Is it almost fall already??

Busy, busy, busy, is what we've been here. I know that our sales are down on gowns, all of the bridal stores are quiet right now. Lots of girls are shopping on ebay or craigs list for their wedding gowns. We are selling, but not quite as much. Though, this is not the time of year for sales in that area anyway. By this time every girl should already have their gown, and should be getting married. The sales I'm doing right now are for the end of the year (really, those girls are shopping too late when it takes three months to get a dress) and for next spring. But, the catering!! Oh my gosh, that is huge right now. This summer was much, much larger than last summer!!! We are used to having a wedding or two per weekend, but 3 or 4??!!! Yikes!!! Crazy!! Craig is at one right now, as I write this. It's been super hectic, but the extra cash is nice. Pays for all these fairs we've been going to!! Last week was the Clackamas county fair, and tomorrow we are going to the state fair. Hectic, hectic. Chloe looooves to ride the rides, but at 4 bucks (really, are you kidding me? No, they are really 4 bucks) a ride, she is not allowed much. Plus, mommy does not like to stand with her for 2 hours while she rides the rides. We were lucky at the county fair, one of the carni guys liked my "Goonies" t-shirt, so she got 4 free scrambler rides. That made her day.

We've been home from vacation for a few weeks now. We went to Joseph stuart state park, which is between Medford, and Crater Lake. We had a nice time. It was the first camping trip of my life without mom and dad. It was a little weird at first. We were supposed to go with our best friends, Matt and Connie, and their three kids, but Matt's dad was terminally ill with brain cancer (he was diagnosed a week after dad) and he was approaching his end. Originally, in the spring, they had only given him a month to live, but he far surpassed that, and passed away on the first day of our vacation. Fortunately, they knew that the time was near, so they didn't even try to come with us. which was good. I didn't want them to drive all that way, and then have to turn around and go back. So, it was a very peaceful vacation, and we did have a nice time.

Mom is doing good. She tried to buy her new car a couple weeks ago with the cash for clunker deal. She took in the blazer. I called the dealership twice before we came, even the day before, to make sure they had the highlander that she wanted. The guy told me they had two. The next day when we get there, they only have one, and it is already sold. I was kinda frustrated. So, we sat there for three hours while they tried to locate a car for her, and filled out all the clunker paperwork. finally they tell us they found a car, and then they tell her she will still get the clunker deal, even though they do not have a car for her that day. There were no new cars on the lot at that dealership. I was kinda astounded. They had a few hybrids, and a camry or two, a few corollas, and a matrix, and I think one minivan, but that was it! Nothing else, except a few used toyotas. No pickups, no suv's. Nothing. so, mom fills out all her paperwork, gives them a deposit, and off we go, with the guy telling us she should get her car in a couple weeks. then they call her last friday, two days before the cash for clunker deal ends, and tell her that she can't turn in the clunker, because the deal is ending, and since they do not have her new car yet, they don't have a vin number for it, so she will have to pay an additional $4,500 for the truck. so, mother gets smart, and asks them why they don't have a vin number for it. If they have one coming in for her, they should have a number. Then the guy admits to her that they do not have a truck for her, they are building her one. Which when she told me that, I called BS on it. Why would they build an '09 highlander, when the '10's are due on the lot at any time? THEN the guy calls her on Monday, (the day after the clunker deal ends) and tells her, hey, we found a truck for you in Washington, do you want it? and she still has to pay 4,500 dollars more. Of course, ,mom tells them to go take a flying leap, and to send her back her deposit. Then he calls the next day, and takes another grand off of it. Mom still says no....gives him the price she is willing to pay, which basically is 10% off of the msrp price, and they won't take it! Crazy. Because of the cash for clunkers deal, and them not having any new cars on their lots, they are not dealing AT ALL!!! They are selling everything at msrp. So, even though she can't turn in her truck, they still would only take a couple grand off the highlander. I was floored. I have never, ever paid msrp for a vehicle!! So, mom yet again, told them to take a leap, and she is going to wait a few months, or until spring, and then buy a 2010. I just don't get it. They have to go clear up to seattle to even find a vehicle for her, because there are hardly any here in Oregon (she wanted a specific color) and in the end, they aren't even willing to knock another 2 grand off, so they can make a deal?They aren't selling suv's right now. Especially not high end limited ones with all the bells and whistles like she was getting. Crazzzzzzy, I'm telling ya!! I give them a week. I bet they call back!!

Well, my hand is tired, so I am giving it up for the night. My computer died on me, and Craig has yet to haul it to work to have the comp geek look at it, so I am using Chloe's laptop, and it is just very different from my computer! Hope all is well with whoever reads this! Hopefully I will have more time now that school is about to start, and things will be slowing down around here. Well, as slow as they get at our house. I have massive amounts of yard work to catch up on, Craig and I are still finishing the moulding and trim painting in the house, and we finally bought the lumber for the front porch, so Craig needs to get that done before winter so the wood doesn't go bad, but hey, it's just another day at the Tonsager house!!!!!