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!)
