we love the indiana state fair!

we in the Hicks family have a yearly tradition (one that I absolutely love)...we try to go to the Indiana State Fair every year together! I love family bonding moments with my awesome fam....and they seem to get better and better as the rugrats get older!

 

we typically start out at the DNR building, so Wyatt can get some fishin' in. the fish weren't biting today, and I think Wy got bored rather quickly.

 

 

 

Charlotte had fun in the meantime though. she liked to pick leaves and steal Grandaddy's walking stick. such a big girl!

 

 

 

we always stop at the Little Hands on the Farm where the kids get to be little "scharmers" (as Wyatt used to say). Charlotte didn't want to give her food back, but she looked super cute in her little apron.

 

 

Charlotte loves her Geeg.

 

 

we love having Grandaddy around. he's always willing to take the stroller and wait for us as we dilly-dallied behind. he's literally the best.

 

Grandaddy may never see his walking stick again. little Charlotte thinks it's hers (even though its way bigger than she is!)

 



 

 of course the beignets were a big hit with Wyatt and Char.

(side note--being allergic to gluten absolutely sucks when you're somewhere like the State Fair. the only thing I could find that I could eat was curly fries. hello! I can get those anywhere. I wanted fair food! I told Sister that I want to open up a salad bar food truck for the Fair. duh, how great would that be?!? true, there would be no deep-fried Oreos or whatever....but I could eat there. and let's be real, that's all that matters.)

 

 

the only thing Wyatt really cared about was playing games. so once the Midway opened, Sister and I took him over there to play some games. Wyatt loved throwing the darts at balloons. Sister and him even tried their hand at shooting water guns. (Sister won).

 

Wyatt won an inflatable snake sword...and kept posing with it and yelling "Thunder Snakes"! that boy is absolutely my favorite. the things he comes up with makes my whole day and my heart feel full.

 



 

another super fun day with the Hicks fam! I am completely grateful for my family and I love that we love spending time together! until next year....

 

slo no mo (is the new pink).

I really shouldn't have to tell any of you how stoked I was to see the movie Turbo. 

no but really, it was definitely registering on my excite-o-meter! I live, eat, sleep and breathe the Indy 500 (and all of its glory) during the month of May, so I couldn't wait to see how Hollywood would depict my beloved "greatest spectacle in racing."

so I called my momma up and asked her if she wanted a hot movie date (me). we grabbed a bag of popcorn and headed to the movies.

well I'll be darned....Hollywood got it right. no joke. from how beautiful IMS looked to how the yellow shirts act, Hollywood nailed it. I couldn't believe how many little details they added (did anyone else see the DW logo on the back of Guy's car?)! the skyline of Indianapolis looked gorgeous and all of the images of the Pagoda revved my engine and got me pumped up for next year's race! 

would I recommend this movie? heck yes!! so grab your young race fans and head to your closest theater to find out why "tuck and roll" is my new life motto!

one last royal event.

The 2013 500 Festival Princess Program has begun!!! And I can't even believe it's that time of year again.

 

We held the 1st Round of Princess Selection over the weekend. 200 applicants from 21 Indiana colleges and universities and 74 hometowns. All extremely active in their colleges and universities. All very bright and outgoing. All very excited to be a 500 Festival Princess. It warms my heart to see so many beautiful and talented who want to be a part of this program.

 

With the start of a new Princess year comes the end of one. The 2012 Princesses were my first little nuggets and I love how dedicated they are to this program. I feel sad that their reign is almost over because I can't imagine another group of Princesses being as fabulous as this group was. They are literally some of the most giving, loving and energetic group of young women. If this is the future generation...I have complete confidence that they will take over the world.

Princess Jessica. She warms my heart. 



 

Love me some Queen TayTay. The next 500 Festival Queen has big shoes to fill because my early morning trips to the track during the month of May were only as fabulous as this girl is. My first Queen will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

Princess Brittany. Look for this girl as the next Miss Indiana. I have loved seeing Brittany evolve into an outgoing and gorgeous young woman. (Plus she's a Purdue girl, which always makes me happy!)

When these girls get together, there is always so much laughter that it's completely contagious. I think what makes me love this class of Princesses is that they not only had the time of their lives, but they got live-long friendships out of it too! And that is the legacy of the 500 Festival Princess Program.

Princess Kendra. Another Purdue girl that makes my heart smile! Love this girl.

 

And lastly, my #1 volunteer...my little sis Laken. Good grief, words cannot express how thankful I am for this girl. She too embodies the true legacy of the Princess Program. This girl has it all, but is the most self-less person I know. She is so supportive and one of the best friends a girl could ask for. Love me some Laken.

 

I cannot wait to meet the next 33 Princesses. One more round and we'll know who those lucky girls are!! :)