High Five for Friday

Today I'm linking up with Lauren to share some of my favorite stuff from the past week. It not exactly just this past week because I'm including last week too.

1) It snowed again! Just in case I was clear HERE, HERE and HERE...I love snow and winter and cold weather! Love it! And so does Grant. So he was jazzed about another day to play in the snow (and had his first, second, and third snow slushies).

He begged to play with the Hulk fists outside.

2) The day after "Snowmaggedon" hit Raleigh - also Valentine's Day - my co-worker and I headed to Hickory for a conference. So she and I were once again each other's Valentine date. Later on, Husband texted me a picture of the Valentine that Grant made us at school. So stinkin cute!

3) I got home from my trip Saturday evening to flowers on the kitchen table and a happy little boy.

4) I took Grant to the park on Sunday. The weather was great and we needed some exercise. So I took a nice long walk and then let Grant have some playground time afterwards. I even managed to meal-plan while I walked and we hit the grocery store on the way home!

5) Wednesday was Taco Night. I never mind that night of the week because I don't have to cook much besides the meat. But Grant looks at like a buffet table of "I can do it myself" and he eats better than any other meal I make. He had four tacos and was excited about every single one.

Happy Friday!

Have a great weekend!

2012 Mountain State Fair

A trip full of firsts! My first work trip. My first time being away from Husband and Grant at the same time. My first time being away from Grant for more than one night. My first time to the NC Mountain State Fair. My first (and second) time seeing a cow give birth.I could continue...but I won't. It was rather an adventure for me. And if I'm being honest, not an unpleasant one (aside from missing my family like crazy).


It was a gorgeous day for a drive!

I was there from Thursday the 13th to Sunday afternoon on the 16th. My first day was rather uneventful. I barely had time to put my stuff in my hotel room before I had to be at the fairgrounds. I didn't do too much exploring that day. I was tired from driving and about 6:30 my boss told me I could go so I did. And had a yummy dinner with some co-workers afterward!

So the very next morning at 9:00 am found me at the fairgrounds once again. My booth was located in the Farm Adventure Tent and I had this little gal as my neighbor:

Isn't she cute? One of our animal health techs had given me a ride to my "office" in a golf cart so she could check on the animals. So I asked if I could go visit the calf for some pictures. And she let me!

I asked if she had a name. She didn't. So we called her Elsie.

Elsie was very friendly.

 Some other folks in the Farm Adventure Tent:

There was a mama pig and bunch of little piglets. I think this
one wanted to come home with me :)

 And a couple of feeder pigs.

A couple of sheep (nosy!). But I steered clear of those.
They looked very dirty and smelly.

Typically I avoid anything in the horse family. But this
mini donkey was a ham and loved it when I
tried to take his picture!

 There were some baby ducks and chicks too but their fencing didn't allow me any good picture opportunities. The chicks were cute...but the baby ducks were so soft and fluffy looking. I wanted to hold one but since I got to hang out with the calf, I didn't want to press my luck.

One of my favorite things about the Mountain State Fair that the Raleigh state fair doesn't have was the chair lift. It goes the whole length of the fair. It works out well if you ride right before lunch...you can check out all your options :) But you also get a fantastic view:


That's my kind of Fair ride.

I did get to walk around to see the other animals some and explore the fair a bit. I found the Hertitage building where people sell their crafts (or as Husband calls it, their homemade crap) and I found the most adorable hat for Grant. Then I found the building full of vendors and got him the most amazing book. And myself some maple cotton candy. 

For Grant: Mama in a giant tractor wheel

Of all my random animal pics, I decided to post this one.
Not sure if it's a him or her but it's cute and sleepy either way :)

 Oh yeah...I got to see a guy get shot out of a cannon too.

I was rather excited to catch this one.

So that pretty much sums up my first business trip! Aside from missing my family, it was a great trip. I've never taken a trip alone before so it was a needed adventure. But I was very glad to get home, hug my baby (I got home just in time to give him his present and read him a bedtime story), and sleep in my own bed!

Moo-ternity Ward

Remember in my last post about the NC Mountain State Fair when I said it was my first time seeing a cow give birth? The MSF has an exhibit called the Moo-ternity Ward and it was directly across the walkway from the Farm Adventure Tent where my booth was set up.

They bring in a bunch of pregnant cows that could go into labor any time and keep their fingers crossed that they do and that it's during fair hours. Last year (the first year of this exhibit) one was born during fair hours. This year they had nine! Maybe ten, I can't remember. Anyway, Saturday morning my boss came by my booth to check on things and got a call that one of the cows was delivering. He asked if I wanted to go watch. I, of course, asked if it was yucky. He rolled his eyes at me but I went anyway and I'm so glad I did!

The mama cow is put in that pen (lined with plexiglass) so
everyone can watch the process.

That morning the calf was about half way out when I got there and the mama cow was a seasoned pro. It wasn't too long before she had pushed that calf out and was cleaning her up (see above; that was just a few minutes after delivery).

It's a girl :)

This is the little calf a few hours later all cleaned up and adorable.

So the very next morning, when my boss was coming by to check on things he got another call about a cow in labor and this one had just started to deliver. This time I said "Can I go watch?!" When I got there, there were just two feet out. It was the mama cow's first baby and the poor thing had to do it with an audience. But it was great to see how interested people were. It was a longer process than the first one I'd watched but when the little calf slid out everybody cheered for the mama. It was an awesome process to watch.

Since it was her first she wasn't sure what to do. One of
the "helpers" nearby went in the pen and brought the little
guy over to the mama so she could clean him up. She
got the hang of it in a minute.

 

Already trying to stand up and not even 30 minutes old!

Like with the first one I saw, I went back a few hours later to see what he looked like.

Look at that little guy! So cute.

So, it turned out not to be yucky at all. Amazing, really. Lesson learned. I was surprised at the amount of parents standing there with small children explaining the process to them. It was a great thing for them to be able to witness. I'm definitely glad I didn't let the image in my head hold me back from going over there to see it too.