The Fair is in town.
I do not think you can fully fathom the level of excitement that exists here at our abode when the Fair is coming to town. My crew loves them some fair time.
When the littles had it on their radar, we began Fair Day countdown. We decided to go today with Mess Cat, Leroy, and Shaker, so the children could play together, maybe ride some rides, and we could visit together and dream big as we walked through really expensive RV’s on display. Oh, and you know, cows.
It takes us a little while to get out the door. The Fella likes to say, here we go, “like a herd of turtles.” Some days it’s like that. Today came close to being exactly that. But we did get out the door and into the GoMobile with snacks, headache remedies, wipes (for little hands), and other essentials tucked away in my bag. I wasn’t going to tote a backpack this year. I had this. (Note to self: Take a backpack next year–there’s all those things folks are handing out that the littles love and then you are left carrying them in your hands. Ahem. Backpacks are cool.)
Our first roadblock on this journey was literally a blocked road. We got down to where we usually cross over the railroad tracks to head south, and there were two trains, traveling in opposite directions, facing each other, ON THE SAME TRACK. That was a tore up mess right there. I had no idea how they were going to fix that, but I knew we didn’t want to wait around and find out. The Fella turned around and tried to use the GPS to redirect us, but it became quite clear that “she” was going to send us back to the railroad tracks not much further south of where we’d been-which still would have been a problem.
He turned around and found a road to cross over just a little north of where the trains sat. Whew. Okay. Moving along. We arrived in town, so close to the Fairgrounds on the outskirts of town when we saw another line of backed up traffic. Are you kidding me?
It was the parade.
The Fair parade.
The irony that the parade for the Fair was making us late getting to the Fair was not lost on me. It wasn’t lost on our oldest Aub either. From her seat in the very back, I heard her comment, “We are on the struggle bus for real, people.”
You got that right. It was one of those times when you started to question if we were really supposed to be going at all today.
Not to be outdone or to give up very easily, the Fella talked with his GPS again and figured out the back way to the Fairgrounds. We were on our way and about to pull in where we needed to park to meet my sister when we realized the Georgia State Patrol folks sitting there were not letting anyone turn left to go in at that gate.
And no traffic in sight from either direction.
Sigh.
Why was there no traffic? Because we were at the other end of that parade…..they were about to block the road off completely. So the Fella went down as quickly as he legally could, trying to find a place to make a u-turn.
Again from the backseat, my droll girl: “We are officially on the deluxe version of the struggle bus now, y’all.”
Yep. Sounds about right.
But still. The u-turn worked. Just in time.
We found a pretty decent parking spot. And we made our way in and met Mess Cat and family at the RV’s. Each one we looked at the littles wanted us to buy. My sister told her son what the man who worked for the RV folks told us, “Imma need you to sign some paperwork.” Yeah. And get a job. Shaker just laughed. Precious.
Coming home this afternoon as the fall shadows began to lengthen on this cool day, reminding of us the beauty of this season, I thought over our time together as a family. And two thoughts came to mind.
First, sometimes roadblocks are just that. They aren’t always signs we should turn around and go back home. Sometimes they are just roadblocks. As we say around the house every now and again, “Sometimes it just be’s like that.” Nothing more, nothing less. Just keep on pressing through. It’s a pain in the neck and frustrating as all get out, but most of the time, the end result is worth it.
The other thing is about being with family. If I have to ride the struggle bus from time to time or, you know, several times a day, I am glad I have this assembly of “peoples” and personalities to ride on down the road with. Today we laughed so hard about the roadblocks, and when I used the “j” word I really should not have said, my crew lovingly reminded me that maybe my attitude could be a little better. Ahem. (I was mad and I thought those directing traffic were being jerks not to let us turn in. I know, a little extreme. But considering it was the third time we’d been waylaid…..I did apologize to my crew though.) That’s what we have each other for–to love us through the hard times, the crazy times, and the good times, and to remind us of who our best selves are and empower us to be just that–our best selves.
Tonight I’m thankful for a great day, right down to my *surprise* sunburned cheeks and wind-chapped lips. It was a wonderful time of being together–of smiles, of laughter, and of teasing that brought on even more precious laughter.
And if I had to ride the struggle bus to get there, well, it was all the more worth it. I love the Fair, and I love my people. A good day all around.
Wishing you all good company on your struggle bus rides.
Love to all.
I Might Need A Nap 
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