Montgomery Gentry Concert---AWESOMENESS!
Seeing our buds, Hollow Pointe rock the house at Goodtime Charlies, more AWESOMENESS!
Okay in case the title didn't offer any clues, we have just wrapped up our 'end of summer' family time/vacation, whatever you wanna call it. We have returned from the Missouri State Fair. So much fun, good stories, good times, good friends, will I get them all in this blog post, quite likely not, but here I go:
This year, 3 of our 4 kids showed their steers, I think Seth felt a little left out, but next year, he's in too! Cody's steer got 5th in his class, but more exciting, Cody made top 15 in the Senior Showmanship. We don't have much control over where the steer ends up in class, but what we've taught and exposed Cody to over the years has paid off, he does such a great job showing and seems so at ease doing it, makes us proud. Sam's steer was in the lower end of the same class that the steer that won it all was in, so to say he had stiff competition is an understatement! Jenna got her confidence shook by Red being such a smart animal and predicting what was next and heading that direction one day when we were leading them before the fair, so she struggled some this getting through that. We were thankful that the steer show team jumped in and helped her out, always great to have others teaching our kids when we can't.
Again this year we camped with the Sharp family. It is so amazing to me that while Christy is literally one of my oldest friends, we grew up on the same block, our families get along so well together, we are state fair family, its way deeper than friendship, and like those relationships, it doesn't matter that we don't get to see each other much the rest of the year, for our time at the fair, we have each others backs, we catch up on each others lives, tell old stories, make new memories, how blessed we are to have such good friends.
At the fair, we have so many friends, walking to the barn sometimes takes an hour, because there's always someone to say hello to, generally there is more than one someone to do that with. Gonna list a few of the friends we saw, I will probably miss some, but here goes, Bagnells, James', Reinerds, Morgans, Edwards, Heaths, Bastians, Curtis', Nelsons, Martins, Hudsons and MANY MANY MORE!
Seeing people from home is always more fun at the fair. Saw Kelly Dickerson at the concert, wasn't Montgomery Gentry great?!?!?! Saw the OBannons, Dycus' Francis' Rhoades' and Schmidts throughout the fair. Random people from my hometown. Saw old friends, like Pam and Scott Breid. Saw family, cousins and many more.
Notice how little of this is actually talking about exhibits? I have to say the fellowship enjoyed with like minded people is probably my highlight of the fair EVERY YEAR.
This year the fair included a concert for the parents, we saw 38 Special and Montgomery Gentry. It also included celebrating the birthday of our friend Andy Hudson. We celebrated it while enjoying the music of some other friends, Travis Petersen and the Hollow Pointe band. Danced and Partied it up with my friend Wendy Cooley. Shows were great, food and fun was great as well!
This year I got the oppportunity to 'Agvocate for Agriculture' probably in the way I know best how to do it! By COOKING! I got to demonstrate a recipe in the Beef Showcase. I made 'Kickin' Cajun Dirty Rice' it was fun, wonderful chance to meet NEW friends! I look forward to doing it again and thinking that I would like to get more involved in the Missouri Cattlewomen.
Saw cousins at the fair and got to tell our kids and theirs how not only David and I have special stories to our past that are linked to the State Fair, so do they. We shared the story of me having car trouble going to college on what would have been the last weekend of the Missouri State Fair 1989. Since my parents had taken my brother and friends to a concert at the Fair and David had the chores to do, since his parents had taken his sisters to the same concert, when I called him not knowing what to do, he made the comment that Dale, his cousin was a lot closer than he was (I was about a hour from Maryville) so not knowing how to get ahold of Dale, I called Kem, my roommate from college. She had to go to Dale's apartment and talk him into coming and rescuing me! Well they drove to get me and after a few hours in the car, well we can say the rest is history, they will celebrate 19 years of marriage this Dec. Okay I know, I know, kind of a stretch to call their story a 'state fair' story, but I am on a theme here and we retold the story AT the fair this year, doesn't that count?!?!?! I love how when we saw them one of the times it was at a Farm Credit customer luncheon, between friends and family we filled a table, there was us, Beth, Jason, kids, Dawn, Darren and Robin Reynolds, Dale and Kem, their kids, Judy, Kem's mom and Sam's friend Dustin, we weren't sitting in groups we were one big group, didn't matter who was sitting by who and we were sort of mixed up, I remember looking up and down the table, watching my oldest talk to Darren and Judy and have something to talk about, Dustin and Sam BRIEFLY playing with Lynzie, Kristin teasing David........ have I mentioned in this post how blessed I feel surrounded by the love of friends and family particularly at the fair? I think I have, but I like saying that over and over.
We all have special days in our family lives, birthday, holidays, etc........ but for our family State Fair just almost tops the list. With Cody getting older, I have had alot of momma guilt lately about things that I wished I had done differently, things we haven't done, but this last week renewed my confidence, I think we are giving our kids great growing up years and I love that the Missouri State Fair is woven into their lives as one of the grand things.
Enjoying the quiet of the house on the night before school starts,
From Tulip~
KH
:)
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