Weekend Recap: State Fair Edition

Long weekends can also be exhausting weekends.  That was certainly the case for me.  I took Friday and today off to head to central Iowa for the Iowa State Fair and fun with friends.  And I packed a lot into those few days.

On Friday, I met up with Kathleen (one of my college roommates) to wander the Iowa State Fair.  The weather was gorgeous (mid 70s/low 80s), and the fairgrounds were packed.  That makes for some long lines but some awesome people watching.  The best part about hitting the fair with Kathleen (besides the awesome conversations) is that we shared all our fair food, so we got to try lots of different things for half the price and calories.  In all, we checked out -- a gourmet peppermint s'more, the Iowa wine tent, the Iowa craft beer tent and a German chocolate funnel cake.  So delicious.

Sharing a bottle of Rhuby Dooby at the wine tent.

Checking out the selections at the Iowa craft beer tent. The kolsch from Number 7 was my favorite.

Me and Kathleen with the ice cream cone sculpture created by our alma mater. Our mascot is a beaver.

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On Saturday, I met up with Jaci and Jamie to treat Jaci to a pre-birthday lunch.  Today is her actual birthday, but it's never too early to start.  Especially when you're celebrating a milestone like Jaci is.  I won't tell you which one.  Ha ha.

After lunch, I spent some time with Ashley and Wes. Ashley and I got some froyo and then went back to their place to chat some more. We literally sat on the tailgate of Wes' truck and talked.  It was good times. It was good to catch up on our lives, since we both have some interesting things going on right now. 

That evening, I had dinner with my brother at his bar.  One of my favorite musicians -- Tim Stop -- just happened to be playing there that night too.  OK, so it wasn't exactly a coincidence.  It was part of my weekend plans all along.

The oh-so-talented Michael Tahlier and Tim Stop.

As I've mentioned before, I've seen Tim a lot of times.  Thirteen, to be exact.  We've actually become friends in that time, so I always look forward to his shows -- not just to see and hear him, but also to talk with him. He's a great guy, and I was excited to see he brought Michael with him this time.  Michael's been pretty busy with the guitar school he runs in Chicago, so I haven't seen him for like a year.  It was good to catch up.

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On Sunday, it was back to the Iowa State Fair for the Miranda Lambert show with Jamie.  We had both been to the fair previously, so we went about mid-afternoon.  We walked around and looked at some of the exhibits and livestock while we waited for the evening's entertainment.  The baby animals in the learning center are always my favorite.

Comet the calf.  He was so cute!

Baby piggies!!

Oh, and we also got a handwriting personality analysis.  Mine was almost 100 percent spot on. Scary.

Yep.  This is me.

And then, finally, after we sat through the rain (under a nice awning, thank goodness), it was time for the highlight of the day.

Miranda Lambert!!

With Pistol Annies!!

And RaeLynn!!

RaeLynn opened the show.  I had seen her on "The Voice," but she really impressed me at this show.  That girl is going to be a star.  Probably sooner rather than later.

The Pistol Annies were hilarious and so so fun.  There's not much better than a bunch of girls owning the stage.

And, of course, Miranda.  This was my fourth time seeing her.  I'd seen her on small stages in Texas back in 03 and 04.  And then she got bigger.  I last saw her open for Dierks Bentley in 2007.  Five years will not pass before I see her again.  That's for sure.  She was fabulous, and I just love her.  I sang along with almost every song, especially "Baggage Claim" and "Famous in a Small Town."  I cried like a baby during "Over You" and "The House That Built Me."   It was a fantastic show, and well worth sitting through the rain.

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I was also able to keep up with the Rangers -- thanks to someone awesome who texted me with regular updates. I was thrilled to see they took two out of three from the tough Tigers (sorry, Meg). 

It was a crazy busy (and indulgent) weekend, but I have no regrets.  Especially not about taking today off from work.  I needed it to recover.  It may not be enough either.  I'll be laying low for the rest of the week before another busy weekend.