One year survivor mark

Today is one of those days that shall stand apart from the rest, if not due to great style (can a day have style?!), then most certainly due to the lack of memorable events. 

Yes, it’s Cyber Monday. (I realize I’m a week late but keep reading, you’ll understand soon enough.)

We had celebrated American Thanksgiving with my family and it was only the third time I’d driven to the states that month. Ya, I like putting on miles?! (I’ve realized, with a bit of juggling – and counting of fingers… okay, toes too, that my beloved dream truck will only last me about five more years – should the miles be kind to it. Tear.) Focus, sorry. We had the quintessential turkey and all the fixings, minus the cranberry sauce, Mom thought a break from the norm would be lovely and put lingonberry sauce on the table instead. If that doesn’t show your (cultural) roots, well color me Swede then. The men retreat to the football game, which really is an excuse to not talk and sleep with your eyes open. I wonder if they perfected that skill in college? The ladies stack plates and completely dismiss any further cleaning, on the slim thread of reason that an old family friend had yet to join festivities. Ah, it was well worth it. The old darling was so pleased to be included and to see everyone. Let’s be honest, she was more excited to see me than anyone else. :)

 

Usually the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday (even in Canada there’s Black Friday, odd given how they celebrate Thanksgiving the month previous, eh there’s not enough coffee in the world right now to caffeinate that logic). I like to go Black Friday shopping. 

My quick rules to survival:

Surviving Black Friday shopping (with all your limbs and sanity) intact

1.       Don’t go. (If you were smart, you’d notice that ‘sale’ prices are just as decent earlier in the year. Don’t get me started on that rant.)

2.       Go early in the morning. The crazies are more ‘cautious’ in their driving if it’s still dark out. (Trust me, their driving skill rapidly deteriorates as the sun climbs in the sky.)

3.       Avoid the main mall at all costs.

4.       Save your sanity!

5.       AVOID the mall (you’re not listening)

6.       Rather, find another shopping center with a few big box stores.

7.       Park in the boonies, you and your car will be scratch free

8.       On second thought, park by a light post or something solid and heavy that the crazies will instinctively avoid. But not by the dumpster, that’s just nasty. (Somehow they’re always off scot-free and you are the one with the repair bill.)

9.       Buy a venti, large, whatever floats your sleepy brain cells coffee

10.   Park your bum on a nice bench

11.   People watch!

12.   Warning! Warning! The sun is coming up and people are waking from their nightly hibernation (okay, okay, sleep) and yet more people, er, crazies, are out driving

13.   Escape the madness!

14.   Arrive home. Safe. Count your limbs, make sure they’re all there. Double check vehicle for scratches.

15.   Go ride your horse (with orange on, those crazy hunters will shoot anything that moves).

  

   Interestingly enough, I found Menards to be a great place to people watch this year. Normally I favor Target (great location, NOT near the mall and it has a Starbucks). I used to think it was a joking myth that families go Black Friday shopping and they all have maps with specific areas and items assigned. Nope. This is confirmation that is a fact, not myth. My husband saw the Menards ad and really wanted to go. So we took my dad with too, haha. He’s so tall you can see him just about anywhere.

My mom and I went to Hobby Lobby later that afternoon, hoping the craziness would have died down a little. Nope. I was conservative in my shopping, only shopping off my list and a mental budget. My hubby on the other hand… ya check out the photo in this post. Uff. Da. Eh.

We were supposed to leave Saturday. Then a call from his dad changed the blast off day to Monday morning. This way we could check out the auction of farm equipment in City1 (that was to be held later in the week) and stop in at the auction going on Monday in City2 in our journey back to Canada. Eh. Hubby agrees, turns to me and says I should be thrilled with this change.

I’m over here wondering if it’s worth it to make the drive back by myself. It wasn’t just Cyber Monday Monday but as in Monday-our-FIRST-anniversary Monday. Yeah… 

I think my dad figured that out faster than my hubby did. Oops. 

Okay, so part of these shenanigans is my fault. When we had talked earlier about how to celebrate I said I didn’t care if we went somewhere but I wanted to have a nice dinner out and wine at home later (I haven’t been feeling well). Well, we went somewhere, check. Nice dinner out, never happened. Wine at home, check.  

Our first anniversary, which I did NOT want to spend doing the everyday normal went exactly as that. Of course, with the added bonus of driving through an auction lot and spending the day on the road driving back. My hubby did surprise me that morning though with a sneaky attack of morning cuddles and kisses and popping a jewelry case in my face with the most gorgeous birth stone pendant necklace. (He had ‘freaked’ the day previous, saying he hadn’t gotten me anything. I’d said it was ok, I had everything I wanted – him. Aww.) 

The one year survivor mark came and went with no special memories of where we went or what we did. A lone necklace had to carry all that weight. I still question if my father in-law even had a clue of what he was asking that day, it most certainly wasn’t a favor to me (to get ‘more’ time with my family). When friends ask how we celebrated our first; I say we spent the whole day on the road, it was raining, we drove through an auction lot and it was dark (not hard to do this time of year, ha) when got home in the evening and it was like any other night. No resentment there, right?

How to NOT spend your first anniversary:

1.       See above two paragraphs

2.       Read CAREFULLY the above two paragraphs

3.       Have a plan!

4.       Have a little surprise

5.       No really, see above two paragraphs for guidance on ‘how NOT to’

Life is a grand one, full of ups and downs, twists and turns. I have my partner for life, that’s all that really matters, but take time to celebrate those special markers. Eh

(Copy and paste has ruined my formatting of this post, oh well, I'm off to get coffee. Cheers!)