Spending $ in Cloudy Town & Other Business...

So today Ethan and I went to St. Cloud with my parents and it was pretty fun. I hadn't been to St. Cloud since probably Christmas and it's always fun to go back to my old stomping grounds. First we made our way to lunch at Old Chicago (or as Mom calls it-"Chicago Pizza") before heading over to the mall.

I swear, the mall changes every time I go there. When we went in, the pet store was right there, so we went to look at the puppies and kitties. Mark and I eventually want to get a dog when Ethan's old enough to help take care of it, but can't decide on what breed/size to get (he wants a bigger dog, like a lab, me-a smaller one, like a pug or shih tzu). Ethan honestly seemed more interested in the cage than the animals. Someday...

After the pet store, I went to Victoria's Secret. They were having their Semi-Annual Sale, which is always a great time to get...perfume (you thought I was gonna say underwear...ha...I'm sticking to my white Hanes granny panties for now). They used to make this kind of perfume, "Breathless," that was just awesome, but it was discontinued last year. I checked to see if they perhaps had any in the discount bins. No, but I did find a few other scents that I liked. I made my purchases and we kept movin'.

We window shopped a few more places before going in this weird T-Shirt Mud store. It reeked of incense, but everything was 50% off because the store was closing. I found Dad a Father's Day gift and a Bon Jovi T-shirt for me (cause I already have 3 or 4) and we left the mall to make our liquor run.

Dad drove over to Westside Liquor, which I must say, consistantly has the best selection/deals on wine and other liquor (2nd best-Buffalo Wine & Spirits on Hwy. 55). I stocked up on a few bottles of wine (toward the end of the year, I was going through quite a few because of DJ) and a bottle of Limoncello liqueur. After that, we had to take my clarinet in to get fixed, so we went to Al's Music. I used to LOVE going to Al's Music! I bought so much piano music there and actually bought my electronic keyboard there as well. Well, the times have changed. And through new ownership, Al's has turned into a cheap imitation of what they used to be. They carry chintzy, off-brand guitars and keyboards and carry little/no sheet music. They don't even SELL pianos on a regular basis anymore. I asked the guy about my clarinet. "Well, our repair guy actually moved into his own shop on St. Germain..." the guy told me and then gave me directions. I was too annoyed to listen, so we left soon after.

We looked for the repair shop, but had no luck, so we were headed to Wendy's for a Coffee Toffee Twisted Frosty (review: C+=too rich) when we came upon it. I ran in and the guy told me my clarinet needed a complete overhaul...not cheap. Oh well! I haven't had it "overhauled" since 8th or 9th grade and am starting to use it again (teaching a clarinet lesson, in "Guys and Dolls" two summers ago, at church). I'll get my money's worth...eventually.

When we came home, my key got stuck in the door again, so I made a mental note that we need a new doorknob. Then Ethan took a nap while I went downstairs to see what to make for dinner. Well, Mark or I didn't shut the freezer door tight last night, so I had melted ice cream to clean up and about 5 or 6 boxes/bags of food to throw out. Not only that, but Mark broke one of my wine glasses tonight while talking with his hands (darn flailing arms)! So there's more money I have to spend...it's a never ending battle! Good thing I LIKE spending money!