Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Our September Weekend

I don’t usually write about my personal life too much on here – mostly because I don’t feel like taking the time and also because I’m not sure how many people would want to read about my daily life.  But this weekend was pretty wonderful and I decided it was blog-worthy. :)

Before I begin, let it be said that my child is in desperate need of a haircut.  My parents love his hair long and curly, so I have let it go a little while, but it is getting cut this week because I can’t take it anymore!

Anyway, Friday was Chris’s birthday, and unfortunately he was dealing with allergies so he didn’t feel so hot.  We will be going to Cheesecake Factory in 2 weeks to celebrate his birthday and our belated anniversary, but since he didn’t feel well we stayed in.  I made him one of his favorite dinners (homemade mac’n’cheese) and then birthday cake. 

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Luke was so confused as to why the lights were off, there was a fire in front of his face, and everyone was singing. :)

chris b-day and big e 013 On Saturday we went to the Big E in Springfield, Mass.  The Big E is kind-of a New England Institution….you know, like clam chowder and cold winters. :)  It is a GIANT 2-week long fair and it is SO much fun.  It has all of your typical fair “factors” like rides, a circus, food vendors, etc. 

Luke absolutely loved being up close and personal with animals he’s only ever seen on dvd!  lol

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What sets the Big E apart (to me) are the “State Houses.”  Every state in New England has its own mini state house at the fair (and by mini I mean still huge but not as huge as the real state house it’s a replica of).

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Inside each state’s house are crafts, products, and food for sale that are representative of each respective state.  The food is soooooo stinkin’ good.   

I decided to have very small portions of everything so that I wouldn’t feel sick at the end of the day.  Not that I would know that from past personal experience or anything. 

I sampled……..blueberry pie with ice cream, an apple cider slushie, creamy clam chowder, draft root beer, pork bbq (okay was technically marketed as “Texas-style” but it was so good we’ll let it slide), flat-crust pizza, and a Maine baked potato.  The chowder was the only thing I finished myself. There’s also much more New England food available, like maple candy and syrup, Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, lobster rolls, etc. 

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Outside of the state houses, I also had some kettle corn, candy, and hot apple cider.  I was too busy enjoying the food to remember to take a picture – except for the kettle corn.  YUM. 

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While we ate we listened to a little band perform on the green of an old-fashioned New England village that is also inside the fairgrounds.  Awkward funny picture of me ---------> :)

It was a tiring but awesome day.  P.S. If you live in New England (or even Western New York) the Big E runs til October 3rd, so you still have time!).

On Sunday we planned on going to church, but Luke had a really bad night and then went back to sleep at 7, and since Chris and I didn’t think he’d sleep really long we didn’t set alarms and thus didn’t make it to church.  We relaxed all morning and afternoon, and then around 4:00 we went to a beautiful local state park on the water.  It was perfect.  Anyone else think that September is pretty much the best month, weather-wise?  I just realized that today. 

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We took Luke in his stroller and just took our time and Luke laughed at all the dogs running by with their owners and we showed him the ocean for the first time and it was just so, so, so ridiculously beautiful. 

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When I am near the ocean I feel at peace and so close to God.  I am so thankful to be back near the sea! 

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So that was our weekend.  I figured it was worth documenting. :)

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7 comments:

  1. Definitely worth documenting...except for the making me jealous part! Every year I say, "we're going to the Big E this year." And we still haven't done it. It's 3 hours down there, and then another hour south to stay at my parents' for the night. Just makes for a long, tiring weekend. One of these years...
    Glad you had fun.
    And I agree about the beach...it's so peaceful!

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  2. So worth documenting! Adorable little family photo by the way! And I feel the same way when I'm at the ocean. It makes me feel so tiny and God so big!

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  3. You are the first person to talk about it in a way that makes me want to go. Impressive. I like the idea of the various state bldgs and FOOD! Fun. I'd go but I don't have a stroller. (hahahahaha totally kiddin)

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  4. Your weekend sounded like absolute perfection! I can't believe that I've never heard of the Big E. This is going on our to-do list for sure and we always make an annual trip to the Northeast in the fall so we can totally pull this off! I loooove kettle corn (and so many other foods that you sampled!). Sounds wicked awesome and I am so glad you shared!

    Happy Birthday to your hubby! Sorry that he wasn't feeling well but at least you'll get to celebrate again soon!

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  5. Wow! All of that sounds so awesome... what a perfect weekend! Your photos are beautiful. And a blogger can always hook me with food - your bit about the food sounded SO yummy!

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  6. We're going to the State Fair of Texas in 2 weeks!!! this will be the first time our 3-yr-old will be at anything like it!

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  7. Just found your blog and knew I had to follow you when I saw the Big E posting. We went for the first time and I did the exact same thing as you did - had a little sample of something at each state building. The apple cider doughnuts in the CT house were AMAZING!!! I look forward to getting to read more. Leene

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