...let us come back to Grand Forks on vacation. Ever again.

Three years ago when we were here for a few days of shopping, we passed by the "Pets-R-Inn" store in the Columbia Mall. Big mistake. There through the shop's front window, we fell in love with a little black kitten in a matter of seconds.

Needless to say, "Dakotah" soon joined our family, along with our other cat Sheba and our dog Casey.

So when we came back to North Dakota this year for another shopping vacation, the first words out of hubby's mouth was "And NO more cats!"

Daughter and I laughed.... of course not! We were there to get her some back-to-school clothes and a few goodies we can't get in Canada. We weren't there for more pets! What a silly thing to say!

Ummmm... until we made the mistake to yet again pass by the "Pets-R-Inn" store.

Say hello to our third (yes, THIRD) cat "Tawnee":

... to create some "Family Time" whenever possible.

Now that I have a laptop with wireless, I don't have to blog or surf alone in my home office anymore. So I join hubby (and sometimes even daughter, on the rare occasion when she is home and ventures out of her room) in our living room to spend some time together most days. I share news, funny posts or wacky videos with them.

But there is a definite downside to this newfound freedom. Even though I try to concentrate on reading or writing, I can't help but be distracted by the television.... my husband's favorite thing in the whole wide world; the box that all our furniture is pointed to.

Distracted because he can never watch just one show at a time. He is, at this very moment, watching not one, not two, but three movies at once. Yup. Three.

Back and forth.

Every commercial break.

I wouldn't mind so much if I actually liked even one of them (okay maybe that would bug me even more). Tonight one slime-splattered movie's description included the phrase "patrons being terrorized by a marauding pack of blood thirsty monsters."

Wonderful.

Oh, and if the commercial breaks are synchronized?

He flips through EVERY frickin' channel up and down the dial... hunting for yet more things to watch, or to mentally record when these same movies will be re-broadcast later on tonight. I call it his "Five Second Show".... that is all we get to see at a time.

Well, at least this afternoon I got to watch the movie "Elizabeth" starring Cate Blanchett. "We can learn something", I thought. "Acquire some culture for a change."


But yay and verilly, it was apparent I was thine only royal subject absorbing culture and historical knowledge.

As soon as I left during a break to check on the laundry, hubby swifty chnaged the channel to the "Hooter's Swimsuit Pagent".

So much for Family Time.

I'm heading back to my home office now...