Halloween

This halloween is going to be pretty quiet with no parties and no crazy costumes. The more pregnant I get the more I like just sitting around at home or going out with just the hubby. Last night we went to see the carolina ballet perform Dracula. It was nice to get out and do something so adult together. We had a quick dinner out at applebees which was just okay. Applebees is always a hit or miss for us, sometimes it is great and sometimes it is just so so. After dinner we headed to down town Raleigh and the ballet. The ballet was great and they shortened the story to a good length so that it was not boring or overly long for a ballet program. They also narrated the ballet which was a nice change from your classical ballet and the music and singing for the ballet were live which was another surprise. Tonight we are staying inside, making a nice dinner of chicken Parmesan for our selves and jakes mom and handing out candy to any trick or treaters we may have. Even though this has been a quiet halloween with no parties and no costumes, it has been really nice to just hang out and enjoy the weekend.

pregnancy...30 weeks!

This week has brought some adventures. I didn't pass my first glucose test so I had to go for a second three hour test on Wednesday. I warned the nurse that my veins can be hard to find but when she drew the first test she found my vein right away with no problems. I drank my lovely glucose drink and left for an hour. When I came back for my second test it was harder for them to find my vein and they only found it after poking me three times in three different spots. It went on like this for the other tests as well and at the end of my appointment I had been poked seven times for four blood draws. The nurses apologized to me so much that there is no way I could be upset at them but I am very upset at my body and just wish it would cooperate when giving blood! However, I did pass my glucose test this time so I do not have gestational diabetes! God is truly amazing and has blessed us with so many good things this week and it just amazes me everytime.

NC state fair

As our second fall ritual Jake and I headed out to the state fair yesterday. We mostly go for the food and to see the exhibits. We have only ridden one ride at the state fair in the five years we have been going and it is really nice to save money by not riding the rides. State fair food is expensive so you will certainly spend enough money on the food and entry fee alone without having to worry about ride tickets. Since Jake still has a valid military id we went on military day and both got in for free! We then headed straight for the roasted corn and jake enjoyed a steak sandwich. The other fun food we found was our traditional honey cotton candy, hand dipped corn dog and hot apple cider. The new things we tried this year were a fried pecan pie and a muscadine cider slushie. Needless to say the fried pecan pie was AMAZING and will be added to my list of favorite fair foods. The exhibits were also great this year and we strolled around the fruit and veggi exhibits, checked out the huge cattle and pigs and of course the flower exhibit which I love because I always see new plants and flowers that amaze me! Overall it was a great day at the fair and even though we spent about 50$ it really wasn't that bad for everything we got. Here is a list of all the things we bought with that 50$.

- 1 Large bag of kettle corn
- 1 bear squeeze bottle of NC honey
- 1 honey cotton candy
- 4 ears of roasted corn
(yes 4, we each had one when we got there then had another when we were leaving)
- 1 steak sandwich
- 1 foot long corndog
- 1 fried pecan pie
- 2 hot apple ciders
- 1 bottle of water
- 1 small coke
-1 muscadine cider slushie

renaissance fair

The north carolina renaissance fair is a staple in our fall festivities. This was actually only our second year making it up to the fair since it is held near huntersville, but it was as good as the first time we went. This year we went with my brother, his wife, and my cousin allie and her husband. It was great to spend time with family and see jousts and wander through the "village" where merchants were selling many cool things. We saved money this year and didnt buy anything other than our tickets and food for lunch (okay, okay, we did sneak in some chocolate in there) .
With adult tickets being $19.00 a piece you really want to take advantage of everything the fair has to offer so you get your money's worth. There are a butt load of programs going on all over the fair. This year we saw the joust, and a comedy show, walked by the pirate show, jugglers, belly dancers, and black smith but didn't stay for the whole shows. There are also sword swallowers, fire eaters, and falconry shows and don't forget the glass blowing demonstrations! You can really make a full day of it if you sit down and plan out which shows you want to go to before you get there. However, if you are like us you may just want to wander around the fair and take your chances on what is going to be playing on certain stages as you walk by. It really depends if you are the organized outing type of people or not. Personally, I like just walking around and seeing what I see.
Interested in going? The fair runs until the end of november!

http://www.royalfaires.com/carolina/

October

One of the best months of the year is here! I can't explain how much I love the cool, but still sunny weather, the tastes, sights, and smells of the state fair, the decorating for halloween, the pumpkin carving, and of course the renaissance faire in Charlotte! This year we are going to be very busy in October. We have a trip planned to go to charlotte and stay the weekend with my brother and sister in law, carve pumpkins and go to the Ren faire. After that we have the NC state fair in Raleigh!! Next, we have tickets to go see the carolina ballet perform Dracula the night before Halloween. Then of course, we have halloween and are hoping for lots of trick or treaters! Our three front facing windows are decorated with a huge Dracula vinyl window sticker that I found at michaels (made by martha stewart) and orange, purple, and green lights. Hopefully our decorations will attract some trick or treaters because we will have candy ready. I hope that you all have some plans for this wonderful month as well :)