Amusement Parks, State Fairs....... and BIG Stuffed Animals

I just realized that the New York State Fair is starting a week from today. August 25th-September 5th. I still remember going to it last year with friends, taking the bus up to the fair grounds, walking past the overpriced vendors, looking at the butter sculptures, drinking chocolate milk and eating corn on the cob and then some cheese fries. It was a fun time. I can't believe my friend got the deep fried Milky Way though. Just looking at it and wondering how many calories was in that thing made me gag. He claimed it was delicious. 

And how could I forget all the different booths? I don't remember buying anything last year, but what I do remember is walking by one of those game booths and having a "IT'S SO FLUFFYYY" moment when I saw how big the stuffed animal prizes were. Seriously, those things were ginormous! I wanted so badly to win a life-sized minion from Despicable Me and take it home with me. There's just this appeal to having a giant stuffed animal so you can show it off and brag about winning it. Or just cuddle up with in bed, nothing wrong with that right? Actually I vaguely remember a time in my childhood where we went to a relatives house and they owned a stuffed Pikachu as big as I was. Too awesome. 

Anyways, one of these days, I'm going to an amusement park or fair and not leaving until I win one of those. I might spend a hundred or so dollars, but that's how much they would cost in stores, right? Only until I win a giant Domo and put it on the shelf in my bedroom will my life be complete. 

Here's the Domo I saw at Great American on my trip to California... we got soo close to winning it. But oh well it wouldn't have fit in my luggage anyways so my destiny still awaits.

Movies with the family

A lot of times, it's the people you see a movie with that makes it so memorable. Good company can make a movie infinitely better, no matter how dull or lame the movie was to begin with.

This past vacation I was on with my relatives in California has given me so many good memories. I watched 5 movies- Despicable Me, UP, Winnie the Pooh, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Notebook. All of them were good. All of them were with family, which made it even better. (And for the record, Winnie the Pooh was surprisingly good. I was cracking up at some points during the movie and I had forgotten how warming childhood stories can still be. I recommend going, even if you are without a younger child or sibling to use as an "excuse" to go).


But anyways, out of the 5 movies, How to Train Your Dragon was the best. I mean, I had already loved it before, but this time we were watching it with the entire family. My younger cousins were sitting on the couch or laying on the floor. The cousins around my age were sitting in the seats by the side. Even my uncle was stretched out on a side couch and my aunt was watching from the back. At the times I was finally able to tear my eyes away from the screen, I would glance around the room and just feel totally at peace, relaxed and so happy to be able to share a movie with everyone. Laughing together, making funny remarks together, tearing at the eys together.... okay maybe that was just me. But still, it was an awesome experience. Even my six-and-a-half-year-old cousin was watching with wide eyes and laughing at the good parts.

I'm going to miss all of them so much. A good family movie is just that much more memorable than anything else.