Iowa State Fair

The end of summer is here and that means that it is time for the Iowa State Fair. Thursday was the opening day and also the day they hosted the Jeremy Camp and Steven Curtis Chapman concert. I was able to go thanks to Nita and April. I just want to say that the concert rocked...quite literally. Nita was able to get us some great seats. As soon as I saw how close we were to the stage I started kicking myself for not bringing my camera. I was able to take a couple photos with the camera on my phone, but they are poor quality and they make it seem as if we were quite a ways from the stage. SCC is pictured above. At least he is as pictured as my phone allows.

I have never been to a Jeremy Camp concert before and let me advise you that if you ever have the chance to see him live, take it. SCC was great as well. I thought that the combination of JC and SCC was unique. They both did a great job communicating that Christians should live life passionately for God. Both men have suffered huge losses in their lives: Jeremy Camp lost his first wife to cancer after they had only been married for three months, and Steven Curtis Chapman lost one of his young daughters in a tragic accident a year ago last May. Both men talked about how their relationship with God, during their raw grief, had to prove itself to be more than just words. It is a relationship that gets deeper and more refined with hard times. God truly is who He says He is in the Bible.

I'm having a hard time portraying the heart of what they said. Check out their blogs if you don't know what I am saying. I'm sure that you will be able to figure it out from there.

Yesterday I spent the day at the Fair. Anyone who has been there knows that the main attraction is the food. Typically I end up leaving the Fair being a bit disappointed because I get full too quickly and can't try a wide variety of foods. But yesterday, thankfully, I was with my parents and sister, Deann. The smart way to do the Fair is to be with a small group of people who want to split all sorts of foods.

Here is a run down of our day: (to the best of my recollection)

saw crafts

split giant pickles

saw things that were made out of butter (see pictures)

saw a sign for salad on a stick

shared a slice of apple pizza

ate an Elephant Ear

ate chips

decided I wanted to try rib tips

tried to find stand selling rib tips

looked at the winning entries for the ugly cake contest (one looked like the inside of a toilet bowl...I'll leave the mental picture up to your imagination)

tried to find stand selling rib tips

got free ice cream cones

tried to find stand selling rib tips

ate fried veggies (had to get something "healthy" in us)

saw more stuff

tried to find stand selling rib tips

sat on a bench for a while

ate a turkey leg

tried to find stand selling rib tips

bucket of chocolate chip cookies

gave up on the rib tips

In between our times of eating we did go into various buildings to see stuff. I didn't buy anything this year besides food, so as I left I felt as if I had missed out. Maybe I should go back this Saturday.

Deann and I left before my parents did and I was driving home I got a phone call from my mom telling me that they found the rib tips stand. Decision made: I'm going back this Saturday.