This past weekend my grandparents came to visit which is a rarity. They watched our co-ed softball game on friday night, we were big losers but they enjoyed it. On Saturday morning Mike and I drove them to the Des Moines farmer's market and they looooooved it! I knew they would. They commented on how it was unlike any they had ever been to. We all then had our very first experience at a local Italian market. It is a small hole-in-the-wall place but so full of character! I had the yummiest lemon soda from there.

Friday night after softball I went to the Harry Potter release party at a bookstore here in town. I helped at a table where people could write letters to the author and then the bookstore would mail them off. It was so fun to see what some of the youngin's wrote. I bailed at 11:50pm so I was sure to miss all the traffic in the parking lot and made my way to the public library where I had a copy of book #7 on reserve. I wanted to read it so bad that night but was so tired I only made it through 1 chapter. For those of you who know me well you know I don't care for suprises, you will be glad to know that I have not yet looked online to find out the outcome to the end of Harry Potter. I am trying really hard to read it without searching for spoilers.

Saturday after dropping my grandparents off at their hotel we came home and noticed Penny had been digging in the yard next to our back step and was successful in ending the life of a vole (which is fine with me), we were now hoping she would stop digging in the yard. Somewhere around 8pm Mike looked out the back door and saw Penny standing in the neighbor's yard! She had dug a hole under the fence and scooted her little body through. Luckily their yard is also fenced in. Mike hopped over the fence and handed her over to me. She got to spend the rest of the night on her rope. Sunday afternoon we went outside and noticed that she had continued digging her vole hole next to the door. This is what we saw from the door and then around facing the hole:

Yesterday (monday), mike got some wood to place along the fence line where she had scooted under and all looked great until we went out later and once again she was in the neighbor's yard! That little stinker dug a different hole that has earned her a week on her rope and she is not allowed to come to the softball game tonight to play with her puppy friends. What a stinker. Mike is now thinking of making some short planters to line the edge of the fence.

Last weekend I got to hang out in Minneapolis with my brothers before the youngest one moves to Seattle. There were no spouses/girlfriends allowed, just us three. We went shopping (gotta keep me happy somehow) and we went to a Minnesota Twins game. It was fun hanging out for the weekend.

Tonight I am volunteering at a local bookstore to help with their Harry Potter release party and I am soooooo excited. I am wearing a t-shirt I made with the following on it:

Personally I think Harry will live though part of me wishes he wouldn't. Can't wait to pick up my copy at the library tonight at 12:01!!!!

I finally got to use the fireworks setting on my camera and I also had an excuse to use my tripod. Check it out.

Went kayaking last weekend. We paddled 18.2 miles, that's a long ways when you are powering your own boat! It was fun but I was a hurtin' unit the next day. You definitely would have a rockin' upper body if you did this on a regular basis!