Fun times and tax rebates

My friend, Kris, from the Twin Cities just went home. She came for a short visit, but we had fun! We went shopping and shopping and shopping! This morning we went to Nicole's for pastry and coffee - scrumptious!!! She said Nicole's was her new favorite place in the world.
Last night we went to Starbucks for coffee and knitting, and my friends from Fargo, Dana and Wendy, met us there.

I never know how it's going to go when you mix two groups of friends, but I have such great friends all around that it was just fine, I'm happy to report! We had wonderful coffee (I tried their caramel macchiato for the first time, iced - and it was GRANDE (pun intended)), and we had good conversation - nothing earth shattering, but there weren't long, uncomfortable pauses, like there can be when two groups of people get together who don't know each other. :) AND...I finished the knitting stage of the bag I'm making my mother! WOO HOO.

This last sentence is noteworthy because I've been working on this bag for FOREVER, as it is the second one I made. This one is for my mother because once she found out I was making one for Kris, she decided she had to have one herself. But now....I get to work on something I really want to make for myself...a sweater! I've found one from Interweave Knits that I really want to do, but it looks very difficult. I'm going to attempt it anyway...

And, lastly, we got our tax rebates this week. Directly deposited into our checking account. There is nothing better. Ahhhhhh.......