The Ekka!

I feel more like I belong here now that I’ve been to the Ekka, bought show bags, and eaten at least a bite of a dagwood dog. Ekka is short for Exhibition, which is really just a big state fair. A really big one. Whenever I’ve talked to someone about going to the Ekka, they get a bit of a smile, and tell me about their childhood memories. Everyone seems to love it. So now it’s Ekka week, and we decided that we should take our boys. I’m really glad that we went. Here are some photos to document our day.

The main arena

 

Jackson was pretty scared to feed the animals at first, but then he got pretty into it and really enjoyed it. It was great watching him. He’s getting much braver. Owen wasn’t scared at all. He loved it!

     

Traditional Ekka food includes dagwood dogs (corndogs to Americans). That is really the only reason we got one. I really hate them, but felt like I was missing some part of the experience, so I had a bite of Sam’s. I’m pretty sure it made me sick.

   

Show bags are a huge part of the Ekka. In the beginning they were called sample bags, and you got samples of local goods. Now you pay anywhere from $1 to $50 and can get most anything: chocolate, chips, Dora the explorer, magazines, magic tricks, football gear, underwear. Seriously, anything. These photos aren’t great, but imagine a huge pavilion with about 9 or 10 more of these alleys. We didn’t get too many, but got a Sesame Street one for Jackson and M&M’s for us.

It was a great day, but this is how we all felt by the time we made it home.

  

Changes

Last weekend I went to our ward Relief Society conference. I’m so glad that I took the time to go and that Sam was willing to watch the boys all day. I was able to get to know a lot of sisters in our ward in a way I never would have otherwise. I was reminded that there is usually more to a person than we know. I was also reminded that we’re all in this together and we need to get over ourselves and help each other out. I’m always so worried about what I need and how I feel. Chances are someone else needs the same things and feels the same way. I’ve decided to really try and be a better friend. I guess it’s true that to have a friend you have to be one. I’m glad I got the reminder.

During one of the workshops the presenter was talking about downloading movies and music. He mentioned that people who do that aren’t being honest. Because it was someone that we both trust and respect a lot, I talked to Sam about it when I got home. In the past, we’ve always justified our downloading and didn’t feel too bad about it, although we knew that it was wrong. This time, it was different for some reason. We decided that we’d better step it up and do the right thing. So since then, we’ve deleted all of our downloaded/borrowed/burned music, movies, and wii games. If we haven’t paid for it, we don’t have it. We’ve lost a lot of our collection, but we feel really good about it. It’s been a good change.

I’m so glad that we get second chances and reminders about what we can do better. I’m glad that people are willing to share their stories to help us learn. And I’m glad that I don’t have to perfect today. I’ve got a lot of changes yet to make.

July

I missed the entire month of July. Oops. Here’s what you missed:

• I turned 30…I guess I’m old now. I don’t really feel much different. It was a bit weird not having fireworks, but we lit sparklers, so all was not lost. It was a good day.
• I got to spend a few days at young womens camp. It was a great way to get to know everyone and opened my eyes to what our leaders went through when I was in young women.
• Owen started walking! We are so proud of him. He’s getting really good and pretty quick.
• We found cheap flights so my mum is coming to visit us! We are really looking forward to having her here and showing her around. Just 4 more weeks!

Okay, so that’s all the big stuff. Here are some photos to fill in the gaps…

 

Owen is getting so big! He loves riding Jackson’s bike!

 

Jackson loves Buzz and Woody. He was pretty excited about these socks. I’m a little embarrassed.