Texas State Fair

Retrospective Post 1- Back to October 14

Back in October, my father took my sister, two of my sister's friends, and I to the Texas State Fair out at Fair Park in Dallas. The Texas State Fair typically lasts around 3 weeks in October, and is very popular, and crowded. The place is full of arcade games, some small rides, exhibits, a planetarium, an aquarium, other such buildings, and of course many, many food stands that include a slew of fried foods (we're Americans- moreover Texans...is that surprising?)

This was probably one of the most exciting days in October. The first thing we did was peruse a hall that had exhibits of exorbitantly high cost items, with a man who was a "one-man band"- he played 12 instruments all on his own, including using his feet, head, knees, and everything! It was quite amusing!

We went to the "Midway" next, the loudest part of the park, where all the games were located, as well as the rides. My dad, of course, talked me into going onto a ride which I was horrified of going onto. The ride pivots you around a fulcrum while at the same time spinning you front to back in circles, often times leaving you facing upside down. Freaky! He took pictures. *glare*

For a while we just walked the midway, looking at what they had to offer, including marvelling at all the fried foods that were possible, including fried pop-tarts, fried cheesecake, fried Oreos, fried Coke, and fried Snickers, among other things. There were so many food stands that someone with the pickiest taste could find at least one stand that would serve something they'd like...I did! I had a quesadilla for lunch, with a frozen margarita.

We next stopped at the huuuuuge ferris wheel, from which I got a great shot of the Dallas skyline. It was a short-ish ride, but nice to see such a large part of North Texas. The line wasn't as long as we expected it to be, so it went quick.

Our next stop was the aquarium, where there were some awesome- and some strange- sights to see. They also had stingrays you could pet (I did not take that chance!) and displays of fish from around the world. There were also lizards, a crocodile turtle (I have NO idea how that was conceived....), and other interesting aquatic creatures. Wasn't my choice, but my sister was there with her friends, so we met her there.

Once they left, we looked around some, then they called us down to the pond where they had some swans.....the boat kind! First time I had seen them that I remember. This is where I had my food, and they had some food too, although we ate at different places- we ate closer to the Cotton Bowl. The Cotton Bowl is the place where the "Red River Rivalry" takes place- Oklahoma plays Texas (Texas won!)

After that, we proposed going to the planetarium for a show, but the shows were sold out, so we wandered the park for a while longer, just taking in sights and taking random rides. We sat down for a while and talked some, and we spent some time in the gift shops, looking around.

The last thing we did, to get rid of the last of our "tickets" was go on a anti-gravity ride, which was a complete blast (I've always loved the ride! I've been on it in other fairs). We finally went to a taffy stand and bought some taffy to end out the day, and stopped at another gift shop on the way out.

After that, we caught the Texas Rangers game on the ride home. They were in the middle of the 11th inning, and tied, vying for a place in the World Series at the time. It was an amazing ending to the game, with a grand slam (a home run hit when the bases are loaded, for the non-baseball fans) putting the Rangers winning 7-3...amazing! We got home and I was so tired, I went to bed pretty quickly. It was a pretty much awesome day. Absolutely loved it. My first time to the State Fair, and I'd love to go again (but it's very expensive). Still fun though!

Day 24: Small Town, Texas

Day 24: Where you live- Tell us or show us about where you live

Well, I live in Small Town, Texas, USA (because I really don't want to say which small town, more specifically than "near Fort Worth". From here on, Small Town will be ST. Just so I don't have to type it repeatedly.

Most STs in Texas are very similar. Future Farmers of America? Yeeee Haaaawwww!!! I shake my head...and walk away. I'm not the rodeo type. There is a *small* nugget of truth to the stereotype, I will admit. I do hate, though, that people generalize that every person living in ST, Texas is the stereotypical cowboy/cowgirl. Sorry to disappoint.

For example, I sort of live in between ST, Texas, and suburbia, which is nestled tightly on the edge of Fort Worth. My ZIP code lies in suburbia, my school is in ST. It's not the smallest of towns- I graduated in a mediocre sized class of just over 200 students, but it's the only high school in town. There is a grocery store, but only one. The only other place to buy stuff other than food is the filling station markets or the Dollar General. They have built a hotel since I graduated. They also have a few used car lots, a one room post office, and a bajillion gas stations. Oh, and a high school, a middle school, a 9th grade center, and a few elementary schools. They just changed the system (again)- it used to be a few elementary, an intermediate, a middle, and a high school, then a few elementary, a middle, and a high, and they just can't make up their minds!!

Suburbia is...well, suburbia! They have all the major shopping chains, and they all start within 2 miles the other direction of my house. They also have all the major restaurant chains, all the major chains of...well everything. A couple high schools in that town, several middle schools, and goodness knows how many elementary schools they have. A famous person graduated from there, not too long before we moved here. They have a hospital within a mile of my house (I can run to the emergency room...literally run!!). Quite a few people, and the roads aren't wide enough to quite accommodate the traffic yet.

Suburbia sort of runs into Fort Worth- it's a bit difficult to tell where one merges into the other (they're that close). So I can drive less than 15 minutes and be in the heart of Fort Worth, if I really want to. That is, if I really want to. The traffic on I-35W, the main interstate running north and south through the city, is typically not easy to drive, even during hours not considered rush hour. The only hours during which it's even halfway navigable is between 11pm and 4am....and I don't really want to be driving then anyway. However, if I want access to anything in a big city, Fort Worth is right there, and I can get downtown in a reasonable amount of time without excessive travel.

As far as my house, it's a cozy (not-so-little) 4 bedroom house. Since my brother used to live here with my sister and parents and I, it was the perfect number of rooms, but now we have a spare room for guests and whatnot. We have 3 baths- 1 between my room and the extra room, my sister has her own, and the master bath. There is a family and a formal living room, a family and a formal dining room, and multiple hallways leading here and there. We all have walk-in closets, and we also have a walk in pantry, almost big enough to be a room in its own right, lol. We also have a 3 car garage. I love our house. We have a front yard the size of....well, our front yard isn't much, because our lot is like a slice of pie (we live on a cul-de-sac). The back yard, though, is huuuuuuuge. I think I recall my dad saying we have one of the biggest lots in the front area of our neighborhood. We could probably fit a house back there. With our shed. We used to have a trampoline and a pool back there, but the trampoline got old and weak in the Texas sun, and the pool just....didn't go up one summer. We didn't use it after that.

So now, you know about where I live...

Huzzah!!!

Day 15: A Place to Call Home

Day 15: Describe your dream home or show us a picture

Well, as of yet, I haven't found my dream home

Actually, I don't really know how to define a place as "home," because no place really feels like home to me. When we first moved to the metropolitan area of Dallas-Fort Worth, I thought Killeen was "home," because it was familiar and we had lived there so long, but going back there, I don't feel comfortable at all. My birthplace, Jacksonville, Florida, isn't home. The metroplex isn't home to me. I don't feel like I belong here.

How do I perceive home? According to what I've seen in the Random House and Webster's dictionaries, and what I've experienced with others: "in a situation familiar to one; at ease."

This isn't it. I'm not at ease here, never have been, and I know my family isn't really happy with me for that. All of them adjusted much more easily to the move, and that might be because they were much more accepting of the change. I think they were all at a place in their lives where the move was less of an upheaval. In addition- I know I'll be moving again. I don't know when or where.

This is what I want. I want a space to call my own. I want it to have everything I need, of course- a fridge, a stove that I might learn to use, a sink, a bathroom, that sort of thing, and of course, an AC and heater. I want to be able to make it a living space, where I can be comfortable. If I can put a comfortable seat in there, that would be great. Since I foresee myself being single, a single seat, possible double if I ever make any friends, is all I'll ever need. A studio apartment is probably all I'll need, and I desire a loft bed, with a desk underneath. Why a loft bed, I don't know, but it's something I really want. I also want it to have a sturdy bookshelf next to the desk, and a filing sort of station, to where I can put things of importance. I'll need a place where I can put my TV and my laptop will probably be on my desk. I'll need a charging station. I'll need a closet, although I will probably need to leave behind a large portion of my clothes, and switch them out when I change sizes, which is frequently.

I think that, when I am able to sort out things the way I want them to be, and choose the way I want everything to be set up, and actually put my input into where I want to go, it'll be more of a home than where I am now. Right now, I'm in the same place I was at age 14. I had no choice- it was where my parents wanted to go, and I had to go with them. Of course, I got to choose my carpet, my wall color, and I got a walk-in closet, but none of that changes the emotional factors of moving at such an age.

Moving, however, at the age I am now, or in the near future, is a different story. It's almost expected, and it's a new stage in my life. I'm changing my future, and I'm putting what I want into my life. I'm finally exerting what I want into the place where I move. It's not whether I have a bay window in my room, which is nice, but it's where I stay, how big it is, what surrounds me, how big it is, and whether I really want to be there. It's my independence. It's me finally taking the step, rather than someone taking the step for me and forcing me to go somewhere. It will be refreshing (I hope). I don't have a picture- I don't even have a job, two of the necessities I'll need to fulfill before I can find this place of mine. I don't know how long it'll take, or if I'll be able to make it happen, but it's a strong desire.

Home? Home is a place you want to go. Home is where you feel comfortable. Home is where you can go and say "this is where I'm from." OK, so perhaps I can say Texas is home...maybe. I only say that because I don't remember living anywhere else, although I've lived several other places. Do I feel at home anywhere? Not really. Maybe over time, I'll find that niche, but until then, I'll float around, looking for it--cause

"I'm just a girl; trying to find a place in this world" -Taylor Swift