Self Reflection:

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Jamie

Every now and again I find myself taking some time to just think.  I’ve noticed I’ve begun to do this since I went through my divorce.

Yes, I have been married before.  I can relate to the joys of planning a wedding, the fun of the wedding day, and what married life is like, but I can also relate to how a relationship can fall about, and often times, I reflect.

I tell myself that divorce was one of the worse and best things to happen to me in my life because of this.  After my divorce I really went through a full 4 month process of seclusion, and I came home and reflected on where things went wrong, who I was, and what I truly wanted out of life.

What did I end up doing in the next year of my life?  I moved out of my house, I stepped down from my position at work, and I was looking to move out of Minnesota.  It wasn’t until 10 months down the road when fate stepped in, and set me on the path out to LA.

When I finally got here, I fully began to embrace life differently. In the past, I was so career focused that I honestly didn’t focus on anything else in life.  Out here, yes, I have my job, and I do take it seriously, but I have embrace life outside of work too, and began, for the first time in a long time, to pursue my other passions.

I found my love of photography, my love of writing, and my love of exploration.  Since LA was so new to me, the exploring part came pretty easy, that is, once I got comfortable going out on my own 😉 I am a midwest girl, y’know?

But this past week I’ve begun to reflect on what people find interesting in other people.  I began to think back to my school days and how we tried so hard to fit in back then, even if it meant doing things just because the others were doing them even if you didn’t love them.  ARG, why do we do that to ourselves?

And then all of a sudden it just made sense to me:  what is interesting?  Well, just being yourself, when you follow your passions and dreams, others will notice, they will begin to ask questions about what it is you do, and that becomes the glue to a friendship or working collaboration.

It is in putting ourselves out there first.  Some people may not like what we’re doing, may find us weird, or annoying, or intimidating.  However, the people that think we’re brilliant will come forward, and that is the glue. 😉

We spend half our time trying to fit in, and then the other half is just us throwing up our hands and saying, “whatever, this is who I am.”  I much prefer the latter.

Thoughts?

 

 

 


Categories: Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Minnesota State Fair VS The LA County Fair

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Jamie

Since the beginning of August I’ve been talking about my love of the Minnesota State Fair, and how I miss it since moving out to LA.  And how this summer I was on the look out for my very own replacement right in LA, if that was even possible.

Well, I have to admit I have found it in The LA County Fair.

But, I do want to put the two side by side for comparison sake:

1) The Animals.

LA County Fair:

The LA County Fair had its share of animals, but where the LA County Fair won out versus the MN State Fair was in their exotic animals.  I was honestly surprised to run across bears, zebras, porcupines, owls, and armadillos at the fair.  When I think of county fairs I think of barn animals.  No worries, the LA County Fair also had this.

Minnesota State Fair: 

The Minnesota State Fair is known for their Miracle of Birth center.  Newly remodeled and open in the year 2010 to an even bigger and better Miracle of Birth Center.  You see the birthing process of cows, pigs, and more, and if you’re lucky you watch the birthing action happen right there at the fair.

And you walk further into the livestock barns and you run across horses, rodeo shows, sheep, and more.  There’s plenty of animals to look at.  The livestock was far bigger compared to the LA County Fair.

The winner: Because I wasn’t prepared for the exotic animals nor was I anticipating it, it was a very pleasant surprise, and because of it, the LA County Fair won me over with their selection of animals.

2) The Food

The LA County Fair had me out for an evening of food, and I got to try a ton of amazing food, and it made me see a huge selection from what they had, and I loved every minute of it.  I found some favorites that evening too with Flavors of France, Sweet Potato Marshmellow Yammies, and The Naked Pineapple.

 

You can read the full review here.

However,

The Minnesota State Fair:

Has everything on a STICK.  Although the LA County Fair had their corn dogs, cheese on a stick and lobster on a stick, there was a lot missing for me.  In Minnesota I could get alligator on the stick, jerky on a stick, pickles on a stick, fried fruit on a stick, cheesecake on a stick, and the list goes on and on.  Every year they come out with something new and different.

I’m not saying the food selection at the LA County Fair is terrible.  Trust me, I fell in love with my Deep Fried Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich from Chicken Charlies, I’m just saying I miss the creativeness of “Food on a Stick.”

The winner: Minnesota State Fair

3) The Shopping

Minnesota State Fair:

When you go to the Minnesota State Fair your shopping is usually in one place: The Grandstand.  This huge, two level building has a ton.  It gets hot fast, but it’s fun to browse through.  There’s also the Home Improvements building.

The LA County Fair:

I honestly don’t know how many shopping buildings there are.  Alls I remember is walking into one building, coming out in one part, and running across 3 or 4 more buildings after that.  And when I thought it was done, I ran across one more building.  It was endless.  I needed a day just to hit up all the shopping spots of the LA County Fair.

Winner: The LA County Fair

4) The Entertainment

Minnesota State Fair:

One thing the Minnesota State Fair had a ton of were newscasts.  The local news station had their booths at the fair, and they’d do live shows straight from the fair.  It was a great way for the community to show support and be apart of the news, and it was a huge favorite.

There were demonstrations in the animal areas throughout the days of the fair showcasing how to sheer a sheep, etc.  There were also demonstrations at the LA County Fair too.

And then there were big concerts at The Grandstand every evening.  This past year an evening out with Rascal Flatts, etc.  It seems as if the shows continue to get bigger and bigger every year.

LA County Fair:

I feel the Entertainment is smaller scale, but the shows are more personable.  They have a bear station where they do a live event with the bears.  They have a pirate with his parrots in which there’s an entire show learning about the birds.  There’s a live circus at the fair where you can watch trapeze and other events take place.

The shows are fun to watch, they’re educational, and they bring a variety.  I spent a lot of my time at the fair enjoying these very personable shows.

There was also live horseracing taking place right at the fair.  Yes, the LA County even had concerts throughout the fair, but on a much smaller scale basis.

Winner: They’re both winners in my eyes.  I appreciated the variety at the LA County Fair and how personal and fun their shows were, but there was also something very special about sitting in on your local news stations telecast.

5) The Alcohol

Minnesota State Fair:

In the land of Minnesota, it is BEER haven.  They have the beer gardens.  In the International Village you can even purchase your beer on a stick which is a paddle of 4 different tastings of beer from Summit! 😉 Beer is everywhere, and for those that love it, it’s a good thing, but for those of us who don’t, the selection is lacking.

LA County Fair:

The Wine Marketplace is my haven.  Over 100 different bottle of wines that have won out in the International Wine Competition, but the part I loved the most were their wine education classes.  You mean, I can go to the fair, and even learn about what I love while I’m there?  Heck yes!

Winner: I think they’re both winners.  On a personal level it’s the LA County Fair because if you have wine you’re always a winner in my eyes, but the midwest is ingrained in beer, and there’s a huge market there.

6) Length of Fair

Minnesota State Fair:

The last 10 days of summer are spent at the Minnesota State Fair.  People tend to take vacations around the time that the Minnesota State Fair takes place.  It’s great to take the time off, it’s a last summer hurrah for families, and a fun place to end the fair and summer on Labor Day considering the next day is usually the first day of school.

LA County Fair:

30 Days of Fun!  You honestly can’t beat that.  I was always curious to know why September though? =)

In the end both fairs are a ton of fun, and they’re unique to their demographics.  At the LA County Fair there are a bunch of personal touches that I really loved, and catered to me and what I like.

The Minnesota State Fair will always have my heart, but what I miss most, is the food on the stick.

I hope you enjoyed my comparison.  Please comment and tell me what your favorite things to do at the LA County Fair or the Minnesota State Fair =)

You still have until Sunday, September 30th to attend the LA County Fair.  Get out there this weekend, and avoid CARMEGEDDON 😉

 


Categories: Fun Stuff | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Halloween Costume Review: Anytime Costumes 1980’s #spon

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Jamie

Halloween is right around the corner, and I thought hard about what I wanted to be this year.  Last year I went as a pirate, and I made sure to find the right pirate costume.

This year, I was really digging the 80’s, and wanted to rock it out as an 80’s icon, but I wanted something a little different.  I was shown Anytime Costumes.  They had a whole page dedicated to 80’s costumes from fun skirts, to dresses to fun pants.

But this year I was drawn to the color of neon green, and I decided upon this number:

When you think of the 80’s, what do you think of? Bright colors, bright hair?  Flashy trends, the 80’s was known for their complete extravagance.

But when I saw this costume, and the details that went into it:

There was one thing that came to mind: Roller Skates, or in my case: roller blades.  So, I gave this 80’s outfit a complete spin.  Nowadays, Roller Derby is pretty big, and the minute I put this outfit on I envisioned myself as a Roller Derby Girl, so I automatically wanted to put my skates on and make the most of it:

This Halloween I’ll at least make one dream come true, even if it’s just for a night.  This costume just came with the one piece suit.  I added my own wig, the fishnets and leg warmers, and of course, the roller blades, but I couldn’t be more happy with this piece.

The price?  Just 25.49 dollars for the outfit!  And you can find it at Anytime Costumes.

Disclosure: I was provided with this costume for free on behalf of Anytime Costumes! All opinions are my own, but with what I’ve made of this I am quite pleased. All photos were taken by David Smith.

So tell me, what do you think? =)

 

 


Categories: Life | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments