The CIRCUS...... and not the one in our home

Although at times our home mimics a true, bonafied, three-ring circus, we decided to travel to Atlanta to see the real deal. Ringling Brothers put on a fantastic show modernizing the circus of "old" into a dazzling, technologically advanced display of showmanship and skill for the new. Imagine Cirque de Soleil infused with Disney dramatics, with plastic red noses and baggy pants as the main attire.

Walking into the Greatest Show on Earth:



An Atlanta Hawks basketball player who showed up for practice a day early:



Paris Hilton's dog found. She left one media circus to join another:



I have a weird and unnatural fear of clowns. I think they are creepy, especially up close and WHILE TOUCHING YOUR CHILD:



I am taking pictures with much constraint. I can only focus on the clown's very scary mouth,and the hand motions he uses to beckon my child to join his happy, weirdo world. STEP BACK JACK:



A clown that does not frighten me:




Yes, we are that close to the elephant. This was taken during the pre-show, while I secured the collars of three children with a death-claw grip I developed immediately after childbirth. This elephant was BIG and a little stinky:



Do not be confused. This is not Mary Poppins. This is tight rope walk man who triggered much anxiety in my chest. He performed without a net and all I could think about was the enormous angst he must cause his mama everytime he performs:



The joy of a four year old is so contagious:



Brave tiger man:



This is how high I jump on our trampoline:



The lights you see are the $25 glow-in-the-dark toys sold to children, after drinking a $9 lemonade and eating $12 worth of cotton candy. Parents were so bedazzled by the circus special effects that they temporarily forgot we are on the brink of a RECESSION:



The two red blurs at the top of the photo are a husband/wife daredevil team who were shot out of a cannon at a speed of 65 miles per hour. I thought I was a good wife for taking up golf to be with my husband. This woman embraces gun powder to share in the hobbies of her man. Now that's true, sacrificial love:



A good time was had by all. So much that all of my children want to join a circus, don creepy clown make-up and perform acrobatics on a tightrope. Uh-oh. Maybe next time the tent we choose to visit will have a Baptist "revival" going on under it.....