"babe, i touched a cow!" (or livestock fur sticks to nacho cheese)

i love a good county fair. there is so much to enjoy! and our county fair was no disappointment. the kids went on rides, didn't puke or die, played a few games, won cheap prizes that didn't have fleas, and we ate lots of crap. as satirical as that may sound, it was a blast.

most of you know i'm really into eating healthy. but there are occasions when i splurge, and indulge my family in the same privilege. county fairs are one of those times. how can you possibly say no to corn dogs, onion rings, nachos, cotton candy, and my personal favorite: FRIED DOUGH. it's WICKED good! i had to promise skip that if i ate all that, i wouldn't whine about the lard in my arteries any time afterward. it seemed a fair trade.

that said, we enjoyed a lot of yummy food. but i discovered that the grease, combined with the nacho cheese, makes a really sticky foundation for cinamon sugar off the fried dough, and cow fur from the livestock show. (see above shots)

as much fun as it was to watch my fair-food-crusted children scream on the rides, the absolute highlight of the fair came in the livestock barns. we walked in, noe plugged her nose, and we began to observe something bordering on a scene out of charlotte's web. the cows were soft and clean, the horses shone, even the pigs showed their true, mud-free colors. i was genuinely appreciating this, when my husband leaned over and said, "babe... i just touched a cow." i gave him a small, closed-mouth smile, raised my eyebrows a bit, and nodded. big whoop. he clearly sensed my lack of enthusiasm, and repeated, "no, babe... i just touched a cow." i made eye contact with this man i love so dearly, and saw he was actually kind of excited. "yes?" i asked. he replied, "babe. i've never touched a cow before!" my city boy. i guess there aren't too many bovine on the streets of LA, other than maybe at jack-in-the-box.

he was truly excited. unfortunately, my batteries died in my camera, and i couldn't actually capture the moment. but he later touched a pig as well. i am so proud of him for broadening his horizons, and exposing himself to the really great things in life. anyway, here's the happy guy, who's already looking forward to next year's events: