the one where wilson was the winner {say that ten times real fast}

Last weekend Mr. 505 and I went to the Fall Home and Garden Show over there at the Expo Center. I've been a little cooped up lately and needed to get out and get some fresh air. . . and new reusable shopping bags and candy samples at all the vendor booths, but I digress.

We went. We talked to the Cabinet Man about the differences between refacing and repainting and resurfacing and redoing the cabinets. One day they will be white. It was kind of funny because when we went to the Spring Home and Garden Show last year we talked to the Fireplace Insert Lady for approximately the same amount of time we talked to the Cabinet Man. Both were way longer than I thought was really necessary, but that's how those things go. Isn't it funny how I make up names for these people? By the way, Fireplace Insert Lady was back, but we purposely didn't stop by her booth. I'm not that stupid.

All that to say it proved to me yet again that I am not cut out for sales jobs and it's not just because I don't have an oversized diamond ring set in yellow gold on my right hand like Cabinet Man.

As it turns out, right next door in Hall E was the Pet Expo. And it was free to get in. So since we have a dog, we do all sorts of things that I never in a million years thought I'd ever do - like channel my inner Sharon R. Kline and collect every free doggy biscuit sample they were giving away that day. {My mother is notorious for bringing home every single thing they hand out at fairs and expos and such. We're talking bagfuls. And I may or may not give her a hard time about it.} And that, my friends, was a lot of free biscuits - plus frisbees, potato chip bag clips, and tennis balls. Wilson was a very happy boy when we got home.

So you know at these sorts of vendor fair things they always have drawings to enter. And enter we do. Because who can't use a handy man at home for 8 hours or dog food for a year or a $100 gift card to Petco or the granddaddy of them all, your choice of a dune buggy or $20,000? Well, we won none of those, but Wilson did manage to be the winner for a free swim at Dogs Gone Swimming!

Being a water dog with webbed paws and all, I thought he'd get there and just jump right in, but he was pretty timid and unsure of himself. But Jennifer had cookies and he can always be lured to do pretty much anything with a cookie. Even in water that was over his head.

We finally had to turn him around and back him in and then she'd walk him to the end of the pool, throw a toy, and he'd swim back. As you can see, he did a lot of splashing, poor girl.

He stuck his head underwater a lot. And ate a lot of cookies. And shook water all over us. Our jeans were soaked.

He got to be in the pool for about 45 minutes and then we came home. And this was pretty much how he was for the entire trip back - with his chin resting on both of our arms. I don't know if it was just because he was happy to finally be out of there or if it was because he loves us. Either way, it makes for a darn cute picture.