State Fair Knitting

It's State Fair time! This year I entered some knitted items into the Fabric & Threads competition. It was my first time entering, but it won't be my last.

I was lucky enough to win two ribbons. I won second place in the felted item category with my slippers. Now when I wear them I will brag about how they are award winning. Consider yourself warned.

I also earned a 4th place ribbon for my Mom's lace ribbon scarf. She assures me she will point out that it is award winning when she wears it.

I encourage you to head to the fair and check out the Fabric and Threads exhibit. Congratulations to all of my friends who entered the fair. I can't wait to see what you make next year.

Baseball

It has been a beautiful week here in Iowa. I happily took the afternoon off last Wednesday to spend the afternoon at the ballpark with TC and Seymour. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

The I Cubs won.

The food was tasty.

And my friends, as usual, were entertaining.



It's hard to believe it's almost the end of the baseball season. In a couple of weeks we are going to our last day game of the year. I'm going to miss spending the afternoon in the stands.

Vacation

Last month John and I went on vacation. We headed to South Dakota for a four days of hiking and exploring.

We started in the Badlands. I wish I was eloquent enough to describe how beautiful the Badlands are. Unfortunately, I'm not that eloquent, so I'll just say they are pretty.

We hiked about a mile in high temperatures (over one hundred degrees). It was very hot, but the view was worth it.

The next day we hiked Harney Peak. We earned a big dinner that day after hiking six and a half miles. It was a hot day. But the view was amazing and the hike was challenging.

After two days of difficult hikes we took it easy. We did three short hikes by the resort in the morning. The hikes were so easy it felt like I was cheating.

After hiking we headed to Mount Rushmore. We didn't hike up to the faces, but we did eat some ice cream and buy a Christmas ornament. It was by far our most touristy day.

It was a great vacation. Wedding planning is stressful, and I really enjoyed getting away for a few days and not thinking about the wedding or work. I'm already daydreaming of my next vacation.