As Promised...

I made it back to the Delaware State Fair!

Wayne was kind enough to invite me to see Miss CARRIE UNDERWOOD with him! If you know me at all, you know I love the country and I love Carrie, combine the two and that's as good as it gets in my book!

We started the evening right...you can never go wrong with fair food! (Unless you're trying to prevent a heartattack!)



We walked around the exhibits...who knew Elvis was alive, and in DE!?!



Then we headed to the stage to get ready for Carrie! Soldiers passed out American flags at the gate...patriotism at its best!



The stage had the most beautiful backdrop...silos and fields! AMAZING-it made my heart sing!



Full disclosure...I cried when Carrie sang "Don't Forget to Remember Me." I swear she was singing about me...mom putting $50 in her glovebox, lil sis at home, and with the silos behind the stage-who am I kidding of course I cried! Good thing Wayne has sisters...he just smiled and gave me a lil hug! We sat next to a darling little girl, dressed to the nines with a light up crown on her cowboy hat-adorable! Oh how I love the country!

The concert was awesome-I laughed, I cried, I sang my heart out, and completely enjoyed myself! I love Carrie, I love the country, and I love awesome friends that love the same things!


Oh, and on our way home we might have stalked a certain someone's tour bus...hey Carrie!!!

LEGENDARY!!!

Let me start by saying, my friends are amazing and Wayne gets all the credit for this weekend-he never gave up on Delaware or the rodeo or the beach. Thank you DeWayne and Delaware, you made my birthday weekend... LEGENDARY!

Wayne, Jenny, Di and I bolted out of DC and into the Delaware countryside (who knew there were cornfields in DE!) to get back to our roots.

It was the Delaware State Fair, and there's no way we'd miss that. The fairgrounds came out of nowhere...right in the middle of a teeny town, down the street from the local John Deere dealer-perfectly placed in the countryside!

It's been too long since I've been to a good fair-I literally ran to the gate! My heart was so happy! Wayne and I even sported or "country" gear to celebrate-gotta love a good boots/cow tipping shirt!

Of course, we began our fair adventure at the rodeo. Mercy me, I've never enjoyed a rodeo more. I'd like to personally thank the one cowboy that managed to ride for 8 seconds! Come west, young men, and we'll show you some real bullriders. They did their best, and I enjoyed myself, even if they weren't as talented as the cowboys I know!

Next stop, the pre-fab home! Wayne and I thought it only proper that we enter our new trailer in style...

And what's the best part of the fair? FAIR FOOD!!! We had homemade rootbeer, corndogs, gyros, kettle corn, fried twinkies, and a heartattack-but it was all worth it!

All the rodeoing and eating left us pretty bushed, so sadly we had to say goodbye-but don't worry, I'll be back Delaware State Fair! (seriously, for the Carrie Underwood concert on Monday!)

We said goodbye to the sights and sounds of the state fair...and headed to our luxury suite at the Super 8.

What are true friends for? Brushing your teeth at the Super 8. Don't ask me why...we're just that weird sometimes.

We woke up early-ish Saturday and headed to the Super Wal-Mart (I love America) to load up on beach food! Then headed off to Rehobeth Beach to meet up with more of our friends. It was a magical day in the sand...


We lounged, strolled the boardwalk, and played volleyball (Aggies v Cougars, and girls v guys-do you even need to ask who won?!?)



We paid tribute to America, then hit the road back to DC...



Delaware did not disappoint...

All-American Traditions

I celebrated Independence Day the All-American way-reveling in the things that make the good ole' USA great!

Here's the timeline:

7.4.08
9am-Pancake breakfast with the locals...

Notice how festive everyone looks!

5pm-Walking the National Mall, eatin hot dogs, and chattin' with friends!


9pm-Here's comes the rain...


10pm-Fireworks, Fireworks and more Fireworks!


11pm-Tabs and I running out of the metro to escape lil white guy v. large black dude fight.

11:01pm-Tabs and I running back into the metro to escape crazed roman candle girl shooting fireworks at people walking down the street.

7.5.08
1:30AM Tabbi, Wayne, Shule(bravely, sans bullet proof vest) and I board the Chinatown bus bound for NYC, baby!

Tabbi was really really excited to ride the bus!

5:30 AM! Dumped on a corner in NYC. We sat in a bus stop and waited for Starbucks to open.

6am-Good Morning Starbucks! I ordered a Cinnamon Dolce Steamer. In my early morning fog and halfway through the "steamer", I thought...this doesn't taste very good. Tabs tried it and started laughing. I guess I looked like I needed a boost so instead of skippin the espresso like I ordered, the lady went with a double shot instead. Tabbi's still laughing about this one...

We also took some time at Starbucks to get ready for the day. We didn't dare dip our toothbrushes in the bathroom sink (NYC-dirty!), so we used some good ole' American ingenuity to get the job done right at our table!


7am-Checked in at our -4 star hotel! We were upgraded to a "suite"-I'd hate to see the regular rooms.


8:07am Brunch at Sarabeth's. (Posted Hours of Operation:8am-11pm-but don't try to get in at 8-they're not open yet)-It was a delicious start to the day.


10am-A stroll through Central Park, including Strawberry Fields!!


11am-Hello Deli, Times Square, Rockefeller Center and a quick pic with the Naked Cowboy (he's dirty). It was Shule's first time in NYC, so we tried to show him all the sights!


And "fate" (as Wayne would put it) rewarded us with Jamba Juice, not once, but twice in NYC. Love, love, love JAMBA!

12pm-Escaping the rain at Rockefeller Center!


3pm-YANKEE STADIUM for the Yankees v Red Sox!!! It doesn't get much more American than a baseball rivalry! AWESOME-I love America!


We couldn't have asked for better weather-we were a little nervous the big game would be rained out or delayed. Luckily at game time, the skies cleared and we had absolutely beautiful baseball weather! Sitting with rabid Yankee and Sox fans was great...especially during the top of the 9th when the Sox (down by one) loaded the bases with no outs! There were some tense moments for Yankee fans...but Rivera pulled it out, and the Yankees won 2-1! The game set a record for most hit batters in a game-7!! Gotta love this rivalry at this stadium!


7pm-Dinner at the Carnegie Deli-our waitress was a gem (definitely an antique). She yelled at us, told us we wouldn't have enough food, etc. Perfect little slice of NYC hospitality! It's a good thing we knew going in that good food was on the menu not quality customer service!


11:30pm-Wayne, Tabbi and I finished our very long day with some Pinkberry! Yum...

7.6.08
We made it through our night in the Bate's Motel and set out to explore NYC!!!

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge...


Ate some cupcakes from Magnolia's Bakery (food was definitely our friend in NYC)



And just took in the sights, and sounds of NYC before heading back on the bus!


Happy Birthday America!