The State Fair

Mark and I had not been to the State Fair in years!! I honestly think my parents took my brother and I once to the Texas State Fair. This year Mark and I had the opportunity to go not once but twice to the Oklahoma State Fair. The first trip to the state fair was to volunteer to serve wine at the Grape Ranch Winery Booth. Part of the profits for the wine booth went to a local nonprofit. We worked the booth with several of our friends. The wine tasters loved Mark. They kept lining up in his line. I guess he looks like wine connoisseur!!

The next weekend we went with another group of friends to spend the evening walking around the fair. We decided to splurge and we bought tons of different foods to try and share. Sharing was critical because the bite of one item of food was probably 300 calories!!! We ate fried macaroni and cheese, fried mashed potatoes, fried ravioli, french fries, fried oreos and a gyro. I honestly don't know if I would attempt this feast of foods again!

The Ladder Mystery??!!

Last night, Mark and I both came home late. We were talking in the kitchen, when Mark noticed a ladder in our backyard and the motion sensor security light was on. (Exhibit A Above) We, of course, do not own a ladder, so this meant suspicious activity was occurring!! Suspicious activity can be described as any activity that is scary and may cause serious harm to your loved ones. You should report all suspicious activities to the police, so I immediately called the non-emergency policy number and made a report. Looking back now, I can't imagine what the woman thought of me as I described this "harmful" ladder!! She did say that she would send out a police officer to our house. After a five minute conversation with Mark, we decided that my police call was INSANE! Who has ever heard of a suspicious ladder?? Mark also remembered that he had asked to borrow a ladder from our neighbor and we assumed that he had dropped it off. I canceled our police officer and went to bed hoping not to hear the sound of someone on a ladder!

A Reunion!

Last weekend Mark and I were reunited with our dear friends Heather and Jeremy and their daughter Annie. Jeremy was assigned to Albuquerque, New Mexico or Kirkland Air Force Base in July. We were so excited to have them so relatively close to us.

Mark and I left early Friday morning and our first stop in Albuquerque was my Grandmother's place. It was great to see her and our next trip will not be so short so we can see other family members!

The rest of the weekend centered around good friends, good food, good views and good weather! The highlight of the trip was finally meeting Annie. Jeremy and Heather had just learned that they were expecting when we left Dayton, so this was our first chance to meet the growing Sikora family member. Annie was so cute!! She laughed at everything and she was up for anything!

On Friday night, we drove around the city and ate out at this cute restaurant where I ate New Mexican style chicken fried steak. We learned that New Mexican style means "red or green chillies on everything!" This includes on top of breakfast foods! That night we sat outside on the Sikora's patio enjoying beer and ice cream and their lush green lawn. We also solved the problems of the world!

On Saturday, we walked around Old Town and that evening we went up the Sandia Mountains within the Cibola National Forest. Our ride to the top was the Sandia Peak Tram, the world's longest aerial tramway. From the top the panoramic view is 11,000 square miles. When we left the bottom post, the temperature was around 75 degrees. The temperature at the top was a completely different story. We were literally in the clouds and the temperature was around 45 degrees. BRR!! The views on the way to the top were incredible! After descending we had a traditional Al Fresco Mexican fiesta complete with Blood Orange Margaritas, chips and guac, tacos, rellenos and quesedillas overlooking the city of Albuquerque. The night ended with Mark and Jeremy watching the Mizzou game and Heather and I crashing on the couch. We had a blast and we hope to see each other more often!