October has always been my favorite month.  My birthday falls in this month, my father’s was this month, and now my daughter shares his birthday — one of the greatest joys of my life.  And, in Texas, it’s State Fair time.  I don’t know what it is — there’s just something about the fair.  It only comes once a year and since I was a child I used to love touring the museums and going through all the Art Deco buildings.  We never had money to spend on the midway but my parents and I made the most of the fair when I was growing up.  We toured everything there was to see and learn about.  Now I fear we’re spoiling our little one.  Playing a few games on the midway makes me feel incredibly guilty, simply because we never had money to blow when I was a kid.  But guess what?  I’m pretty good and I win something every year.  And then there are the rides.  My parents always made sure I had the money to ride but tickets were precious.  Now we have as many tickets as we would like and I don’t want our little one thinking that is no big deal.  They cost money and are not to be taken for granted.  I guess in a way I’m glad she doesn’t get it and in another I very much need for her to understand.  This year we rode a few rides and I told her she needed to choose carefully.  And, for the first time, we all rode the Texas Star (the Ferris wheel) as a family.  It was the tallest Ferris wheel in North America from 1985 until 2013.  We waited until dark go on the midway and I have always thought the rides are SO much cooler at night.  When I was little it was all rock that blared through the speakers; now it’s all rap.  But it never fails — whenever I ride this one “scary” ride I literally feel I’m back in junior high with my hair spray painted red and blue, wearing my Def Leppard shirt.  It is literally like being transported back in time.  And, just like when I was a girl, if I am honest it still makes me giddy when I get an extra ride — now with my daughter!  I would like to believe I’ve still got it.  This was the same ride I used to ride with my mother while my father stood and watched us; just as Burk stood watching us this night.  William Shakespeare, often regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, said, “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”  For me growing up, the fair was a break from problems and a chance to believe that anything was possible.  I want our little one to have that same giddiness and sheer joy but without the worry.  I know my parents wanted the same for me.  It is a time for frivolity and fun.  You won’t be sorry;  if you get the chance, come and visit the great State Fair of Texas.