Fair Enough

Hi All!  I have lots of pictures and topics to share with you guys this week.  I'm a full week behind and already have more posts in the queue, so I'd better dive right in!

So last week, Jordan and I took a couple days off work to make a long weekend.  Boy, it was an action packed weekend for sure.  We started it off with a trip to the Texas State Fair on Thursday!  Jordan had never been to the fair and I hadn't been in years!  If you live in Texas, this would be a great day trip!

The weather was perfect and we spent the whole day exploring!  Above are a few pictures of Big Tex and the prize winning fried meatloaf.  It was one of the first things we tried at the fair and I think it was my favorite!

We then did a little wandering around to familiarize ourselves with the fair grounds.  Jordan really wanted some nachos, so we found both the nachos and fried banana pudding!  When you're at the fair it is a requirement to walk through some of the shops and booths, among which we saw the butter sculpture of horses running!  I also I found some exciting glitter make-up (top right).

These are various pictures of some rides.  I don't know what the ride in the top left picture is called, but we referred to it as a "space needle".  Of course, the Ferris wheel is an important part of the fair too so we got lots of cool pictures of it.  In the bottom middle pic, Jordan is eating a fried snickers.  It was messy and not all that fabulous but still something very interesting that you can only get at the fair.

While walking around we found an interesting booth that sells cowhide boots and shoes.  We LOVED them, but they seemed a little too far out of our fashion spectrum.  I caught myself "petting" the shoes so we decided it wasn't for us.  Still, it was fun for Jordan to try them on!

My favorite were the ones with the spots.  They were a good price but we couldn't find a comfortable size for Jordan.

We walked by the outdoor arena just as the animal show was about to start so we decided to take a break and watch the entertainment.  I was skeptical (thinking the show would be just for kids) but we both really had fun laughing at the cute animals!  Abby does tricks but these pups are amazing!  Every one of them is an adopted pet from a Texas shelter.

These are pictures of, around, and on the Ferris wheel.  Guys, it was 16 tickets per person to ride that thing (1 ticket = $.50).  Yowzas!

Oh, and then there was a giant pumpkin.  Very Texas sized indeed (twss).

 

Some more random pics... We thought this fancy golf cart/mule car (bottom right) would be fun to have at the lake.  It's called a "viper"!  Serious business at the car show people!

We even had time to walk through the butterfly sanctuary!  It was beautiful and the butterflies just land on your head to hang out.  Jordan got some great pictures on his phone!

I might have mentioned in an earlier post that Jordan got a new iPhone!  Well, he really loves the time lapse feature and played with it a lot at the fair.  I was annoyed at first, but was really impressed after I saw his finished video.  You can see his fancy video below!

Friday, Jordan and I did a little TopGolf with his work.  We went to the location in Dallas and really weren't impressed.  If you ever have the option, you should go to the location in Allen (it's a lot newer).  Still, we both had a nice time visiting with his work friends and hittin' a few golf balls.

Saturday morning, Mom and Dad came to visit us!  We'd planned a small project for the boys and and a full day of activities. The project of the day was to install cabinets in our laundry room.  We had some existing sturdy shelves in the laundry room, but it's always been rather ugly to have all our jazz just hanging out on the shelves.  With cabinets, we can utilize more space and I can close the doors to hide the clutter!

 

Top Left: This is the "before" picture.  As I said....lots of jazz on the shelves.

Top Right: Cabinets in process

Bottom Left: Dad and Jordan strategizing a game plan

Bottom Right: Jordan really loves his tools.

They got the cabinets up and I was so excited that I couldn't wait to load up the shelves!  There is so much more space!  Later in the week, Jordan finished up some cosmetic caulking so it looks even better than in these pictures!

Top Left: Abby playing with her new duck that mom ("Zaza") got her.  Seriously, I haven't seen Abby play with a toy so enthusiastically in a long time.
Top Right: This is a picture of the buffet in our kitchen.  My mom and dad are starting to downsize their house a bit and my mom had the idea to trade pieces of furniture with me.  We traded my buffet for her buffet and I LOVE it!  This is the "before" picture.  (The "after" picture is below)
Bottom Left and Right:  We hit up Papasitos for dinner and shared some delicious fajitas and amazing dessert.  Papasitos is a wonderful Mexican restaurant if you've never been.

This is the "after" picture of the buffet area in our kitchen.  I just love this piece of furniture and it really fits all of my china perfectly!  We have more space in our kitchen and it's very elegant now. 

Next up, I have to share a wonderful experience with you guys.  Last year around this time, Jordan and I went to a glass studio with some friends to blow glass and had so much fun that we had to do it again this year!  We decided to bring my parents as a gift for their 34th wedding anniversary.  As we anticipated, they really had a good time and we all walked away with great memories, cool pictures, and amazing pieces of glass (well, technically, you have to wait a few days before you can pick up your pieces)!

We went to Marrs Art Studio and worked with Mr. Aaron Tate.  It is a fun experience where Aaron gives you a brief instruction and then we all get to craft our pieces of art!

First up, you have to chose the colors of glass that you want to use.

Top and Bottom Right: These are some of the colors that you can choose from.  It can be tricky because the color in the tub is not always the color that comes out when you make a piece of glass. It's hard to go wrong though.

Right: You know....this was just a casual piece of art that Aaron had on the able that was still in progress.  We were admiring and inspecting this piece when Aaron told us that he could sell it for about $10,000.00.   I know!!!!!....put it down very carefully dad.

First up, was Jordan.  His goal was to make a TTU paperweight:

My amazing husband working the glass like a pro!

Then, it was mom's turn to work on her glass ornament. Her piece was really entertaining to watch and she chose amazing colors!

Y'all, that kiln is really hot so this glass is molten.  Aaron even attached a piece of glass at the top to create a nice loop so she can hang the ornament in a window. We'll have to get some sturdy ribbon for it soon.

Next up, dad decided to make a blue and white vase, and again, he rocked it and made such a beautiful piece.  Aaron said that dad was in the 90th percentile of glass blowing.  He said Dad is a "natural".  

I especially like the bottom right picture.  Here Aaron is applying a torch to the mouth of the vase to create a pouring spout.

Next up, I'm creating my own vase!  The vase shape that I wanted to make was actually a little extra cost, but somehow or another, Aaron allowed me to make the design I was hoping for.  Mom says I "kibitzed" my way into making that vase, but I have no regrets!  

Aaron was so kind to let me make the design I wanted. It's really interesting to watch how these pieces come together.  You have to be ambidextrous and the steps have to be timed exactly right.  We all had a blast!

Lastly, I have a couple of "honorable mention" pictures to share.

The top right and middle left pictures are some great group pictures.  Mom and dad look great and are such strong role models for Jordan and I.  I'm honored to have parents who love one another after all these years!

Middle Right: This is just a pile of molten glass.  (aka melted "butta")

Bottom Left: Aaron was working to replicate an antique piece of art but somehow broke one of the petals.  I found this piece on the floor and snagged it for myself as a souvenir.  It's a little sharp at the top, but I wrapped it with some wire to make an ornament.  I've already hung that sucker up!

Bottom Middle: I'm pretty much burning up in this picture.  It's HOT in the glass studio and I'm standing in front of the fan trying to keep cool.

Bottom Right: Aaron has a board that all of his guests can sign when they come to make glass.  Dad signed for our group!

I took some video on my camera and Jordan was kind enough to stitch it together into one video to make it easier to watch.  You can see that below:

Once again, Jordan LOVES the time-lapsed videos.  Here is a great video of almost the whole evening.  See below for your viewing pleasure.

This blog would not be complete without some pictures of the finished products!  I suppose that's part of the reason why I'm a bit late in writing this blog.  The glass has to stay in a hot box for a while after it's crafted so it took a couple days to get our pieces back.

These are a few pictures of my vase and Jordan's paperweight.  They turned out great huh?  We've been debating what Jordan's paperweight looks like.  I think it looks a little like Flower from Bambi.

These are pictures of mom and dad's pieces.  Both are wonderful works of art and I really love mom's ornament.  It kind of reminds me of looking in a pool with the water moving in subtle waves.

All our pieces together!

Lastly, I had to share a collage picture of some wonderful gifts from my team at work.  Last Thursday was Boss's day and my team made me feel very special.  Truly, I feel like I have the most amazing team ever.

And that's all I have for you guys this week!  Lots more pictures are to come.  Like I said, I'm a bit behind on my posts, but I feel like I always have a plethora of material to share with ya'll!