Here are a few pictures I took from the ice storm. For as many problems as the ice causes it is nice to be able to stop for a moment and see how pretty it makes everything. Being in the hardware business though those moments are all too fleeting and then we have to get back to the business of dealing with the aftermath.








Oh! Guess who came to visit us at the hardware store today......

IT'S SANTA!!!!!
And our other favorite visitor Melina is sitting on his lap!

Happy Winter and Merry Christmas!

Some warm fuzzies for this very cold day :)

My sister's dogs again. I think she actually trains them to just be cute. Here Mia and Spencer fell asleep hugging each other. All together now..Awwww!

It's Christmas Program time!

Last night McKenna and Jonah's preschool had their Christmas program in the Notre Dame auditorium. Jonah's class went first, then there was a class in between, and McKenna's was last. Jonah spotted Noah in the middle of "Away in a Manger" and shouted out "Noah! You're here!". Everybody just chuckled. It was a cute program and the kids did very well.

Jonah saw the flash from my camera and then looked straight at me for this shot. One of the few times you'll see a halo on him :)

Here he's singing "Up on the Housetop".

They asked McKenna to be Mary in the nativity but she wanted to be the cow instead. I guess just like her aunt she'd rather be the backup singer than the lead :)

Here she is with the rest of the manger scene. I love that "Mary" is waving in the middle of the song. Too cute!

dogs again

the cutest thing I have EVER seen

My sister Amy's three dogs Brandon, Mia, and Spencer curled up asleep together.
If that doesn't make you smile and give you warm fuzzies then nothing will.

fotos

I know that I subject you all to my photography sometimes and since I know how much you LOVE them (oh just humor me and say you love them), I am now going to share with you some of my favorite pics that Jeff has taken. I will set aside my snobby pride and admit that he is actually a pretty good photographer (what makes me fume is that it's accidental, he doesn't spend most of his waking moments framing imaginary shots in his mind and then constantly have a camera ready just in case one of those shots presents itself...). Anyway, enjoy.

Some chilly geese

Coming in for a landing

more geese

He took this in Germany. It's probably my favorite picture that he has taken so far.

This is another one of my favorites from Germany.

I'd say he's pretty good with a camera :)

One month

Today is the one month anniversary of my dad's passing. It is also Veteran's Day. I was always proud of his service to our country and this holiday always held special meaning to me but now it has a little more poignance to it. I prayed last night for strength to help me get through today and wondering how I was going to make it without tearing up at all the little thoughts that run around in my head. Then I got to work and found a beautifully written message from my sister Amy. I won't share all of it but I will share a portion of it. It was exactly what I needed and it made me realize that God has already given me the strength I need to make it through this. He gave it to me in the form of my amazing family. My siblings and I have grown closer and have relied on each other for hope, laughter, remembrance, and reminders of the lessons that he taught all of us. My mom has shown amazing amounts of grace and resilience and has guided us all. One month later, and the memory of his smile and laughter is slowly wiping out the pain and heartache. Thank you all and Happy Veterans' Day.

Here are a few exerpts from my sister's message:

So I was trying to figure out a way that I could get through the day without those little thoughts that bring tears to my eyes......So many times I've wondered how I could hang on for even one more day or even a moment. I just did. There it is, exactly the same thing Aron said at Daddy's funeral. You just do. Something Daddy must have instilled in all of us so deeply that it seems like a natural thing to do. One month ago I wondered how we would get through the pain and continue living life. We just do.

How does Andi get married without Daddy to walk her down the aisle? How does she have children without them ever knowing Daddy? How does Dina enjoy her new marriage and love her new husband without being able to share her happiness with Daddy? How do reunite with my children or not, without having Daddy to share it with or lean on? How do I have another child without Daddy ever holding him or her? How does Aron continue to grow as a family man without Daddy to guide him? How do the grandchildren grow without having a wonderful influence such as Daddy in their lives? How does Leslie find joy and meaning in life again? The answer is, we just do. We do it because that's what he taught us to do. We do because we are the strong people he taught and encouraged us to be.

So instead of being sad, let's honor him by living our lives with joy and passion. Let's do our best at whatever we decide to do. Let's live with dignity. Let's be kind and compassionate like he taught us to be. Let's lean on each other the way he taught us. Let's be strong and courageous like he was. Let's celebrate the good times. Let's love our families and each other. We know that Daddy is with God watching over us all. He wants us to be happy, and yes, he is here with us I know it.

I found a quote that sums it up. "The barn burned down... now I can see the moon." What it means to me is that the "barn burning" is something really bad happening, and at the time it's all you can focus on. But soon your focus changes and you start seeing things differently, your view changes. Now you see the moon, or rather something beautiful you didn't see before. And you may have never seen it if the bad thing didn't happen, or if the barn never burnt down.

Thank you to my dear sister who knew just what I needed just when I needed it. You truly are a blessing.

Daddy and Andi. September 7, 1983

Thanksgiving 1983

a nation of wimps

That is the title to a book that came out recently about how many parents are setting their kids up to fail because they are over-involved in their lives and are trying to protect them from falling down, getting discouraged, and telling them that they can have as many times as it takes to get it right. I know that at the tender age of 25, I can't exactly sit in my rocker and tsk tsk about kids these days, but I have seen too many examples of kids who are going to never make it because their parents insist on making their lives easy and bailing them out of any unpleasant situation they find themselves in.

I'm not saying I had to walk to school uphill both ways in the snow or anything, but something just gets to me when I see 16 year olds with fresh licenses driving around in shiny new Mustangs, Camaros, and trucks. Granted, my dad did buy me my first car, but it was an 83 Oldsmobile with an AM only radio that I had to switch out myself. I had to pay the insurance, and if it needed repaired, I paid the bill or was out in the garage with my dad learning how to fix it.

Case in point: we had a kid that worked here for about a month. He is a high schooler and drives a fairly new Mustang that he does not make a car payment or an insurance payment on. The other night he was just standing around (which was normal for him) so Jeff's brother got irritated and gave him a job to do. He replied by saying that he was getting picked on for no reason, then he said he quit, clocked out and went home. All because Tim expected him to work while he was at work. What a concept.

The other kid that worked for us pretty much shared the same work ethic. He drives a fairly new car as well. He didn't show up to work last night.

Both boys of course showed up today to collect their paychecks. I asked the second kid why he wasn't here last night, he replied that he quit as well. Then they had the nerve to go out to the cash register to get their checks cashed.

Another lady I know has twin boys that are 17. One has a Camaro, the other has a 3000GT. She and her husband bought the cars for them and pay the insurance. One just recently got a ticket. His mom is paying that ticket and paying for him to take the class to get it off of his record. The other one just recently locked his keys in the trunk of his Camaro (don't ask), and you can guess who paid the locksmith to come and get them out.

Is this seriously our future? The kids that worked here and quit will go home to parents who will tell them "that's okay, you were getting picked on" and continue to pay their bills for them. The other kids will be 30 and still having their parents bail them out of problems.


Is this seriously what we want to teach our kids? "Do whatever is most comfortable and if it doesn't work out, we'll fix it for you and help you blame somebody else." Yeah, that's just what we need, more wimps.

Sounds like a winner to me. Okay, okay, I'll get off of my soapbox now.

Oh no she di-in't!

Oh yes she did. That's right. She's goin' political.

My political activism has always been right at the "have my opinion and let other people have theirs" level. Apparently, not all people keep it at this level.

I'm going to come out and say it.....I'm....a......Republican! Gasp! I can't believe she actually admitted this! Wow, she's brave!

I know it's not the popular thing to be right now and I can almost hear the hisses that will follow me wherever I go.

I am a Republican. I do not, however, believe that Barack Obama is going to eat our children or that he is going to make copies of the keys to the white house and mail them to terrorist organizations. I do not believe that he harbors a secret love for all things communism and gets pointers from Castro and Kim Jong-il. For those of you that do believe this (particularly the man who was just in the hardware store rambling on for about 20 minutes trying his best to convince everyone withing earshot that this is in fact the case), please shut up and go away. You are giving the rest of us a bad name.

I am a Republican. I do not believe that the apocolypse will set upon us should Mr. Obama be elected. I do not feel the need to go out and stock up on assault rifles and canned food and shut myself in a bomb shelter for the duration of his term. (aforementioned nutjobs, please feel free to lock yourselves away, we'll be better off without you).

A quick note to the extreme left-wingers, please stop preaching that the apocolypse will set upon us should Mr. McCain be elected. You are just as annoying as the extreme right-wingers.

Thank you.

Happy Halloween

From.....

BATMAN!!!

BATGIRL!!!!

and ROBIN!!!...er...well....

well, they tried to get Jonah to be Robin but he had to be a stubborn Bowman and go with the non-conformist dinosaur costume.


Me: Jo Jo what are you?

Jonah: Dy-soar (dinosaur)

Me: What kind of dinosaur?

Jonah: T-Wex (t-rex)

Me: Are you a cute T-rex?

Jonah: NO! T-Wex Scawy! (t-rex scary)

Me: What does a t-rex say?

Jonah: Rawr!

Who Knew

You Are the Swedish Chef

"Bork! Bork! Bork!" Your happy and energetic - with borderline manic tendencies. No one really gets you. And frankly, you don't even get you. But, you sure can whip up a great chocolate mousse

The Muppet Personality Test

4 Bowmans

I wish that there had been a better reason for the 4 of us to be together but, since it doesn't happen that often, I figured I had better post it. I am in front, Aron is standing behind me then Amy, then Dina. I think Aron stood that way on purpose so that my head would hide all of the gray hairs in his beard :)

My Dad

Warning: this post is a bit of a downer but hopefully writing some of these thoughts down will help me process a little bit. These are just some random thoughts about my Daddy. Things I am working through, things I miss, things I've learned.

It's been 11 days. Feels like it's only been about 2. I have to catch myself and remind myself what day it is. Still having moments of reminding myself that it's real.

Last night Aron brought the kids to the house and Jonah asked "Where's Paw Paw?". I just about lost it.

11 days and it feels like there's been a 50 lb. weight sitting on my chest for all 11 of them. There's this "sadness fog" that just permeates everything. Like an invisible voice that keeps reminding me "he's gone" no matter what I'm doing. Driving to the gas station, watching t.v., everything.

I have moments of angry. My dad was one of the good guys. I know God needs him in Heaven but we need him here too. I need him to randomly call me about gas prices, or asking about something we have at the hardware store. I need to hear him say "Hi Andi-Pandi" when I answer my phone. I want him HERE!

He won't walk me down the aisle. My kids won't get to have him for a Paw Paw.

Most of the time I am at peace. I know he is up there with his parents and friends that have passed before (I am confident that at 6:30 every morning he and Don are sitting on a patio and having a cup of coffee :). He is catching up with his mom who passed away when he was only 6. He is meeting his oldest brother for the first time. He is showing his dad pictures of the grandkids. He is holding his two grandbabies that we never got to meet and singing them songs like "Darling Clementine" and "I've been working on the railroad". He is dozing in a recliner while they are sleeping on his chest.

He is telling me to change the oil in my car soon, and I can hear him saying it's a good thing I bought the "over 3000 miles" oil filter the last time. He is saying "oh geez Andi" because I haven't changed the air filter since I bought it.

He is up there pulling the "train track" joke on somebody.

He was a master mechanic, carpenter, electrician, large bug killer, pancake making coach, copier repairman, slayer of under the bed monsters, you name it.

I was supposed to get the egg lesson at some point. He knew the secret to making eggs any way you like them, something I never could get the hang of. I hope you like them scrambled or over hard. That's about all I can do.

I will play games like elevator (this consisted of him simply saying "going up"/"going down" whenever he would lift me up on top of/down from something but I remember thinking it was the funniest thing) and tugboat(a simple pool game) with my kids because those are burned in my memory forever. Sorry Dad, I can't remember the rules to Uker.

I will teach my kids to make pancakes (the secret's in the bubbles). I will say "goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" when I tuck them in. I will remember not to over-fertilize my tomato plants. I will attempt at some point to make a pot of bean soup. It'll probably be a while before I get it to taste like his though. I will not pull a piece of paper backwards through a copy machine when there is a jam. I will spin screws backwards at first when putting something plastic together (this starts them right so the threads don't strip).

I whistle just like him. I have his nose. Aron and I eat mayonnaise on everything just like him. Dina, Amy, Aron and I can strike up a conversation with anybody just like him. I call it the "salesman gene". We all got it.

I will always always miss him.

That's all for now. Thanks for listening...

Stephen Bowman

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Stephen Gale Bowman was born in Pigeon, Michigan on September 19, 1949 and passed away on October 11, 2008. He will live forever in our memories and hearts.

Stephen Gale Bowman, 59, of Peoria, Illinois, passed away at 11:42 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2008, at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield, Illinois.

Stephen was born on September 19, 1949 in Pigeon, Michigan, a son of Henry P. and Nellie Ruth (Demming) Bowman. They preceded him in death. He married Leslie L. Mower on June 11, 1977 in Lima, Ohio. She survives.

He is also survived by his daughters, Dina M. (Walt) Deeb of Elyria, Ohio, Amy J. (Mark) Benney of Lima and Andrea L. Bowman of Peoria; son, Stephen Aron (Dawn) Bowman of Peoria; grandchildren, Brittany, Carmelle, Jackson, Victoria, Mackenzie, Noah, McKenna and Jonah; great grandchildren, Miles and James; sisters, Eva, Inez, Grace, Ruth, and Julia; brothers, Neil, Wayne and Bruce; and his devoted companion and shadow, Bailey.

Stephen was a U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran, serving from May 11, 1969 to May 11, 1972. He attained the rank of Sergeant.

After his honorable discharge from the Army, he began his career with Monroe Systems for Business in Lima. He was transferred to Peoria in 1979 and spent the last fourteen years as a service manager for American Business Systems in Peoria.

Stephen was a former member of Zion Lutheran Church in Peoria and a current member and past Council President of Bethel Lutheran Church in Bartonville, Illinois. He was also a past-president and former member, for over twenty-five years, of the Bartonville Lions Club.

He enjoyed listening to Bluegrass music, cheering for the Chicago Cubs, building model trains, camping, fishing and playing with his grandchildren. There is nowhere else he would rather be than at the campground with his grandchildren.

Stephen overcame great adversity early in his life. He was a great father and grandfather and was a fantastic husband. He was everyone’s friend and was always willing to help anyone…and he could fix anything. He will be remembered as a volunteer and a hardworking family man.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 17, 2008, at Bethel Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Dr. Philip D. Lund officiating. Visitation will be from 5:30 to 8:30 on Thursday, October 16, 2008, at Clary Funeral Home in Peoria and one hour prior to services at the church on Friday.

Interment will be at Lutheran Cemetery in Peoria, with military honors provided by the U.S. Army.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Multiple Sclerosis Society or Bethel Lutheran Church.

It's good to be the princess

I love the fact that even though I have grown up and left "the nest", I can still call my Daddy at a moments notice, do my best imitation of whatever new noise my car is making, and he says stop at the auto parts store, pick up 'insert random auto part here' and bring your car over and I'll fix it for you. Yay for my Dad who's been riding to my rescue since 1983.

p.s. how is it that my car knows that it's almost paid off? Could it at least let me make the last payment before it starts breaking....

my guy

Okay I know I don't post much about Jeff (he hates having his picture taken so I figured if I talk to much about him and fail to provide proof, you will all be talking about me and clucking your tongues about how sad it is that she has to invent a boyfriend to talk about...) but I just need to write a short post to say that I am indeed thankful for him.
Without going into too much detail I had a moment of pure crazy yesterday that fit right in with every stereotype of "nutjob girlfriend". During my moment of insanity, I was very aware that I was being unreasonable and indeed psycho, but refused to cave out of sheer spite.
Rather than declaring me a looney, he simply gave me a hug(while I was still trying to work out in my head how the situation was HIS fault..) and a kiss and left to work on his duck blind and came home for supper later like nothing happened.
I think I shall bake my man some cookies and/or brownies. And I'll even put frosting on the brownies.

Jeff in the duck blind. His favorite place in the whole wide world.

Autumn Princess and cakes

Melina came to visit us at the store today and she sat on one of the pumpkins out in the flower shop. She looked so cute I couldn't resist snapping a picture.







On a completely unrelated note, I have discovered the incredibly funny www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com . It is hilarious and I have had tears in my eyes from trying to hold my laughter in (I read it when I'm supposed to be working, and no matter how great my sales pitch was, convincing them that paperwork is laugh out loud funny would be a bit of a stretch, so I am forced to stifle) (although boss lady Carol reads my blog so it appears the secret is out.....) (oh well).

Homecoming Princess

Today was Limestone's Homecoming Parade. They normally have it on Saturday morning but this year decided to have it on Friday. The route runs right in front of the store and the streets are shut down so we always get a break at the store to enjoy. This year Jeff's niece Melina was on one of the floats with her preschool. Here are some pics.

Here she is with mom Gina right behind her. She had spotted dad Tim and was getting ready to throw a piece of candy to him.

The sun wouldn't let my camera focus at the right time so this snapped a little late but you can see Tim in the black shirt picking up the candy she threw him. She was yelling "Hi Daddy!" at him the whole time!

She may not be on the homecoming court but she's definitely the princess around here!

curse you baked goods!

Today I decided I needed a small pick-me-up and stopped at the little village bakery that just opened in B-ville last week (had a headache, people were hounding me for paychecks, etc.).

Literally, just last night, after trying on a shirt my mom bought me for my birthday, I vowed that it was time to eat better and start excercising.

Isn't Monday a better day to start stuff like that anyway...

The ABC's of Andi

I actually got this emailed to me but rather than forward it, I'll throw it on here and if anybody wishes they can read.

A. Attatched or Single- attatched :)

B. Best Friend- My sister Amy, Jeff, Nay, and Susie.

C. Cake or pie- yes please

D. Day- Friday

E. Essential item - face moisturizer...can't stand how my face feels without it

F. Favorite Color- blue and green

G. Gummy bear or worms- worms definitely

H. Hometown- P-Town

I. Indulgences- bubble baths, popsicles, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

J. January or July- January

K. Kids - someday

L. Life would be incomplete without- family, friends, and coffee

M. Marriage date- hopefully soon (sigh...)

N. Number of siblings- 3-Dina, Amy, & Aron.

O. Oranges or apples- depends on the season, summer-oranges, fall-apples

P. Phobias or fears-the usual "something bad happening to someone I love" and a wierd "getting bitten by something poisonous (like a spider) like in the middle of the night and not realizing it until it's too late and my leg falls off.." I watch too much t.v. I think.

Q. Quote - "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"-Abraham Lincoln

R. Reason to smile- Jeff

S. Season- Fall. Apples, leaves falling, I even like the smell of them burning, and pumpkins.

T. Tag- not going to do that(thank me later Charity :)

U. Unknown fact about me-I put potato chips on bologna sandwiches.

V. Vegan or oppressor- I like steak. A lot. So oppressor I guess.

W. Worst habit- procrastinating

X. Xrays or ultrasounds- well, never had an ultrasound. So X-rays I guess? Although, you only get those when something hurts, so ultrasound. The baby kind, not the "we're looking for gall bladder problems" kind.

Y. Your favorite food- all things carbohydrates (potato, bread, pasta, you name it.)

Z. Zodiac Sign- Virgo

Not going to tag anyone because I'm nice like that. Fill it out if you wish.

Go Cubs Go!

My beloved Cubbies had their first no hitter in 32 years yesterday! WooHoo! Carlos Zambrano was on FIRE!!! And even more amazing he was just coming back from a rotator cuff injury! I'll be the first to admit that when Big Z is having an "off" day I'm one of those crazies yelling at Lou Piniella through the t.v. to get him out of the game but he was all magic yesterday! We're back on the upswing! 7.5 games ahead! Can't wait for October!

Go Cubs Go!

Tag, I'm it

I have been tagged by Charity to make a post in which I reveal 5 little known facts about myself. I'm sure different people know some of these but maybe you'll learn something new.

1. I am the fourth generation to have the middle name Louise. My mother-Leslie Louise, grandmother-Anna Louisa, and great-grandmother, Freidreka Louisa go before me and if I am blessed with a daughter, she too will be blessed with that middle name (and sisters who think it's funny to call her "wheezy").

2. My first name was going to be Stephanie (after my dad Stephen) until a couple of days before I was born. My dad came home and said "what do you think of the name Andrea?" and so I became Andrea. Had I been a boy I would be Brandt.

3. My ultimate comfort food is spaghetti noodles with a little bit of butter and salt. I didn't like sauce when I was little so this is how I ate spaghetti and I still make it that way when I need some comfort.

4. I have a secret fantasy of being a back-up singer for a local cover band. I have no desire to be in a big famous band, just a hometown one that plays random weekend gigs and sings the songs I love. I could totally be the tambourine girl. Or cowbell. Or both....

5. I'm secretly a bit of a science nerd. Weather and Outer Space are my two science areas of interest. I watch almost every shuttle launch on my computer and check the space station camera during missions and it never fails to amaze me. I am addicted to the weather radar and I like storms and tornados. Not the death/destruction part but the actual science behind them and trying to learn about them and predict them. I want to go on a tornado chase someday.

Ok that's five things. I can't tag anybody because I don't actually know a lot of people with blogs(we're not a blogging family). So it ends with me I suppose.

Protons and Black Holes

So I read today on CNN that scientists in Europe fired up the largest proton collider ever built in hopes of finding out more about what happens when you smash protons into each other. It's a giant 17 mile circular tunnel underneath the Switzerland/France border.
The article stated that if everything goes to plan, scientists could potentially unlock secrets of how the universe was formed and what materials were present when it was just a baby universe.
However, if something goes wrong, scientists could potentially open up a black hole large enough to swallow the planet.
I'm not sure what worries me more, the possibility of the whole black hole/swallowed planet/end of the world thing, or the fact that I jadedly continued sipping my Cran-Grape juice and clicked on the next headline.

More Fish

My aquarium got done cycling a couple of weeks ago so I've been adding fish lately. Lost another Molly. I'm down to just one Dalmatian and one Black, plus a bunch of baby Dalmatians.

Got a pretty new betta to replace poor Gil.

The baby fish say "hi!"

Got two of these plecos, they hide most of the time though.

Noah helped pick out these Tiger Barbs

I love these little Cardinal Tetras. They show up so well in the aquarium.

I bought two of these Bosemani Rainbowfish. The blue and gold colors will get brighter as they get older.

I also have two of these Red Rainbows. The red color will be brighter as they get older too.

These little wormie guys are Kuhli Loaches. They hide a lot too, but they sure come out for feeding time.

I have a pair of these Zebra Botia.

I spy

I had to pick my nephew Noah up from school the other day and whenever I pick him up, we play "I spy" on the way home. Well, let me tell you, the game of "I spy" certainly has changed from when I was little (and yes, I can hear you all groaning because I'm too young to tell those "when I was younger" stories). He introduced me to the new version (I Spy 2.0) in which you get points for answering, but the points decline with each guess (first guess 10, second guess 5 and so on...). Then apparently you redeem these points to buy these things called "power ups". These power ups then allow you to change something in your clue to trick the person guessing. For example if you are describing a tree you could say I spy something blue and tall, etc. And on top of that you can buy a small, medium, or large power up and those govern the number of words that you are allowed to change in your clue. The game that I grew up playing apparently got eaten by some new-fangled (yes, I know I just used new-fangled) video game or something.
By the time he got done explaining all the new rules and tricks to me, we were at his house.

Whatever happened to plain ol' I spy?

Easy as pie!

It's becoming a tradition to get together at my friend Susie's apartment every year and make apple pies and caramel apples. Last year I missed out on the pies but made sure that I was in attendance this year. We had a sort of pie assembly line going and when we were finished we had 8 pies. The caramel apple party will be some time in September(can't wait!)

Susie in her pie/pi shirt. She's a math nerd.

Miranda and Kristen running the peeler/corer/slicer station.

Me rolling out the crusts

Betsy working on the filling

The finished product(well, not baked yet)!

The domestic goddess club (minus Susie who was taking the picture).

Ohio

As I wrote earlier, I was in Ohio this past weekend visiting my sister Amy. We always have a blast when we get together and this time was no exception. I got there late Thursday night and came home yesterday(Monday) evening. Friday she had to work but I ended up taking in a birthday cake for one of her co-workers and got to eat lunch with her and then I strolled through the mall in town and then spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool.
Saturday we started out by going to breakfast, then to a bike shop(cycling is her new hobby), then when we got back, my brother-in-law loaded the bikes into the truck and we went for a looooong bike ride (she'll never give up on trying to make me love exercise as much as she does). Then we laid by the pool for a few hours, and then got ready to go to the county fair.
The original plan was to go see the Gretchen Wilson concert at the fair. My brother-in-law Mark is a recruiter for the Army and they set up a tent every year and normally get some free tickets to whatever concert is happening. So we got there and alas, no tickets and we really didn't feel like paying $30 each so we just wandered around the fair for a while.

Funnel Cake!

A slice of beehive for ya

big punkins


Then that night we had a fire in the chiminea on the deck. I bought some stuff that turns the flames pretty colors but it didn't show up in the pictures

Sunday Mark actually had to work at the fair so Amy and I did some shopping in the morning and then decided to go to the fair and hang out. We walked around and pet the horses and decided to stop in the Humane Society tent to see the puppies (we had done this the day before too). Amy has two dogs, a black cocker spaniel named Spencer, and a Cavashon(a King Cavalier Spaniel/Bischon mix) named Brandon.

the boys


Spencer

Brandon & Amy

Well, for some time she had been talking about getting a female dog to balance out things a little and naming it Mia. When we walked into the tent that second day, this adorable little yellow lab/golden retriever mix puppy was barking it's head off for some attention so we went right over. Upon further inspection, we determined it was a girl. I just gave Amy a look and she said "let's go get Mark". We brought Mark over to the tent and the lady running the tent took the puppy and handed her to him. As if on cue, she rested her little head on his arm and calmed down immediately.

That was all it took. Amy paid the adoption fee, we ran to Wal-Mart and bought every pink thing we could find, and brought little Mia home that night.

Mia


Meeting her brothers

getting a bath

All clean and dry with a proper pink collar

Monday it was time to say goodbye and head back home :( But we had lots of fun and I am always looking forward to the next visit.

Me and Amy