Stuff and Things and Hearts of Romaine

Do you ever have one of those days where everything you do is fun and everything goes just how you want it to and everything is perfect because you decided it would be?

That was my Saturday--Hello, Aberdeen Days!

(Sidenote: I kept seeing signs and t-shirts saying Aberdeen DAZE instead of Aberdeen Days...I understand the cute/fun factor of the play on words, but I won't bring myself to do it. I want to acknowledge, however, that I know I'm not following city protocol there and I want to confess that it is 100% intentional. Just so you know.)

Activity #1: Breakfast in the Park

I'm pretty sure this is the epitome of Aberdeen Days. This is why I always want to come. Standing in the freezing wind in the middle of June, waiting in a line that sometimes gets so long as to leave the park and wind around the corner, and eating cold pancakes and undercooked hash browns with ever-so-slightly lukewarm chocolate milk. No sarcasm intended--this really is my absolute favorite event.

It's just too bad I didn't take any pictures...

Activity #2: Play in the Park after Breakfast

Activity #3: Visit the Antiques Museum and hope no one catches your 3-year-old and almost-2-year-old climbing on the exhibits

Activity #4: Obstacle Course
 
The National Guard had a bounce house-style obstacle course going for the kids. I was highly impressed with how well Audrey and Megan both did, especially with the rope climb at the very beginning.

I also enjoyed watching Christopher and Brenda race through. It might have been closer if Chris didn't weigh a good 70 lbs more than Brenda which totally "weighted" the race in his favor.

Activity #5: Ping Pong Ball Drop

Now this is probably the epitome of small-town America celebrations. A crop duster flying low over Main Street and dropping something like 1,000 ping pong balls into the street for everyone to catch. Good times, good times.

Wait for it...

Wait for it...

There it is!

I believe Craig even caught one with a prize instead of just an advertisement--two lollipops from the drug store.

Activity #6: Parade!

Janet has never failed to lead us to the absolute perfect spot for the Aberdeen annual parade--right across the street from the elementary school playground.

It's right at the beginning of the parade when everyone is throwing huge handfuls of candy because they don't feel like they're running out yet, and most of the crowd is all on Main Street. (I'm crossing my fingers that few enough people in Aberdeen, aside from Wampler-types, read my blog for our prime spot to be ruined...)

We can watch the parade, collect loads of candy, then still have time to walk to Main Street and watch it again. Told you it was perfect.

Activity #7: Sidewalk Sales

Again, no pictures. I wanted to include this, though, because I followed Janet's example and bought myself a set of real freshwater pearls. Necklace, bracelet, and earrings. That is one of the major, major highlights of my weekend. Happy sigh.

Activity #8: Fish Fry

To be honest, I have never once attended the Aberdeen Days Fish Fry. I don't like fish, which is usually my go-to reason to not pay for the one and only event that costs anything. I probably actually would have gone this year, though, if it weren't for the actually reason we were in Aberdeen--Activity #9.

I did have the foresight, however, to send my camera with Janet so the event would still be documented for blog inclusion.

photobombed by Gavin!

Makes me hungry just looking at the pictures...even if I don't want the fish.

There appeared to have been some more park-playing at this point. I just wanted to take this opportunity to comment on how apparently difficult it is to get a picture of Ivan playing...most of them look something like this. Ha.

I'm not actually even sure if that last picture is Ivan or Ben...either way, Charlotte's pictures came out just a bit better.

Activity #9: 

CLASS OF 2003 10 YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION!!!

This is the reason we came to Aberdeen. This is the reason we left at midnight and drove for nearly 13 hours to get to Idaho. This is the reason why this blog post exists, because without the reunion, we would not have made it to Aberdeen Days.

And this particular reason gets its own blog post tomorrow. I know, I know, the suspense is killing you.

Activity #10: Visiting the Boat Dock

Activity #11: Games

Talk about exhausted. Chris and I were both lagging from our night drive from New Mexico to Idaho, and we had been going going going all day long. But I'm pretty sure it's either a sin or a felony to stay at the home of Craig and Janet Wampler and not play games at every possibly available moment, even if it means you'll be late for one activity or another. Please rewind this post and mentally add Skip-Bo, Five Crowns, and Qwitch in the momentary down times spread throughout the day.

Happy Aberdeen Days! 

And here's to many more in years to come.