The Fun Fair

If you ever grew up in District 118 you'd know that once April arrived it was Fun Fair time. Cheap carnival games, unnecessary prizes, yummy hot dogs. Us youngins looked forward to the fun fair year after year. Our parents, on the other hand, dreaded it. All because of one particular carni game. The fish toss. For two measly tickets you could toss a ping pong ball into a myriad of water filled cups. If you made it in, you win a fish. How cool! A goldfish! Who wouldn't want a goldfish?! Apparently, every parent in District 118. You see these goldfish had about a 48 hour expiration date. By monday morning, half the school was devasted at their unexpected loss the night before. So you can imagine why I hesitated before I decided to take my first born to this year's fun fair. After all, Bella still thinks her goldfish Dorothy is at the "doctor." I sucked it up for nostalgia sake and took her through the halls of my junior high alma mater.

I have to admit, I got a little choked up giving her the tour. I mean I was 13 years old when I attended. That is forever ago. Forever! Here I am with my daughter. My daughter! I knew right then and there that I had to decide which tour I wanted to give.

Instead of telling Bella that this was the gymnasium in which I insignificantly sat on the bench for every girls basketball game I explained that this was the gymnasium where I gave a speech asking fellow students to vote for me for student council president.


Rather than explain to Bella that inside this particular classroom I paid more attention to the cutie in the front row than I did to the teacher, I informed her that her mommy, too, took a spanish class. Su mommy es muy despistarse.


In lieu of admitting to Bella that I was the "last chair" in the flute line-up because I refused to turn in my scales promptly I explained that this band room was where my love for music really began.


As opposed to acknowledging that I was sometimes a follower and not always a leader by pointing out that this cafeteria was where we danced like spastic fools at all of our spring fling's, I pointed out that this cafeteria was where I choreographed the school's musical production of Annie.


Here she is bobbing for ducks.


And like any good, self-respecting daughter she decided she wanted her Cinderella tattoo on her hand and not on her body.


Distracting Bella from the fish toss game, I convinced her to sit on the face of our mascot, Charlie the Cardinal


Fun Fair 2009 turned out to be a blast. Bella loved playing all the cheesy carnival games and I loved showing Bella a little part of me. Until next year.