2012 ends, 2013 starts!

Hard to believe that 2012 is now at a close. It feels like just yesterday we were saying the same thing about 2011...but here we are, getting ready to reign in a New Year.

What happened this year that made it go by so fast for me? January was my annual recurrent training for work (which I will be going to next month. Man, I have to really study the new evacuation commands) I know it started with another awesome trip to Puerto Vallarta in March, followed by a visit back home in Virginia visiting family and friends, while enjoying the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in May.

June ended with beautiful weather for Minneapolis Pride, followed by outstanding performances by various Drum & Bugle Corps for the DCI Minnesota Drum & Bugle contest.  July-August I had a very bad cold which kept me from flying for nearly a month. In September, was able to enjoy the MN State Fair with friends, and for flying I was able to go to several new destinations which I really enjoyed working to in Brazil, but mostly my flying kept me in the confines of the Caribbean.

November was (in my opinion) a huge success in Politics. Thankfully President Obama was re-elected and the VOTE-NO on the marriage amendment (defining marriage between man and woman) here in Minnesota won. This, as well as three other states saying Who cares in who marries, as long as they are happy.

Over-all, I had some amazing crews I worked with, and on occasion, some pretty amazing passengers too. I did help in save a life to one of our passengers which just goes with the territory, but of course, it was soon over-shadowed by the craziness of the holiday travelers demanding to not have their over-sized bags checked at the door when it wouldn't fit in the bag sizer.

Sadly, I ended this year with a bout of flu, thankfully, I was able to spend the holiday with great friends who invited me to share their time with their families. I was able to enjoy a day with one of my siblings before having a lovely dinner with his family and friends.

I'm very amazed at how quickly this year has gone by. I just hope that at some point, I will be able to stop and smell the roses....well, maybe I'll have a chance to do that during my nieces wedding in May.

Until next time,

Happy New Year!
Sluggo

The Minnesota Great Get-Together! MN State Fair

Having grown up in Winchester, Virginia, we were approximately 2hrs away from Richmond, our State Capital. Even though I remember our county (and surrounding Counties) had their Fairs, I don't ever recall us actually making the trip to Richmond to the State Fair.

After I moved to Minnesota, all I kept hearing about in the month of August was "Are you going to the Fair?" Now, remembering back home how much of a joke our County Fairs were, I initially thought, "Of course not", but soon realized that the State Fair here in Minnesota, was not your typical Fair.

I soon realized that the Minnesota State Fair was, and still is, one of the largest Fairs across the Country. It truly is an awesome experience, I believe I was overwhelmed the first time that I went. There was so much to see and do, and even over the course of the last 14yrs, it's amazing to see how much it has changed.

I really enjoy going with my friends, but this year looks to be either just myself, or with one other friend. not the group of 4-6 of us that usually go. One of the first things we try to do when we enter the Fairgrounds is get a small bite to eat at this really awesome taco stand. From there, we just walk around and try to see as much as we can. Usually going into the Horse Barn, Sheep Barn, Cow Barn, Pig Barn, Poultry Barn to see all the different animals.

Once we're done checking them out, we try to find a place for a nice cold beverage and rest for a bit. A couple of years back, we stumbled upon this one food vendor with Pot Roast sandwiches where the meat is so tender and juicy. So, we try to make sure it's still there and get a sandwich.

One of the fun activities to do is visit the Minnesota Heritage area where you see how many of the settlers lived and survived back in the Prairie days. How they traveled, lived, cooked, and worked.

Another fun thing to try at the Fair is all the food. Many places try new things, like Fried candy-bars, or "something' on a stick. We do try to walk around the Midway where all the amusement rides are, but don't ride them.

This year there is so much road construction going on in the area, I think if we go, we'll do what we've done the past few years....ride one of the buses. For just $5, you get a round trip ride from many locations around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and surrounding suburbs to the Fair and back. It's well worth the price as you don't have to worry about finding parking and fighting the traffic.