We survived...the 4H Fair!!

Well, as I mentioned earlier, the 4H fair was last week. And what a treat it was! Hard work, no doubt and a little warm, but hey, no harm in a little sweat, right? We started off the fair Friday night, July 18th, with entering exhibits in the hall. Crazy!! I left my "fair bible" (the fair book) at home and had to mooch off of fellow Merry Martins....they are so great! So we completed the forms needed and were waiting to be called for Ky to meet with judges when this short smart ass woman from another club was getting all cranky with our kids....long story short, all clubs have a sign in time, ours was at 4. She was "cheating" and trying to register her kids stuff when our club was....so whoever you are lady, take a happy pill and relax! Sheesh!! It really amazes me how parents act, sometimes more immature than their kids! Ky ended up getting all blue ribbons on her exhibits (4) and a blue on her ham!! YEAH!

The next day was the beef show...what we have been busting our butts for weeks on. We got up at the butt-crack-of-dawn...shoot, not even dawn....did you know that it is still dark at 4:30 am?? Anyway, we showed up to the fairgrounds at a little before 7, and tried to get settled. Well low and behold, Mid-MO 4H group is special...why, I am not for sure. But they had a whole side of the barn "reserved" with a big ole' banner stating their lovely name going across. They must have done it the night before, because, guess what! They were no where to be seen! Most of them didn't show up until mid morning....hmmmmmmmm, interesting.Thought it was a first come first serve, but nope....I guess MidMO Club has some clout somewhere. Whatever.....so the beef show went great...a little disappointed that since there were not any entries for grooming or showmanship for Ky's age, she got bumped an age group, but she did a great job and learned a lot. That little Montgomery girl is so sweet...and kicks butt at grooming! Ky ended up taking Grand Champion for the Bucket Calf class...she was excited and will tell you that the beef show was her favorite!

That same night the dog show took place at 7pm. Poor Ky was beat! She had busted her butt all day keeping her stalls cleaned and fresh water for calves, but she headed off to the next event without even complaining. Ladybug (Ky's long haired Daschund)was a little "hot", to say the least...and did not do so good in the first event. I must say the rude ass lady in front of me almost had the privledge of wearing my gatorade because of her thoughtless comments...when Ky walked up, she said, "Well great...the girl that wins everything. Who told her she could be here?" I ignored her, the good, rational parent that I am (HA!) and watched the show....the hateful woman's kid won that class and smirked, saying "showed her!" (again, I kept quiet...what's up with that??)Ky was pooped, and while waiting for the next class, fell off a brick pilar and scraped under her arm. I ran down to her and she said, "Mommy, I am just so tired" but I let her know that we finish what we start and to just try her best. When I got back up on the bleachers, hateful hoochie looked at me. I told her as sweet as could be, "what a great sport she is!" and took my seat behind her. The old bag moved! Ky ended up taking Grand Champion in obedience...but more than that, she learned to never give up & to have fun! The obstacle course was the funniest....Ladybug went under the hurdles, around the hool-a-hoop and did not want to move! We were all laughing and kept yelling at Ky..."keep going!" When they finally made it to the end, everyone, except the hateful hoochie, clapped and hooted for her! It was great!

I am going to end my tale here and continue later. But one comment I want to make about our 4H Club...these people are amazing. They came out to support their fellow Merry Martins in the different events, even if they themselves were not participating. Ky had a long day and was getting discouraged after she fell and got hurt. But they rallied--parents & kids...came over to watch Ky....Mae F, Noel & Becky S + Steven, Vicki D & Morgan, Megan G, Kerri D, and others came by too. It just amazes me how people took time out of their busy day to show their support. Sometimes that is all someone needs to lift their spirits...people that believe in them. That Saturday was a wonderful day....we had tears and lots of sweat, but we as a family learned that it truly is the little things that make a difference....we just need to stop and appreciate it.