Okay, so I did the math...that last time I was at the Hampshire County Fair was 15 years ago...which to many is a drop in the bucket of time, but for me (and C) it's been a lifetime. You see, back then, I was just a carefree kid playing my piccolo in the high school marching band in the parade, eating more cotton candy than acceptable, and doing my best to figure out how I was getting home. I tried to find photos from those days...but I couldn't...you're welcome.
This evening, C and I ventured out after a full work day with all three kids to relive those fair days. The reality is that we were both tired and honestly dreading getting out on this rainy evening, but the kids were so excited, and we had a girl we needed to cheer on at the pageant ( <3 Hailey). Reliving those fair days consisted of chasing 2 excited little girls from ride to ride and a little boy who didn't understand that in fact he was not big enough to ride all the rides. There were a couple temper tantrums (from the boy), a little disappointment from the girls(because we decided against the armbands this time), lots of hugs and hellos from friends we haven't caught up yet since moving back, and more wonderful memories in the short few hours we were there than I could have hoped for.
The smell of the barns brought back so many memories, and it was SO AMAZING seeing all those loved animals and their kids. I hope next year the girls will get to experience the fair like that, because there are few things that instill patience, love, and work ethic quite like caring for a fair animal. It was everything I expected it to be, and I'm so glad we drug ourselves out of the house this evening.
This evening was a blessing; a sweet reminder of how good it is to be back in Hampshire County...to be HOME!
