It's August already?!

Where did this summer go?! I cannot believe it's time for school to start for the kids. They'll be going into 2nd, 4th and 10th grade. I have been terribly behind on blogging and so self-absorbed with school, work and other things this summer, will you forgive me not keeping in touch? And for anyone I would actually see in person, if I've been neglectful, please forgive me. I am starting to set up my regular "let's meet" lunches and dinners. If I haven't gotten around to ours yet, nudge me! I have five weeks off from school and studying (I start back on September 30) and would love to find some "me" time!

This weekend we will head to the Great Minnesota Get-together with thousands of other crazy midwesterners (including a few thousand coworkers) and eat ourselves silly, or is that sick?! The thing I'm craving most this year is cheese curds, oh, and of course my cream cheese covered pickle.

Pickle Dog
Offering: Pickle Dog and fire Dog (quarter dill or jalepeno pickle, coated with cream cheese and wrapped in pastrami), whole dill pickle on-a-stick, Kool-Aid (grape, orange, strawberry)

I'm not one who generally eats my way through the fair, however. I'd much prefer to spend my time in the art, home-improvement exhibits, grandstand and animal barns. In years past we have been able to go alone, without kids, but recently they've caught on to what the State Fair is all about and beg to go with... but, of course, they almost always have rides on their mind! I'm prepared this year. I have ride tickets (purchased in advance from work) and when the tickets run out, we're done in the kidway! JP will join us later, so I hope to get that part of our day completed before he arrives from work. I'm hoping for a more leisurely day with lots of people-watching, site seeing, show-stomping fun! And the best part is that tomorrow's forecast isn't supposed to be loaded with humidity and heat... it's almost my perfect day of 77* and partly cloudy!

Well, as I said, this is a sure sign that summer is winding down, school is around the corner and we're headed into my favorite season in Minnesota!

State Fair 2007 We'll have to see how much the boys have grown and take a comparison picture this year with the Martian!