That's just crazy talk!

Saturday I went wedding dress/bridesmaid dress shopping with my bridesmaids and my aunts Laura and Jenny. I tried on a few dresses and started to wonder if I would ever find the right dress. They were all wrong and I knew instantly that they weren’t right. After trying on the first 5 dresses or so, I went to the “lace section” at the shop and I found the dress right away! Right when I saw it I knew that it was the dress. And then I looked at the price tag… $2,880. Then I got sad again and told the lady that I want this dress – but cheaper. Then she told me that it was on sale and that if I wanted the dress I would have to buy that dress and the price was basically cut down to a third of the full price. I knew it was the right dress because I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I wanted to keep trying it on! I can’t wait for Phil to see me walk down the aisle in that dress in less than 7 months! :) Now I just need to find a dry cleaner (since the dress was a sample dress and who knows who tried it on) and someone who is good at wedding dress alterations. I’m pretty nervous about both! I don’t want to ruin the dress and I’ve heard horror stories about both. This isn’t a $30 pair of pants here! If anyone has any ideas for either the alterations or a good dry cleaner you trust then let me know!

Alright, I know that all I blog about lately is Winston - but who couldn't! He is just too damn cute for his own good. I have had Winston's brother, Mister, over at our house since Monday. They have basically been inseparable since Mister came over. Mister is the bigger pup and as the older, larger sibling I think that Mister thinks that he needs to teach Winston how to get into trouble. Since he has come to stay he has taught Winston new places in the yard to go (out of my sight of course) and new things to chew on (like the bushes). I'm not very happy about him chewing on the bushes since we only have a few. The few bushes are the ONLY living things in our yard - we have no trees. So, I would like to keep what we have! Mister has also taught Winston to go under the bed to play. This will be bad some day in the near future when he gets stuck because he is just too big to go under there. I'm not quite sure how he fits now! All-in-all it has been fun having Mister stay with us. The only problem is having to clean up after two puppies instead of just one. Winston and I will sure miss Mister when he leaves this weekend! But Phil, Asterix, Vader and Precious will all be happier once he is gone.

I know, I know… I haven’t blogged in a LONG time…. I’ve been stuck in a “down in the dumps” rut and I’m ready to get out of it. So, I’ll start by blogging about the new member of our family. Last Friday my brother and I drove to Kenyon, MN to pick up our new babies! Meet Winston :)







I love, love, love him! I think he is the sweetest, most adorable thing on the planet! He is such a good boy too! He loves to be outside and play in the snow so it’s a good thing we got him when it started to de-thaw outside! Precious isn't too fond of him but I think Vader likes him. He just doesn't like the fact that he doesn't get all the attention anymore. Winston loves Asterix, but she doesn't love him back quite yet. I think she facinates him. So, like I was saying before I started rambling on about how cute my puppy is, my brother got a new pup too. His name is Mister. How cute is that! He named the dog for my dad. My dad would ALWAYS call everyone mister or misty. When one of his buddies would walk in the shop, the first thing he would say was “Hey misterrrr!!” Guess you would have to know my dad to see the humor in it. Anyways, Winston and Mister will have many play dates so they remember each other. They had their first play date on Wednesday. Justen and I had to go to a funeral and so I brought Winston with me on my way to pick up Justen. They got to play together all morning. :) Then on Monday I’m going to pick Mister up and he is going to stay at our house for 5 or 6 days (shh, I haven’t told Phil yet :-/). Justen is going to AZ to help my grandpa out so I said I’d watch his baby. Our house will be a zoo and I love it. :)

Age 76, passed away peacefully on February 9, 2011 surrounded by family in Mesa, AZ. Barb lived in Brainerd with her husband Richard Walton for the past six years. Prior to that she lived in Shoreview and Stillwater and was actively involved in those communities. Barbara graduated from St. Catherine University - School of Nursing. She was a gifted teacher of Certified Nursing Assistants at 916 Vo-Tech/Century College and authored two Nursing Assistant textbooks. She retired in 1997. Barb experienced great joy participating in several Elderhostel projects around the country and volunteered for many years at the Good News Project in St. Lucia. She especially enjoyed the break from Minnesota winters in Apache Junction, AZ with her husband and their many friends. She was preceded in death by first husband, Wayne G. Kast; parents Paul T. and Grace V. Arend. She is survived by her husband, Richard; children, Steve (Terri) of Cambridge, Kristine (John) Goulet of Shoreview, John (Teri) of Stillwater, Wayne (Mary) of Stillwater, Joe (Tanya) of Hudson, WI; eleven dearly loved grandchildren; brother, Paul (Jean) Arend; and sisters, Virgina (Joseph “Burt”) Cain, Maxine (Dan) Blommer, Marlene (Gib) Rowe, all from Minnesota. Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 AM (gathering begins at 10:00 AM), Friday, March 4 at ST. ODILIA CATHOLIC CHURCH, 3495 Victoria St., Shoreview. Family and Friends Gathering 4-8 PM Tuesday, March 3 at HOLCOMB-HENRY-BOOM-PURCELL FUNERAL HOME, 515 W. Hwy 96 at Mackubin, Shoreview (651-482-7606). A private committal service of her ashes will be at Roselawn Cemetery. Special thanks to Copper Cottage Hospice House in Mesa, AZ and to all the people in Arizona for their support during her last peaceful days. Memorials preferred to GOOD NEWS PROJECT, INC. 1106 5th St., Wausau, WI 54403.

I’m sad today. I can’t concentrate on anything. My mind is elsewhere. Some of you know, my step-grandma, Barb found out she had pancreatic cancer about 9 months or so ago. It didn’t look very good for her. My grandpa and Barb decided to fly down to Arizona one last time to relax in warmth and then they were going to come back to MN at the end of February. Things took a turn for the worse yesterday. They tried to get her on a flight back to MN but were not successful. They said she can’t fly so they put her in hospice in AZ. That is where she will stay until she passes. She has only a matter of days left. Her daughter said that she has not spoken to anyone all day. She sleeps & seems to wake up every now and then - but is pretty much in a "coma- like" state. It breaks my heart to see this happen. I have always liked Barb. She is the sweetest, most caring person and I don’t see how this can happen to good people. It also hurts to see my grandpa have to go through this for the second time. My grandma died in 2003 from ovarian cancer and it was a long, horrible ordeal. Now he has to go through this again with Barb. I wish I could do something. Anything…