So I blog next to never, but I was changing the photo on my "desktop" and thought you might enjoy these recent pics of the fam.
Renae and I took the chitlins out for some good midwestern fun last weekend, the Holland Strawberry Festival. It was hot as all get out, but there were strawberries to be had, and Renae was not going to miss out on it!
We pulled in the parking lot and decided to feed Avery before getting out. At the same time, a young couple parked next us in their minivan, unloaded their little one, and were off in a flash. I didn't think much of it as Avery was eating, that is, until we were finally out of the car unloading our kids. The family came back to the car, and were packing up to leave!
It was one of those moments, do you say something, because you know, you're curious, or do you mind your own business and just ignore the seeming odd occurrence. Well, next thing you know we are talking and they are complaining about how there were vendors all over trying to push their products on you, there were carny rides all over (I thought, why is that bad, isn't that good? I like carny rides, I thought I saw Gravitron when we pulled up, that was my favorite, what is wrong with these people?).
Here was the kicker, and what I think put them over the top. They said, "THERE WERE NO STRAWBERRIES." What? No strawberries, at the strawberry festival? I mean, I know the bee population is down and there is concern over the lack of pollinators for fruit, but common. Its the whole festival's namesake, they could have at least flown some in from somewhere.
They proceeded to tell us that they were disappointed because it wasn't like they remembered it as kids, and so they were leaving.
Renae and I look at each other and thought, well, we paid $2 bucks for parking so we should at least take a walk around before leaving, right? I thought to myself, I'll just ignore the salesman in the tents and make my way right to the games and rides, Zach might like to go on one.
Well, the next thing you know, Renae is signing up for contests and giving Everdry our contact information and telling them about cracks on our basement walls........NOOOOOOOOOOO they got to us, now we will get harassing phone calls and emails and letters, maybe that couple was on the right track, get out, get out while you can.
A few free notepads, newspapers, and drawings later, we made it through the gauntlet and it was on to the games. Surely Zach will want to ride some of these fun contraptions. Well, he liked looking at them, but he didn't want to ride anything until he saw them all, weighed his options, made sure the kids already riding were having fun, and whatever else he was analyzing as we toured the grounds.
While he was making up his mind, we wandered over to the food section, and what do you know, there in the back, in a nice covered, unmarked pavilion, the namesake herself in all her glory. Strawberries. Shortcake, pie, flats, preserves, jams, you name, you can have, for a price.
Ten dollars later, we had eaten ourselves into a fruit filled tizzy and guess who was ready to ride, Zach Man, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do, BUMPER BOATS.
He went in circles most of the time, but he loved it. The girl running the ride let him stay in for quite a while since there wasn't a line. He could have stayed there all afternoon, but the super slide was beckoning, and kids were starting to line up for the boats.
Off we went, I to purchase more tickets at a rate that loan sharks in Vegas would be proud of, and Renae stayed behind to hold Zach at bay.
Renae accompanied Zach from top to bottom, and they both enjoyed the ride.
What a fun afternoon, but why the long story? I was thinking that amidst the craziness of life, we shouldn't forget why we are here, or what is most important to us. The Holy Ghost whispers divine truths to us, and sometimes we need to slow down and listen to His direction. The "strawberries" of life are all around us, but sometimes we lose focus and miss the ones right before our very eyes.
