{crazyjen}

Rice County Fair

me, Kimmie, Traci, Mom, Dad, Jimmy, Kelly, Stacy and Heidi went to the Rice County Fair last night. It was a beautiful night to go, not too hot, a tad bit breezy, not too busy and the food was good. (good being a relative term if you like greasy, expensive, fattening fair food.) :)

We ate (duh), checked out the fair projects, ooh'd and aah'd over the animals (passed on the goats and piggies though-nothing exciting there), did a little bingo-ing (Kim's still fuming about losing) and bashed each other in bumper cars (Dad was going down). Overall, a very fun evening.

One of the best parts of the evening actually didn't come at the fair though. We were driving there and back and Kim, Traci and I sang Nickelback songs and Baby Got Back all the way. God it was hilarious. All of us, sqashed into the backseat singing, all the friggin' words. It was one of those moments I've got imprinted in my memory. Mom and Dad in the front cringing because we were off-key half the time.

For some reason I keep wanting to title this one "Walk this Way" then I start singing the Aerosmith song. Me, Kimmie and Traci from the back. Not sure we'll get many dates showing men this picture though. :)

Kimmie HAD TO SEE a Jersey calf, "cause they are the cutest," she says.

Traci's favorite, a belted Galway. She wanted to take one to the fair but we don't know anybody that has one and they are expensive to buy.

Kimmie says, "Oh! Is that a petting zoo? Oh!! Can we stop?" I say, non-chalantly, "Yes, Kimmie, we can stop."  So she immediately heads over to the food machines so she can feed them.  Traci says, "She's such a kid at heart." Too true.

Here is my favorite, a Highland Calf. Man they are cute. There was some not so cute looking animals though. Traci and I said as we walked by this shifty looking camel, "Um...he looks dangerous, let's keep walking."

Me looking crazy with my free hibiscus hair clippy I got from the Hawaiian shaved ice stand.

Me with my $10 winning bingo card! yeah! that was nice. I bought everyone the next game and ended up winning that one too. We only played two games and I won both. Damn Kimmie was ticked at me. She just glared so I called her my "bingo troll." LOL

Kimmie and I taunting Dad in bumper cars. "Hey Dad, we're coming, are you quaking in your boots?" "Dad, we're watching you!" "Dad, you're going to be nothing but road kill." "Hey Ma, take some pictures!"

So there was this little girl that we were watching in a bumper car before it was our turn and every time she'd hit someone she'd throw her hands up and screech (like Gracie does). She must have been substituting bumper cars for a rollercoaster or something. Every time, didn't matter how hard she hit or got hit, she'd do it. It was hilarious. We were just standing on the sidelines laughing our tushies off.

**Note: Kim and I saw the hottest Carnies at this fair. Seriously, usually they look nasty and scraggly and ugly but these guys were clean, polite and HOT! Why can't we get them at our fair?

The One, the only, the Minnesota State Fair

Ohhhhh yeahhhh....I love the Minnesota State Fair. I've been going to the fair since as far back as I remember. Actually I was at the state fair before I was born. My Mom was at the fair a couple days before she gave birth to me. I keep telling that I was at the fair and wanted to see it for myself and so, I was born.

Being in 4-H allowed me to stay at the fair in the 4-H dorms about the 4-H general project building which shouldn't be confused with the barn dorms for the 4-Hers bringing animals (the kids in the animal barns were much naughtier than me ;}. I think the first year I was allowed to go I was 12. I want to say 12 not because I can really remember but it sounds like the right number. I think 6th grade was the money year. So I went to the state fair every year since I was 12 until my first year of college for 4-H. We'd always take the bus from Owatonna and get there the afternoon of day 1 then stay overnight for two days and leave the afternoon of day 3.

In order to stay at the 4-H dorms you had to win a trip. Which meant you had to get a blue, first off, then either a champion or reserve champion. Sometimes if there were a couple trips for a project area you might not have a champion but were the 1st blue so you could go.

I went for several different things. Clothes You Buy (x2), Veterinary Science, Horseless Horse, Wildlife (x2) and Citizenship (my mom and I did a geneology book of our family, quite involved).

So anyway, after that blathering here are some pictures from the state fair.

Tara at the State Fair

Here's a picture of Tara, my cousin, at the MN State Fair with her Champion Rabbit. I believe that she received champion in both her rabbit class and her showmanship class. She didn't end up winning Grand Champion in either but still, that's pretty cool to get that far. Way to go Mouse (childhood nickname)!

The SCFF Fair Chronicles Day 6 Issue 4

Kim, Traci, Auntie Sheila, Jimmy, Kelly, Chris, Uncle Tim, Jamie and Gener all went to the Beer Gardens to get out of the wet, yet again, because as I said, it didn't stop raining.
1. Kim and I sang karaoke: "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn and "All Shook Up" by Elvis. We said into the mic, "This is for our Auntie Sheila!" 2. Nick and Chris sang "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down and Jimmy sang "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis and "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns and Roses. We told him to because SCOM is mom's favorite song. We couldn't get her on the phone though. 3.Auntie Sheila and Traci. 4. The Bathroom where we were constantly stopping. 5. Cute pears quilt. 6. Kim and I singing. 7. Michelle in the Hobbies building. See to the left of her my scrapbook project, backed in black? 8. a neat handmade basket.

The SCFF Fair Chronicles Day 6 Issue 3

So it's Saturday and it's raining and Kim and I toured the animal barns and stopped at the Flower exhibit so what else is there to do on a rainy day at the fair? Hmm...that's a tough one, huh? Not really. Go BINGO-ING! Which reminds me, get this conversation I had with Dad that day.

Dad to Jen "What're you guys doing?"
Jen to Dad "We're at the fair, bingo-ing."
D-J: "It's raining."
J-D: "So?" LOL

So I sat through 3 bingo callers that day. I played about 4 hours of bingo. That's a lot. I won too so I didn't spend all of my money. Kim couldn't win to save her life. She kept getting really close, like one time she said, "I almost have black out." because she had so many spaces covered but she didn't win. Chris won before Kim did. Oh and then Kim and Chris won at the same exact time. They both needed the same number. It was hilarious. The both screamed and raised their hands in the air. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera ready to catch it because I didn't know about it.

Michelle played with us for awhile while Kim was gone. Check out this conversation I had with her.Chris was there by the way.

J-M: "Hey Michelle, we finally have a bingo troll but he isn't working."- I looked right at Chris and said this. Michelle and I laughed so hard. Chris kind of sat there and looked at us like we were on crack or something. It was hilarious! Chris had been teasing Kim all week that she needed to set up some bingo trolls so she could win.

OH and Chris's favorite number is 69, he always picks a card with that on it. I always pick cards with 27 because that's my birthday.

The SCFF Fair Chronicles Day 6 Issue 2

Since it was raining so much we decided to get out of the wet and into the dry by visiting the Flower exhibits. There were some awesome tropical flowers and arrangements. It was the professional show. Aren't these pictures awesome?

The SCFF Fair Chronicles Day 6 Issue 1

It rained all day and I mean all day on Saturday. It was crazy. My pants were soaked but my feet were dry and my upper body was dry. I had good boots on and a waterproof coat and hat. I was good to go.
1. Isn't that cute? That little girl was sleeping with her cow and her cow was sleeping with her.2. Cows, holsteins and a jersey 3. more cows, holsteins 4. Hannah Lewison's champion dairy steer (she is also a niece of my high school boyfriend whom I babysat too).5. more steers. 6. guernsey calf. 7. jersey calf, kim's favorite. 8-9. Hannah showing a draft horse. The image was too precious. She is so little and lanky and here she is leading around this huge draft horse. When it lifted it's head up she was almost lifted off her feet. 10-12. Huge friggin' clydesdales. I mean, gigantic. It was amazing. 13. Emma Pittman, she's so cute. She loves showing those draft horses.

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1-4. Brian and Nick singing Yeah by Usher. They messed up most of the words. The funniest when Brian sang some lyrics that said "milk the cow" so he mimiked it with his hands. Too funny! 5. Traci and Tina louise singing along.6. Tina screaming like a nut. 7. Traci sitting in the stands. 8. Kimmie laughing and making faces. 9. Our second cousin Samantha Jo Meixner and Tina , Traci and Tina singing along.

Kim and Ryan Glassmaker sang "As Long As You Love Me" by the BackStreet Boys and "Tearin' up my heart" by N'Sync. All of the Harbals sang "She Thinks my Tractor's Sexy" and "Save A Horse Ride A Cowboy". Jimmy and Chris sang "Larger than Life" by the backstreet boys and Jimmy sang "Faith" by George Michael and the "Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks.

Jimmy's the best out of all of us. We just kind of say the words, not really sing 'em. :)

The SCFF Fair Chronicles Day 5 Issue 6

Kim, Traci, Tina Louise, Brian, Nick, Mom, Dad, Tara, Amber Zak and I went to the Bull riding at the Grandstand. It was awesome! The bulls were feisty and after they bucked off their cowboy never wanted to go back to the pen. They would hit the fake cowboy "scarecrow" like they were going to gore it to death. It was funny. They played awesome music too, hand-clappin', booty shakin', foot-stompin' tunes.1. Cowboys preparing to ride the big bad bull 2. Traci thought this cowboy was hot, he ended up winning it too. 3. The drum-line came and put on a show for us. They were pretty good too.4. Hot cowboys all in a row. Ooohhh, ahhh, looks like Wrangler jeans ad doesn't it. Yummy yummy.(yes,  I can say that even though I'm married, I'm not dead yet. What? You don't think married women can admire good lookin' men? tut tut) 5. Great Frontier Bull Riding. 6. More cowboys. Take it all off baby! 7. Gettin' ready to ride 8. Stretch, yoga, you know you've got to be loose to ride those bulls, that is loose in the head.9& 10. Ride that bull boy!

A couple of guys we know did some "celebrity wrestling coach" riding. Toby Erler and Jeremy Jirele each rode a bull. They basically were on for one buck and jumped off. That was probably pretty smart of them.

Oh and another funny thing was the announcer and head clown. They kept bantering back and forth. The announcer made reference to a certain movie named Brokeback Mountain. Must have been a homo-phob. or something.

The SCFF Fair Chronicles Day 5 Issue 5

L-R, T-B: 1. Rest rooms, gotta have 'em, especially if you travel with a pregnant woman, Michelle, and Kim who has to pee every 45 minutes. I know because I timed her.2. The t-shirt says, "Yeah, they're real." Appropriate attire for me, Michelle and Kimmie dontcha think? 3. US Flag and Fair Flag. 4. The midway.5. Adventure alley. 6. Aurora diner, best breakfast at the fair. 7. Cheese curds, ahh, need I say more? 8. American Idol at the fair.She was pretty good too. Sang Kelly Clarkson's "A Moment Like This." 9. Kimmie cavemanning out on a turkey leg. 10. Tina and Traci sharing a turkey leg. Arff 11. Me eating my favorite food, Hawaiian Shaved Ice, cherry style. 12. Food, food and more food. 13. My cowboy boots while, guess what, waiting for Kimmie to go to the bathroom. 14. Gary Wandry, what a dork. :)