Rob's State Fair Ramblings, Day 2

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In our younger years, my sister Joni and I would have never wanted to spend the day together at the fair. Now, we make plans for it and look forward to it! 

Before we met, I wanted to watch the debate between the two candidates who are running for governor. I wanted to hear what they had to say, and to see what they stood for. Afterwards, I wanted to catch a moment with Governor Laura Kelly to tell her that I was praying for her. This is something I have done since John Carlin was governor in the 80's. If I have an opportunity, I'll take it. I have had the chance to meet all of our state's governors through the years. Carlin, Hayden, Finney, Sebelius, Brownback, and so on. I just feel like it's something God has called me to do. One of Kelly's people asked me if I'd like a photo with the governor, I didn't say no. So, before people start calling me out on grandstanding or supporting certain political figures, I wanted to make my disclaimer about this opportunity. I have done this with both Republican and Democratic governors. My most memorable moment was my time with Joan Finney, (Gov 1991-1995) who got teary-eyed and thanked me. In my moment with Laura Kelly, she thanked me for my prayers and asked me to never stop. Regardless of where you stand politically, God has commanded us to pray for our leaders. I just went a step further and told these leaders personally. I've also done this with some of our state representatives, senators, and so on. Who knows what God might do with these small moments....? 

Afterwards, when my sister and I met up, we started out by watching the Flying Fools diving show. We got some good pics and videos there. They are very talented, and the show was only about 15 minutes long. I posted the video of the finale, an 80-foot plunge into a 10-foot pool. A cool wind was blowing, I'll bet those divers were cold up there! From there, we decided to hit up some buildings. We started in Pride of Kansas, which is a celebration of agriculture. Joni encouraged me to spin the K-State wheel and answer a question about K-State. Of course, I had no clue what the answer was, but I guessed. I was wrong. I still got a consolation prize, a K-State (purple) tote bag. It went straight into the other bag I was holding, Lol. Did I mention that I'm a die-hard KU fan? Afterwards, we were getting hungry, so we opted for the BBQ Pulled Pork Parfait, $9. We both liked ours, although Joni's was a bit dry. For dessert, we shared some deep-fried Oreos and some fried cookie dough. They were both really good, but we liked the cookie dough better. We both agreed that the fried Oreos would have been better with some kind of cream-cheese dipping sauce. We continued through the buildings and our timing on this was perfect, because it started raining. Of course, you know that when the Fair comes to town, rain inevitably comes with it. Anyway, we both got some good information on the things that interested us. It became apparent that Joni didn't inherit my dad's trait of picking up free stuff from the tables. My dad would grab stuff off the tables that were for sale, and we had to stop him, LOL. He went for everything! Now, I don't grab items off tables like he did, but I'm pretty close. My sister picked up a few things, but only if they were something she really wanted. At another wheel, I won an insulated coffee cup, and she got a tote bag. I think she was a little bitter about that, LOL. In one of the buildings, I saw something that really intrigued me! A transformation of a sort. I'm not going to say what it was, but I can let you know in about 4-6 weeks. Now you're intrigued, right? Don't worry, it's not something immoral or ungodly, but I'll reveal it when it all comes together. Lips sealed, Joni! 

In our Grandstand venture, we found a display of massage chairs. There were some available, and the salesman invited us to take a test drive. We knew that a sales pitch would be the price of a free test-run, but we decided that would be worth it. I'm kind of leery on massage chairs, mainly because of the foot feature. Because I suffer from foot pain, sometimes these chairs have a feature that really dig into the bottoms of my feet and it hurts. I asked for the lowest setting. Even on the lowest setting, I still winced a little several times during the 10-minute cycle. So, in the sales pitch, I stated that I wasn't impressed with the foot feature, so he left me alone. He started hard-selling my sister, and she said that she was interested, and asked for some info. I'm pretty sure she was just stringing him along. At least we got a good free massage. Except for the painful foot feature. 

By this time, it was getting later (and colder) and my sister had things she needed to do at home, so we decided to call it a day. She grabbed a Pronto Pup because a trip to the fair isn't complete without a Pronto Pup), and a bierock to go from the Pride Of Kansas building.  We had a pretty good time, despite our differing interests, but it was about creating memories and spending time together when the activities of daily life tend to keep families apart. 

After she left, I spent some more time out there (because that's my jam), and I needed to track down some location info for some people who had questions. I wanted to see what was new in the Lair White House, which is also the state fair museum. It is a carry-over from last year's exhibit, featuring the different celebrities who have graced the Grandstand stage over the years. The gentleman in the museum told me that they don't usually carry over like that, but he didn't state a reason, so I simply looked around for a bit, and then left.

By then, the rain started to come back in the form of a sprinkle, and I decided that it would be best to call it a day, as I didn't want to run the risk of having to dash to my car in a downpour (I am parked about 6 blocks from the fairgrounds entrance). Besides, I had been there since 10am, and I was tired.

Tomorrow is mother's day. I'm treating my mom to a day at the fair, which is a yearly tradition. Our interests are very similar, and we enjoy our time. At one time, I also had a day with my dad, but since his health is so bad, it just isn't possible anymore. I miss those times with him, which consisted of riding the Sky Ride, eating BBQ at Bernard's and seeing all of the horses and animals. Tomorrow evening, I'll bring you a report on what mom and I did together. Thanks for reading, and God bless!