What I've Been Up To

The Indiana State Fair started August 5.

I've been there every day except today...and I'll be there until it ends August 21.

Here are a few photos from yesterday when my oldest nephew went with me to "help" me.

I love $2 Tuesdays and I love elephant ears. Put them together and you have perfection!

Yes, that's Lucas Oil Stadium made from Legos!

After a lemon shake-up, a quarter of an elephant ear AND a corn dog, he still had room for a deep fried Klondike bar!

My nephew is a lucky guy...as soon as we stepped foot on the fairgrounds the nice Cheese Lady gave him some free Midway ride tickets!

At the end of the day, it was easy to be green...green hat, green shirt, green bag! We said good-bye to Bennie the Bean (a soybean, that is) with the promise to return.

Source: in.gov via Megan on Pinterest

Baseball and a Six Year Old

My six-year-old nephew LOVES to take photos with my camera.

My expensive Canon Rebel XS camera...and I usually let him. I've actually featured his photography on here before.

He really does have quite an eye for composing a shot. I taught him how to work the zoom lens and he does.

Last night the family joined me at an Indianapolis Indians game that I was "working" at as part of the Indiana's Family of Farmers. More than 300 people came out as guests of Indiana's Family of Farmers and enjoyed the game and a picnic. Even though it was 90-plus degrees, I think everyone had a great time.

While we were watching the game, my nephew asked if he could take some photos...and, of course, I let him!

All I did to the photos below before posting them was reduce the size - no other Photoshop work done on these. Pretty good for a kid, right?

He captured a couple shots of the game...

Then he turned his attention to the people!

The shot above actually had to be re-taken once his aunt saw the photo and realized that he got a little too close and shot her at a bad angle! Everyone is a critic.

It's Bennie the Bean!

He wasn't satisfied with his game shots so he took a couple more...

He had to re-take Grandma and Papaw's photo after we noticed Papaw's eyes were shut! I think the second effort was pretty good!

Not bad for a six-year-old!

Hooking up to Wordless Wednesday over at Pinke Post and

Ending the Week OK

I've had a long week. I'm getting to the end of a really big project at work that is going to be awesome (more about that later) but there's still a lot of work to be done.

Take a heavy workload add a looming deadline and that equals STRESS!

But no matter how much stress I have at work, I need to keep it all in perspective.

So here are a few things I learned at work today...

First, that I have some AWESOME coworkers. On my desk this morning, I found a pick-me-up card and this...

What can I say...they get me! (Also, I'm loving Instagram on my iPad.)

Second, don't order 8 milkshakes and a Coke Zero in the drive-thru during Happy Hour at Steak 'n Shake and expect to get them in sooner than 20 minutes.

Third...

Source: wanelo.com via Megan on Pinterest

Fourth, a 20-minute wait for milkshakes is worth it when you surprise people with a Friday afternoon treat.

Fifth, I have always known that my brain works in a different way and that I have a habit of starting a conversation somewhere in the middle, not the beginning. However, I never realized how bad it is until we got a new intern and he point blank tells me - repeatedly -that he doesn't understand what I'm talking about.

Source: None via Megan on Pinterest

I guess he just doesn't get me!


Finally, I love the work I'm doing and that I get to things like this and consider it work!

TGIF, my friends!


Enjoy your weekend.

Fun with Bennie the Bean

 Bennie the Bean in a cornfield

Want to have some fun with your kids this summer?

It's the Year of Soybeans at the Indiana State Fair and to celebrate Indiana soybean farmers are hosting a fun photo contest this summer.

Check out Bennie the Bean on Facebook and download your own "Flat Bennie." Then take him with you to your favorite summer destination, snap a photo with him and upload it on the contest site! The first contest runs until June 27 and then the fun starts! You get your family and friends to vote on your photo to win.

The prize is an iPad and tickets to the fair! There is even a second contest that starts in July!

I took Bennie with me and the nephews when we went to the Indianapolis Zoo recently.

Can you tell by the last photo that someone was a bit grumpy?

To learn more about soybeans, visit the Indiana State Fair's Year of Soybeans page or Indiana Soybean Alliance's website.

Linking up to Pinke Post.

For full disclosure, I work for Indiana soybean farmers and the Year of Soybeans is a project that I'm working to plan so I'm really excited about it and want to share it with everyone I know. That's why I did this post. If you have questions about soybeans and how they are grown in Indiana, let me know and I'll be glad to answer them (or get you an answer from someone who know more than I do).