With all that the 2011 Orange County Fair had to offer, it’s no wonder that they chose “Let’s Eat!” as their theme this year. I’ll admit it… I look forward to the fair foods each year, and this year was no exception. I was there with 20+ friends the other day, and eating seemed to take up most of our time (which I was perfectly okay with). And with a crowd that large, we got to try it all. (Take a bite and pass it on…)

Since we had such a large group, we didn’t move very quickly. We didn’t rush from place to place to try and see it all. In fact, we missed out on seeing a lot. But that was just fine, because we had a blast simply being in each other’s company. I have to admit, it was quite a different experience for me. I’m usually one to make lists of everything I want to do and map it all out to maximize my time. This year, I did things very differently. I showed up and took a backseat. And it was definitely nice.

No, I didn’t see the cute baby animals. I didn’t attend any live events, nor did I see the planted vegetable gardens. I didn’t even see the visual art displays.

But I saw a lot of other things. I saw one friend try to run away from bubbles. I saw another friend’s face light up as she described the newest movement of her unborn child. I saw a lot of laughter as we passed around the fried foods. And I saw smiles on everyone’s faces, simply from being there in each other’s company.

I saw a lot of wonderful things that turned the experience into a memorable day.

And for those who are wondering… all images here were taken with my iPhone 4, and edited using only the Instagram app.