Kristen's visit to the big Ville

Last weekend I had to go to Paintsville to dog sit for my parents while they went out of town for their anniversary. If I did the math right, I think this was their THIRTY-NINTH anniversary...wow! So since I wouldn't have to stay in the house by myself, Kristen decided to drive up from Harlan County and spend the night with me. I've been telling her forever that there were so many little neat stores I wanted to take her to so we spent all afternoon hitting up the big town of Paintsville.

First I took her to the Black Barn. It's a pretty cool store that has everything from fresh produce to homemade soaps. My mom comes here all the time to get freshly grounded almond butter.

One of the cool things about this place is they sell barrels of candy that they sold back when my mom was a kid, candy you can't find anymore in today's candy store.

After we left the Black Barn, we decided we need a snack.....something to hold us over until we went to dinner. Where else would I take her but to the Dairy Queen to get their famous sloppy joe. People that aren't from Paintsville don't understand that our Dairy Queen is truly not like any other Dairy Queen. It's privately owned and they have their own secret sauce for their sloppy joes. Some of their other menu items are different but everybody that comes to town gets their sloppy joes! Another difference in our Dairy Queen is you can't go inside to eat. You go up to the window and order. They take your order down on this pad of paper that they've had ever since I can remember, they circle what you want, and add up your total on paper. They even have a chart handy that tells them how much tax to add. Who does that anymore? Then they give you a number and call your number over the loud speaker: "eight nine threeee" in the most nasal sounding country accent you can imagine. If you want to eat there, they have some picnic tables under a shelter you can eat at but most people take it home and eat it.

I took her to a few antique stores. Sorry I didn't get pics of all the places I took her to but I had to take this pic. You can't tell really well, but the mannequin is glowing! I'm not sure which was tackier, the mannequin or the dress.

So can you guess where I took her to eat for dinner? I love this place and the waiters so much! When I sit down they say "You want jumbo frozen margarita? You want guacamole pico de gallo?" They mix it up for me and it's soooo good! Every time mom and dad go there without me, they say "Where your daughter?" This time, they said, "Where the other guys?" They're so precious!

What's a trip to Paintsville without going to the Super Wal-Mart?

We ended the night sitting outside on the back patio with Ebony and Ivory.

Overall, it was a great weekend. Before Kristen left, she made the statement, "I'll have to say that the best thing I ate all weekend in Paintsville was the sloppy joe." So if you're ever in town, you know where you have to go!

The Office Quote of the Day:

Listen to me close, cause I'm only gonna say this once. You either break off your engagement to that singing buffoon, apologize, and then date me, or you can say goodbye to this.

~Dwight