5 (more!) reasons why the Puyallup Fair makes me smile

1. Two words: elephant ears.

2. Adults wearing overalls in 2008.

I like overalls ... on children under 5. And at one point, I did wear them as a teen because they were trendy for some unknown reason (any other girls wear the cordoroy overalls in the '90s?). But I'll be real--they just don't look good on most adults. And if you are one of the few people in America that actually looks great in overalls, you would probably look a million times better in anything else (okay, maybe not Hammer pants). :)

3. Furry hats.

I don't know what it is. But at the fair, people are willing to spend actual cash money on tacky trashy things they would never ever buy anywhere else. Take furry hats, for example. I kept seeing posses of otherwise fashionable preteen girls wearing these tacky trashy furry hats.

It seriously looked like they were dressing up for Halloween as the creepy guy named "Mystery" (whose real name is probably something like Melvin) from VH1's "The Pick-up Artist" or hosting the most disturbing version of the Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland.

[Sidenote: That movie must have been seriously made by people smoking crack. The girl eats mushrooms and pills and grows or shrinks? The caterpillar sings hypnotic songs with a smoke pipe that spells with pretty bright colors? Cats with creepy smiles appear out of nowhere and then suddenly disappear? Why did our parents let us watch this movie...? :) ]

4. The Gravitron

You may know that I love crazy rides and rollercoasters. But back in the day, I also loved the Gravitron--this fast spinning ride that lifts kids up in the air (without a booster seat, thank you very much!) and somehow makes it feel as if you weigh a million pounds when you try to lift up your arms or legs. Perhaps schools should have these rides on playgrounds to stop the obesity epidemic in America. It would be way cooler than vegetables. :)

5. The $400 blender

What cracks me up about this is not the blender itself. But how easily my Dad gets sucked into the vortex of logic that would compel someone to buy one.

"You can make really good smoothies and soup. All in one machine! And it's healthy, too!" he says, his eyes wide as he sips on some chocolate-strawberry concoction of goodness (healthy?).

And Mom will usually come back with, "When was the last time you actually made a smoothie? Or cooked some soup?"

"Maybe I would if I had that blender," he says.

"Or maybe with $400, we could buy a whole lot of Campbell's and some Jamba Juice," she smiles.

This ability to get sucked into a vortex of smooth salesmanship makes it difficult for my Dad to walk through Costco on sample day with a list or attend rummage sales and auctions without my Mom [ "This organ was only $100 and it was for a good cause!" he said. "But no one in our family plays the organ or ever wants to," she replies]. I love this family! :)

P.S. Here's the list from last year ... in case you missed it.