Two days ago, my husband and I shared a delightfully unhealthy day at the LA County Fair. It was a rare Sunday where we were both free by 11am and the day was ours. No soccer, no yoga, no work on Monday; so we decided to let loose and have some fun.

We were not disappointed. Though the fairgrounds were thick with throngs of people, we were able to move effortlessly in the sweltering heat clutching beer and eating fried goodies galore. Being able to spend this time together without a time constraint, worrying about what we were eating, or needing to be in bed by 10pm was incredibly liberating. Greg and I live such hyper-scheduled lives that when we stray from routine it is so much more than just what it seems—it’s special, different, and really empowering.

We walked from booth to booth scoping out useless wares, cool crafts, and even saw an under-whelming cow milking demonstration. My favorite parts of the day consisted of being the only adult in the petting zoo sans children [Greg refused to entertain my lunacy], and sitting outside in the shade sipping beer while eating surprisingly delicious Italian food. The fair itself is just so awesome. Despite much of the fair remaining the same from year to year, there is something extraordinary in the air that makes fair time in September different. Ok, maybe it was just the food fog from the funnel cake and fried Oreos, which were so clearly NOT gluten free but let me tell you, it was so worth it.

While meandering through the fairgrounds, my husband looked over to me and he said, “We don’t do this enough; schedule fun. We need to do this more.” And Greg is absolutely right, we don’t. We sub classes when we can and fill our time with so much stuff that it ends ups leaving us without the ability to cultivate our own interests. While recently this has started to change: I gave up a yoga class on Sunday mornings so we could play soccer, we definitely need to make sure there is less doing for everyone else so that we can both live a little. We are slowly learning what we need to give up and what can and cannot take on that will ultimately make us happy. In the end, especially as newlyweds, we really just want to be able to spend quality time together and as it stands now we are so busy hustling that we don’t get much time together.

Now, as much as doing as you please sounds like it’d be fun, I’m not so sure we could live a life that’s truly free of routine. I think we are both just ‘those kind of people’ who like the structure that a rigid schedule lends itself to. However, that bit of freedom this weekend sure tasted sweet [no pun intended, haha]. Hopefully in the near future Greg and I will be able to strike that work/home life balance and be able to sneak more fun into our lives because who doesn’t like to have a little fun?