headed up to Santa Barbara. The goal was to be up in SB in time to meet up with my parents and go to the Summer Solstice parade. Similar to the Doo-Dah Parade, the SB Summer Solstice parade is not typical and is not for the faint of heart. WE got there in time to find our own little space on the curb and also get some confetti eggs. I think there is a technical term for them, but these eggs (real eggs which have been emptied and cleaned) are filled with confetti and their sole purpose is to be cracked on people's heads.

Then we watched the parade. We didn't stay for the whole thing. It was hot, it was lunchtime, and we got our fill of crazy. There was also more confetti eggs cracked on each others heads.

We started to head back to my parents house for lunch and cupcakes but got distracted by a radio ad that said that some of my favorite bands (Guster, Ben Folds Five, and Barenaked Ladies) were playing that night at the Santa Barbara Bowl. So we stopped and picked up some tickets. Then we went to lunch and headed back for some afternoon cake and presents.
We opted to do cupcakes this year instead of a cake. Everyone got to choose their own amount of frosting (Ellie = lots and lots of frosting, Grandma Pam = just a tiny taste of frosting) so everyone was happy. Everyone got to put on their own sprinkles as well. It was fun.

Then there was more presents. Nick and Ellie had picked out some fancy gadgets for the kitchen and some tools for gardening, including a hose. Yes, I got furniture and a hose for my birthday and I couldn't be happier. Exactly what I wanted and needed. So after we all had our fill of cake and presents it was time for me, Nick, and my dad to head to the SB Bowl for the concert. It was an awesome concert and the weather was perfect (there was even a "super moon").



It could not have been a more perfect day for 32nd birthday. Big thank you to Nick, Ellie, and my parents for making it an amazing birthday.

Oh! random trivia. This was also the first concert Nick and I have attended together where the band was formed after we were both born. We've been to some amazing concerts, U2, Aerosmith, Van  Halen...but alas, all were formed before we were born. Just had to share.