210/365: Champaign County Fair

Yep, my blog is now going to be following the county fair circuit.

Just kidding! My brothers were at fairs within reasonable driving distance two days in a row and I couldn't resist the chance to see them.

I'll let the pictures do the talking.

I'm not sure what this says about me, but I was swelling with pride as I took this picture.

And this one, too. Just a few seconds after this. Jeremy walked over to the tractor and leaned up to give Jonathon a high five. Just thinking about it makes me swell with even more pride.

I love my brothers, I really do. Which should be obvious since I came to a tractor pull at noon. Seriously who schedules a tractor pull at NOON? In JULY?

As it turns out, my twin destroyed the competition. He got first place. The first time that either of my brothers has ever came in first. Chelsea and I ran down onto the track to see Jon as soon as the class was over. They had my brother drive the tractor down in front of the grandstand and then had a mini-interview in the "winner's circle."

Here's one picture I captured and didn't even realize how much I loved the photo until later. I just wanted a closeup of Savannah. When I uploaded the photo onto my computer though, I realized that my brother was so happy in this moment. He was standing in the winners circle and I can see that his nose is all scrunched up because he is smiling. He doesn't smile very often. At least not on camera. And then there is Miss Savannah holding onto her daddy's arm and I think it is just about the sweetest thing ever.

209/365: Fulton County Fair

Randomly, this afternoon Seth and I decided to drive to Lewistown to see my family. It was well worth the trip.

Miss Savannah was there to greet us. 

And I got to see my twin as well. Savannah loves her aunt and uncle. Just look how happy she is to see the twins together.

Of course Savannah loves her uncle Seth, too!

But let's get to the main event, the reason my brothers came to Lewistown in the first place: the tractor pull!

I've got to admit I get nervous every time I watch my brothers in a tractor pull. Of course, I'm use to a few summers ago when they weren't as good.

They've really started to figure things out though, and there's no need to be nervous at all. Jonathon was able to bring in a second place finish!

After the class my brother's pulled in was finished, it was time to sit back and enjoy the show!

208/365: The First of What I Hope Will Be Many

No, it's not a paycheck, but maybe in a few months it will be....

205/365: If You Give A Squirrel A French Fry

If you give a squirrel a french fry he will probably ask for a hamburger. Or maybe not. This poor little squirrel was at the park and it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that something was wrong with this squirrel. Maybe he had some type of disease (a strong possibility) or he was a snobby squirrel who was accustomed to table food rather than acorns.

Whatever the case may be, this squirrel was choosy enough to only want french fries. He was not interested at all in little pieces of hamburger or bun. Oh and did I mention he was eerily close to us? Like close enough that I was in serious fear he may attack me and give me rabies. Seriously, this squirrel had no fear.

203/365: Good, Cheap Fun

One of the perks of Seth's job is free tickets to Normal Cornbelter's baseball games. The Cornbelter's play in Normal which isn't too far from where we live, and oh yea, they are free. We've been to one other game this summer which was actually far more enjoyable than this one.

They played the same team at both games we attended, but for some reason this game moved much slower. Maybe it's because it was a bajillion degrees tonight. Yowza. To give you a frame of reference for how long this game was, the Cardinals game started 20 minutes before the Cornbelter's game. In the 6th inning of the Cornbelter's game, the Cardinals game had already been over for 20 minutes.

Thankfully, the staff at the Corn Crib (yep, that's really the name of the stadium) is really good at encouraging fan participation. There are several different things that happen between innings to engage the fans. My favorite is sumo wrestling. I think my fondness for this comes from the office because Michael's sumo suit makes many appearances.

"I'm so glad I bought instead of rented."

Things I Shouldn't Do

Just because I am going to have a master's degree at the end of the year doesn't mean I am immune to stupidity.

Let this be evidence that I should never be awake at 6am on a Saturday morning ever again. Or at the least, don't allow me to make even minor decisions. Like say, what shoes I should wear.

In my infinite intelligence I decided at six this morning that flip flops would be appropriate footwear for walking a 5k.

They aren't. My feet are killing me.

202/365: Homemade Goodness

While I still prefer to eat out if given the opportunity I have to say that having a foreman grill definitely makes it easier to stay home. Cleanup is a cinch and it hardly warms up the apartment at all. Too bad the jalapeno infused burgers we got nearly burned my guts out.

201/365: Boredom

Sometimes I don't have a lot to do at work/internship. This is highlighted by the lack of computer.  So I take pictures. 

200/365: Workplace Dangers

Today at work my foot was rolled over by one of my coworkers. She didn't do it on purpose. It hurt super bad and started bleeding A LOT. 

Funny thing is, all I could think about when it happened was the episode of The Office when Michael is trying to convince the warehouse workers that real dangers exist in the office upstairs too.

199/365: Fringe Benefits

One of the benefits of my job is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Some days there is a lot of paperwork but there are also days when I am out of the office almost all day.

Today I got to go to a museum in Springfield (that I cannot remember the name of). The museum  had several levels but the only one that we wen to was the basement because that is where the children's area was. It was much smaller than I expected it to be but the three year old didn't seem to mind too much. And it was free so I can't complain about that!

198/365: The Silver Lining

Since getting married (or starting grad school, or maybe both) I've gained some weight. I'm not really sure how much because I don't own a scale. All I know is that the majority of my clothes fit me differently. Some fit better and some fit worse. This pair of pajama pants now fits me perfectly.

197/365: The Judge

Is this not the most photogenic dog you have ever seen?

His name is Judge and at times he wears it well. Sometimes he is just plain goofy but other times he is simply regal.

196/365: Platform Nine and Three Quarters

Sadly, this is the only picture I could find of myself at platform nine and three quarters from when I went to England over five years ago.

I thought I''d post it since the last Harry Potter movie started showing in theaters last night (early this morning). Even though I have no interest in going to see the movie, I loved the books and I am sad that the series is over.

However, I do love the way it ended even though it left me wanting more. J.K. Rowling writes so brilliantly and it was easy to feel as though the characters were your friends. I was very attached to many of the characters and when they died I truly felt like I was losing a friend too. I didn't cry, but more than once my eyes got watery.

195/365: Words With Friends

I'm a really big Words With Friends player and I was extra proud of myself when I was able to squeeze this word in!

194/365: Snafu

This train has been sitting on my desk for almost a month now. It's a birthday present for Charlie. His birthday was almost two months ago and I went to his party but Seth couldn't make it so we decided to wait to give Charlie his present when we were both there since Charlie is too young to really know the difference anyway.

Unfortunately, every time we plan something it falls through a day or two before and we just haven't been able to get together!

193/365: Cheesy Ranch Potato Bake

If you like ranch dressing, cheese, and/or potatoes this is the dish for you!

I found this amazing recipe on pinterest.

192/365: Standing Date

As part of a monitored visit that I do for my internship, I end up at McDonald's almost every monday morning. Usually, I don't end up buying anything to eat for myself because I bring my lunch to work and if I eat before that kind of defeats the purpose of bringing my lunch.

Today was different, because it was sweltering outside. Seriously, heat index over 110 degrees! In an effort to stay cool I got the frozen strawberry lemonade and it did not disappoint!

191/365: Deathly Hallows

I have a feeling that while reading book 7 my blood pressure is going to be through the roof. I just started it today and I'm only a few pages in and goodness.

I am dying to know what happens and I don't want to put it down. However, there is a lot going on. And I am feeling really attached to all of the characters by now. I really don't want to see any more of them killed.

Sometimes I just have to take a break to remind myself it's not real.

190/365: Taming the Cords

Behold, the space behind the tv that people rarely ever see.

Despite the fact that no one is going to be looking around behind our tv to see how organized or unorganized our cords are, that doesn't stop me from knowing what is really going on back there.

Today I set out to tame the cords and I must say I am really proud of myself. It's the little things in life, really.

189/365: Wifi

This post brought to you by the letter W. Wifi Hotspot.

Since moving, many of my posts have been from the new phone due to lack of internet at the apartment. But no more!

188/365: The More You Know

I often talk about products I love and use....because it's my blog and I can. Well, today is no different.

Mrs.. Meyer's Clean Day is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This is the hand soap and I also use the dish soap. Smells delicious and I don't have to worry about anything remotely toxic being used to clean me or my dishes. 

Did you know most [antibacterial] hand soaps contain triclosan? Check your soap bottle--it's probably the first ingredient listed. Triclosan is linked to cancer and birth defects. It's actually really difficult to find a hand soap that doesn't contain triclosan. Whenever I am at someone's home and use their soap I usually look at the bottle and check ingredients. Every time triclosan is right there at the top. And then I cringe.

Yea, Mrs. Meyer's might cost a bit more and be harder to find but it's worth it.

187/365: Blank Space

Desks have been shuffled at ye old internship site. I am definitely glad to have a new workspace because the desk I was at was tiny and the chair I had didn't really fit and it was really awkward to just sit at my desk. Not to mention, it was right next to a vent so my feet were ice cubes from the moment I arrived.

Enter the new desk. It's great. Tons of space. Just one problem: no computer. No checking work email, no being able to do internship homework during downtime at the office. It's downright frustrating. New hires get to have desks with computers when they aren't even able to log in, and nothing is being done about my plight. Boo.

Ah well, gives me an excuse to procrastinate just a bit longer with aforementioned homework.

186/365: Shocking

Another book finished. I have to say I was really sad when I finished the book. I was just shocked...

So shocked that I almost don't want to read the last book.

185/365: Independence Day

Just some shots...

from the top...

of the baseball dugout.

Happy 4th of July!

184/365: Joys of Summer

Ah the joy of limited time beverages like Snapple's papaya mango tea. Yum!

183/365: Order of the Phoenix

Another book down, just two more to go.

182/365: Beating the Heat

It's the first day of July and it seems as though Mother Nature has finally realized summer should be happening.

I'll take my cue from Judge and chill out in the pool.