Wow, just like that the summer is over! The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity (and driving all over the state). Last week both boys headed off to college!
Jake headed off to the western part of the state, 5 hours away, for his senior year! He is finishing up a psychology program and as of right now he plans to apply to grad schools for next year. He would like to get a certification in mental health counselling to start. It’s no surprise, really. Earlier in the summer we found some old home movies when he was so very little and he always had this thoughtful, caring way about him. He is in a student apartment this year and is thrilled (yes, really!) to be cooking on his own. He really enjoys cooking and has requested that I put certain recipes in a Google Doc to share with him. Love it!
The next day we brought Noah about an hour south to start his first year at college! Noah was accepted into a unique studio composition program within his school’s music conservatory. He sees himself composing music for television, film, video games, etc. School is just a train ride into the city, so I’m sure over the next four years there will be so many opportunities to network and perform. All of the professors are working musicians, and I know he is just so excited to absorb all the knowledge he can.
I’m so curious to check in with him over the weekend and see how Week 1 went. Hopefully all is going well and he’s settled into his dorm by now.
Friday was Fair Day. Drew and I both took the day off. Laura and her friend spent hours and hours on the rides. It was so strange for me and Drew, walking around by ourselves! He indulged me as I spent way too much time in the barns talking baby talk to the pigs, goats, and sheep, LOL!
I loved looking at the floral displays too, especially the two pictured below — pumpkins and corn fashioned out of flowers. Cute!
The fair food wasn’t all that enticing to us, so we only indulged in a few things (though the choices we made were delicious at least). We got pickles on sticks and then for dinner he got a gyro and I got this kielbasa Reuben (which was really good). I also bought a candy apple to take home and enjoy later.
I think we are good for a few years now. The last time we went was 2019 and we agreed that there did not seem to be as many vendor booths as in years past. Even for the competitions — the handicrafts and culinary and kids’ stuff — the participation just seemed low. Hopefully it’ll pick back up. In the meantime, the Sheep & Wool festival is always awesome, and I think Laura and I might try this Handcrafted Harvest Festival happening at the end of September. It’s kinds of nice living close to the county fairgrounds — all this fun stuff is less than 15 minutes away!
School here doesn’t start until next week (that’s right — we are one of those rare districts that doesn’t go back until after Labor Day), but high school sports are in full swing. Laura has volleyball practice every morning, so we are up bright and early and at the school around 7:45. Today they had a pre-season game and she was a little bummed that neither JV or Varsity won, but like I told her — the season is just getting started.
As for me, work has been keeping me busy as usual. Saturday is Community Day so I will be at the library’s table from 9-4. There are some good food trucks scheduled to be there, at least! Hopefully the time will pass quickly. Next week I’m taking some time off just to organize the house after the chaos of summer and maybe even do a little reading and crafting. Wouldn’t that be something?
Wishing you all a great long weekend!
