So Mouse and I went shopping together on Saturday.

We drove 484 miles, were gone just exactly 12 hours and had a blast.

Make that I had a blast. I know I annoyed her, which I tried to lessen by letting her drive on the Interstate for the first time since driver's ed. She did a wonderful job.

We ate "real" Chinese food for lunch at a real restaurant. She tried on dress after dress and was sad that I had picked the wrong place to shop. None of the dresses were what she had in mind, or what she had seen in Denver a couple of weeks earlier when her friend got her prom dress and Mouse didn't have any money.

So with the girl truck waiting just steps away, marking the end of shopping at that location, and the clock ticking and me worrying about where to try to get to next, we tried one final store.

Mouse was not hopeful, because a branch in Casper has nothing suitable.

So we walked in, and I'm not even kidding, there were hundreds upon hundreds of prom dresses, many with ridiculously inexpensive prices.

She even let me start choosing and grabbing, something she never lets me do.

She must have tried on more than 20 while I sat comfortably in a chair and the ultra nice sales ladies waited to see her emerge from the curtain.

She looked great in almost all of them, but easily picked her favorite. And miraculously, it was my favorite too. The dress we bought was one she had seen in Denver and loved.

I think she looks amazing in it. She was amazed that we found it. I was amazed that she loved it. It's very girlie girl in a fun way.

Then we needed just the right shoes, and found some for way cheap. And they had a "second pair for $10" sale so of course we got her two pair.

And we piled back in the truck and drove on home. She drove until she decided she needed a snooze so she could go out when she got home.

It was a day. And it was worth every single penny we spent.

Went to Mass last night and left feeling sad.

One of my very favorite church hymns ever is a relatively new, in church years, one reserved especially for the presentation of gifts on Holy Thursday.

It's called, "We come to your table," I think, and it's a beautiful thing with powerful words and great music.

Several years ago, the procession was made up of many people -- all women, old, young, all kinds -- each taking a different food item up to the altar while that song was sung. It was one of the most emotional things I have ever seen at church.

The problem is, that hymn's not in the hymnal parishioners are provided, or at least I couldn't find it, and the vocalists didn't announce a number to invite us to join in.

So it was like being at a concert performance instead of being able to participate.

And then at the end of Mass, the most solemn part of the whole evening, the vocalists sang the Blessed Sacrament's hymn, "Pange lingua gloriosi" which should always, ALWAYS be sung in Latin, in ENGLISH.

My Latin teacher would have been as disappointed as I was.

Too sad.

Yesterday was a double tough day for Wyoming basketball fans.

I'm sad the Pokes couldn't beat CSU to get into the tournament and I'm sad the Cowgirls couldn't stay in the tournament and now may have lost an NCAA tournament bid.

But basketball is just a game. And tragedy is life-altering.

So the basketball losses are HUGE in ESPN-terms, but not in terms of lives lost and lives altered forever. That's tragedy.

And on a day when we woke to the news of an Evanston soldier losing his life in Iraq and the Cowgirls losing, it's easy to know what's tragedy and what's temporary.

May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.

So on Tuesday evening, the road was dry and the sun was out. Yes, the wind was blowing, but it was fine weather for driving.

Mouse is in the Caribbean, out of cell phone range. So off I went to visit the friend for no reason.

No gala event, no spectator event for Mouse, no must-appear. Just because.

We cooked pizza in the oven and watched not one, but two, movies.

There was no laundry to do, no lists to make, no closets I should have been cleaning.

We watched "Catch and Release," with Jennifer Garner, which was OK but not great. It did, however, have a happy ending and I cried.

Then, just minutes later, we watched "16 Blocks," with Bruce Willis. It was really, really great. Another happy ending, more tears.

Usually the friend doesn't like dirty cop movies, unless like in this one, the dirty cops get caught. He liked it and stayed awake.

We aren't ones to frequent movie theaters often. Lately, it's been less than occasionally.

And even watching a movie on TV from start to finish without interruption is a rarity. A double-feature is unheard of.

Is this what normal grownups do? If so, I think I could like it -- alot.

So Wednesday night marked the end of Mouse's competitive high school sports career.

And what a way to finish.

Her Natrona cheer squad earned a trophy in Class 4A Coed Stunt, finishing fourth.

Anyone who thinks cheerleading these days is just a lot of hair spray and drama doesn't deal with pain and taped ankles and practice and practice and more practice on a daily basis.

The four hours of entertainment for $5 was one of the best bargains in a long, long time.

Of course I don't know the intricacies of competitive scoring, and of course I thought Natrona was the very best, but there really were lots of terrific performances.

After a while, even I could tell a crisp, nearly mistake-free performance from a jittery, error-filled one.

But the try was there in all of them.

The Wheatland Rockette-like dance team was superb, and the Star Valley dancers were fabulous as always.

And my very favorite moment was at the very end, when all of the competitors were on the mat together awaiting the results.

And there were the athletes from Kelly Walsh and Natrona -- supposed rivals -- circled all together.

And there was Mouse and her BFF since St. Anthony's -- Mouse in her orange and black and BFF Clone in her Kelly green and gold -- hugging fiercely.

High school competition is a beautiful thing. And so are the memories.

So Brett Favre has retired and the earth continues to spin. The wind continues to blow and deadlines need to be met.

I have said this so many times it's easy to repeat -- Brett Favre doesn't owe anybody anything -- not the NFL, not the Packers, not the City of Green Bay.

Anyone who has watched him start a single NFL game, throw a single pass, escape a defender one time, has seen greatness itself.

That's all on the field. Off the field, he is a regular guy -- son, husband, dad. He was the highest profile human in all of Wisconsin and beyond.

If he wants to drive his tractor, he should be able to. If he wants his daughter to go to one school instead of two, he should be able to. If he wants to golf and hunt, he should be able to.

All we can say is thanks.

To celebrate finishing a project I honestly thought I could not complete, I cleaned the garage Saturday.

Had the tunes blaring, my work gloves on and I was rolling. Filled up the girl truck in no time flat, went to the dump and didn't have to wait very long at all.

And then I dropped a big slab of somethin' wood-like directly onto my big toe and I thought I was going to die, I'm not even kidding.

I did have a sock and shoe on, which is kind of shocking since it was 60 degrees and I've been in flip-flops for a week already.

But this piece of heavier than wood had a really sharp edge and I don't even know what happened, all I know is I can't wear a shoe and it hurts like crazy.

So here I am, in mismatched shoes, the right one kicked off under my desk. Just snazzy.

I watched the Pokes on TV Saturday, the Cowgirls yesterday and tonight I'll catch at least the end of the Rutgers-UConn women.

Wonder if I could actually watch at least one game a day in March? No, because there are those dead days between selection sunday and the tournament and I'm not watching the NBA.

OK, good, so there will be days to finish cleaning the garage. If I can just keep from injuring myself ...