<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><b>Pat Stories – Shopping Fiasco</b> <b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal>Pat and I did MANY things together but there is one thing we NEVER EVER in our 22+ years of friendship did ... and that was to shop for clothes together. First of all, it was something that neither of us liked to do, especially since the sizes of clothes seemed to be mysteriously shrinking and we found ourselves looking in the "plus size" areas. Before the internet was a decent viable option (many years ago) for purchasing clothes, shopping was a necessary evil from time to time to keep us in appropriate clothes for showing the dogs. Show cllothes had to meet certain criteria: they must be washable, have a skirt with pockets that was not too full or too narrow, a short sleeved top and a long sleeve jacket with pockets.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We had a routine for times that we had to leave very early in the morning to drive to shows. I was to call Pat about an hour and a half before we had to leave to wake her up. Then she would call me back after she showered to wake me back up. Then, she would tell me what time to expect her to arrive at my house to pick me and whomever I was showing up to drive to the dog show. I would have a bagel toasted and a travel mug of coffee ready for her to take with us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So .... one very early morning, at about o'dark-thirty (as King Nick would say), Pat came to my house to pick me up to drive to the Cleveland Ohio show. Leaving at 4:30 AM to drive 3 hours in the snow was not high on our list of favorite things but we were going. I met Pat at the door and as she came in to get her bagel and coffee, I did a double-take on what she was wearing. I simply said "I will go change my clothes". She looked at me and started laughing ... we had on the EXACT same outfit! Unbeknownst to either of us, we had both gone shopping the day before and purchased the same outfit and of course, wore it that morning. So ... I went and changed clothes. When I came back to the kitchen, Pat took one look at me and began laughing hysterically ... I mean laughing until the tears were rolling down her face and she couldn't talk and couldn't breath. By this time, I was getting a little cranky and had no clue why she was laughing so hard. Finally, she gasped .... "Did you go shopping at Meijers?". I said "Yes, why?". She again started laughing and croaked out "I bought that outfit too!".<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When we finally got ourselves under control and were driving to Cleveland, we talked about our "shopping trips" and discovered that we had each bought five outfits .... four of them identical and the fifth one was the same style but in different colors. We didn't know whether to dress alike and say it was the Red Bay Uniform of the Day or have one of us return the clothes. We decided just to have a "clothes consultation" before each show so we didn't look like the Bopsy Twins. But I am sure many people thought we were probably sharing clothes!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>