Black Friday

We didn't plan to go shopping on Black Friday. Really we didn't, but when my boss asked me to pick something up at the Apple store off we went. Since we were out anyway, I thought it would be fun to stop by my favorite Day-After-Thanksgiving Day store - The Children's Place. I am here to tell you that it is one of the best kept secrets amongst the chaos that is Black Friday. We got Sarah her Christmas pj's, a long-sleeved t-shirt, some more pj's and a hair bow for her Christmas outfit. No lines. No fighting for the steal deal. And to top it off everything in the store was an additional 20% off until 12 p.m. (No 4 a.m. lineup for us). We stopped by other stores as well, but they either didn't have any good sales or the lines wrapping around the stores were not worth the discounts offered. I have some in-laws that do Black Friday really well. I don't... and I'm OK with that.

We returned to the apartment for lunch and Sarah's nap before venturing out on our now annual Christmas tree hunt (this is the 2nd time in 2 years). Our forest of choice is nestled in a blacktop paradise south of the city. And this year there were two choice people entrusted as its caretakers. I wish I could find the right words to paint a picture for you of our visit. I'll just say that the male caretaker used the measuring stick against his forehead to "jar" his memory for how to calculate the tree's value while the female caretaker whipped out a lighter just a few inches from the trees so she could enjoy a cigarette. Sarah and I made our exit before the billowing smoke got too much for us and Roger dropped down some cash, picked up the 4-footer and met us at the car before I could get Sarah in her seat.

To finish out the day, Roger and I took our decorations out of storage, trimmed our tree and hung our stockings. (Pictures to come) I love Christmastime! It's the most wonderful time of the year!