The must anticipated Del Mar Fair and all it's deliciousness!!!

First of all, I would like to say thank you to all of those who were supportive to the fact that I couldn't post my intended content yesterday. I'm happy to report that I am officially back in business with a new charger for my laptop! I literally squealed with glee when I left the store with charger in hand. Of course when I got home I plugged in my laptop and started preparing today's must anticipated - at least for me - post, which is all about the Del Mar Fair!!!

After preparing our stomachs by not eating ANYTHING for breakfast, we (my uncle, my son, and I) headed to the fair, parking at the nearby horse farm - the Del Mar Fair has shuttle buses that run from there - which meant we got to park for free. This cut down our spending by $10 and the discount tickets from Vons ($4 a piece) saved us $24!  

Many people don't want to deal with taking a 5 minute extra bus trip to the fair and would prefer easy parking up front, but to be perfectly honest, it wasn't an issue at all. They can easily transport the stroller, they drop us off right in front of the entrance, and they pick you up in the same place. Easy as morning coffee. 

Once arriving at the gate, the excitement truly sunk in. We came up to the beautiful sculpture of Mad Hatter and entered into the world of "steampunk meets Alice in Wonderland". In case you weren't sure, that's actually the exact theme of the Del Mar Fair this year. 

Per usual, they had a really cool exhibit based off of the theme. From eccentric characters to giant tables with a gorgeous tea set. I have to say, seeing all the amazing trinkets, set ups, and authenticity applied into the whole fair was very refreshing. I will be the first to say that prior years haven't always been the best themes. I was actually in the train of thought that they could potentially tone it down TOO much and not really give the "Alice/steampunk" vibe. That was not the case this year. Even the art work was absolutely astounding all around. The gorgeous sculptures, the phenomenal paintings, the beautiful photography, and the scrumptious looking cakes were all my favorite! Also, the tiny little Alice on the bathroom stalls were a bit funny. 

We walked through pretty much the entire fair, seeing every single vendor - even buying a few magic tricks for my son - touring a few tiny houses (they weren't nearly as exciting as I'd hope they'd be, nor did they accentuate too much regarding the whole movement), and of course the ever wonderous food! My son's favorite part was of course the fun zone. It is the fair after all, which makes it a necessity to partake in overly priced prizes and ridiculously short rides. Regardless, I was determined to let the kid have his fun as I stood by and took pictures of all his adorable smiles. Hearing that laugh made every dollar worth it, which really only came out to $10. My son also wanted to say "hi" to all the cows and moo right along with them. It's a little hard for me to be around them, as I just want to cuddle them all and let them run free in a wide open field, but I didn't think my 4 year old needed a lecture on this. He just wanted to be a pretend cow, which we - of course - became. 

I can't even begin to tell you how long I've waited for fair food. Actually I can. A year. An entire year without deep fried gooey goodness. Granted we didn't exactly go CRAZY with all the concoctions they offer, but we did make a point to try new things. 

My favorite meat dish was by far the pastrami fries. I would've liked it even more if they had used nacho cheese, but it was scrumptious nonetheless. This isn't to say it's my favorite meat dish in the entire fair, as they have amazing turkey legs and tri-tip sandwiches. We just didn't eat those beauties this time around. 

My favorite desert dish was the bacon donut and this has actually become my all-time favorite fair dessert. The size itself was astounding and ended up feeding all three of us. The maple and bacon worked perfectly without either one over powering the other. I was utterly thrilled by the glorious foods that covered my taste buds with amazing delight. 

With full bellies, a bag of magic tricks, a smiling 4 year old, and a bunch of pictures to keep hold of memories, we headed back to the shuttle bus for our ride back to the car and proceeded home. 

I think that this trip was a complete success. We brought our own food and drinks (they must be factory sealed to be allowed), which saved us loads, we bought discount tickets, and we were able to find free parking. All in all we spent roughly $40 for rides, magic tricks, and food. To me that's not a bad deal. Months of saving led to this magnificent memory and I left with my budget still intact. Of course I didn't plan on spending $100's, but with a tight monthly budget it can take a while to save for a "big" trip. 

As we were in the shuttle, my precious boy was smiling and re-telling his "awesome day at Del Mar". It was freaking adorable. My uncle was also really happy with a full belly and stories for days. 

I have to say that while I don't see myself spending all hours into the night at the fair, I also know that it would be extremely easy to do if I actually rode the rides. Being a mom with a bad back - hit by a texting driver, just put the phone down people - I don't find possible paralysis a fun idea, therefore I avoid them all together. Plus I can use that money for my son. 

To be perfectly honest, I'll most likely be going back with my dad around the 4th of July, where I hope to try more crazy food. Maybe the chicken wings with kool-aid and deep fried pizza? Hmmm....

Also, be sure to return tomorrow for my Food Challenge! It's the week of G and I have 4 awesome food's that you don't want to miss out on!