FFA Pig Show-Thursday

Well, we're at the fair, and Summer has finally decided to make it's arrival. Just in time for us to sit in a large barn with very little breeze. The humidity was high enough as well, so just sitting there made you sweat. Taking a shower isn't even refreshing, when you are sweating again before you even finish totally drying off.

The show itself was ok. Ridiculously long however. It went well past 7:30pm. We have never had a show that went clear to suppertime, let alone that late. When you consider the show started at 8am, that's one LONG day! We were beyond exhausted. Most of the kids took turns napping between tim es they were showing. We parents would have done that, but we knew they'd take pictures of us and we wouldn't look nearly as cute sleeping as they did.

We had some pigs place in the top 10 of their class, which is very good for us. We're not the big money spenders when it comes to pigs, so getting penned is about the best we hope for. We just love having it as a family time and we enjoy it.

I have always said that my favorite part about having our kids involved with showing pigs at the state fair is the friends they have made over the years. These are kids I could see them having life long friendships with. There is Kim, who drove over 2 1/2 hrs to come to Ashley & Chelsea's graduation party (and we drove to hers as well). There is Lance, who is now a marine and is currently overseas serving our country. He was texting Ashley today asking her how the show was going. He is missing it and so wishes he could be here. And, there is Liz. Liz is special to me. She was the first friend they made...all the way back to the first day they showed their pigs. They were in 5th grade, and so was Liz. All 3 were tiny girls and they hit it off right away, talking and giggling. The judge even commented on it and he said that this is what the fair is about - making new friends. Every year the 3 have been inseperable, and this past school year, Liz's dorm was in the same town as Chelsea's apartment, and they got together at least once a week. Many of those times, Ashley drove 30 min from her dorm to join them. I'll be sad when they are all old enough that they won't show together anymore. Each year they ask me to take their picture together. I wish I had the picture from the 5th grade year to show y0u. Liz had frizzy, curly hair. Ashley & Chelsea had long hair that they wanted put in corn-row braids. They all were so adorable!

Tonight the kids are out and about with their friends going to many of the free concerts and shows around the fairgrounds. Me? I'm wiped! I took a shower, climbed into our bed at the camper, pulled out the laptop and I'm not moving from here until morning....which will be early again. The kids show again tomorrow starting at 8am. Thankfully, this "should" be a much shorter show and we'll be done possibly by noon.

After that, we will be done showing pigs until the last couple of days of the fair, when they are in an open show.

Hogs & Kisses until tomorrow. (sorry, couldn't resist)