Sunday, December 4, 2022

Snow November 2022

 Emily finally sent me some pictures she took, and I'll just put them all here.  It was a pretty snow and never got really messy until today,   I ventured out, worrying constantly about ice and slipping and falling, but I made it with no problem.  We four girls went to Target to do a little shopping and had a lot of fun.  Then Emily had two or three more side trips where the girls and I sat in the car and waited for her.

The last stop was Snapdoodle, the most amazing toy store.  I had heard about it, but I had to see it to believe it.  I wanted everything, and I can just imagine how the kids felt.  It was packed with the most unusual things, and we spent way too long picking out some gifts for their friends and just looking.  Emily and I picked out a puzzle that I hope we will find time to do - 1500 pieces.  

The girls knew they were not in the store to shop for themselves, but it was hard!  Of all things that Graysen kept coming back to was a Barbie in a wheelchair.  She already has a wheelchair for her AG doll, so I'm not sure what the attraction is for another one.  Wheelchair races?  Katherine zeroed in on a round penguin suitcase, perfect for sleepover, and she rolled it around behind her until Emily had to almost physically separate her from it.  I hope that's one of her gifts!  And Graysen needs the "tiny hands."

I really didn't want to go today, because I do worry - snow, cold, icy sidewalks, breaking arms, driving - you name it, I'm going to worry about it.  But I shouldn't have.  It was one of the best shopping trips ever.  

We stopped at Starbucks, and the girls got Steamers and asked for vegan breakfasts, which they scarfed down like they were starved.  They insisted they were.  I was not really going to get anything since I had already had one cup of coffee, but Emily ordered a grande peppermint something with oat milk, blah blah, extra peppermint.  It sounded so good I told her to get me the same thing except no extra squirt of peppermint.  It was delicious and probably as much sugar as I usually eat in a day - or a week, but I drank every bit of it.  

We separated in the store so we could secretly figure out what gifts the girls wanted to give each other.  Graysen and I went to the toy section right away and Emily and Katherine went to the clothing section.  We went up and down the aisles and picked out several things and made some decisions on what Katherine would like, but they never came back there.  We went all over the store looking for them, and I got my few errands done.  I wanted to buy ingredients for wassail as well as little things like light bulbs and hooks for the stockings.  

We finally got together, finished up, and checked out.  Emily was gathering up a few things for donations and fell in love with a walking dog that she insisted on buying.  Katherine thought an 8-year-old girl would like a gymnastics Barbie instead of that, so they got both.  

I later followed the girls around in the toy store, and they were so sweet and so excited, saying, "This is what I REALLY want."  If I had double the money, I now know what they really want!  We had to pick up something for Ryan at Home Depot, and there was a lot of singing going on - LOTS of singing - on the way home.  The Drifters White Christmas was our favorite.  Emily knew every note and every move, and we all joined in on the background.  I just had a moment of pure happiness at getting to spend this time with my favorite people and have such a good time.  And, as always happens, then I got a little weepy thinking about how much Mike would have loved this day.  Not the shopping part but everything else.  Life just seems so unfair sometimes that we don't have him with us to make things that much more fun.  

So.  We did get home safely, and I got walked to the door with no slips or falls and lots of hugs and god-byes.  I came in and made my wassail, had a cup, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

The pictures of the snow and a few of the trip today.

I'm just including her whole album, because all of them are good with maybe a few duplicates.  This is the first time I've done pictures this way, so it might not work.  If not, I'll come back tomorrow and work on them.  Too sleepy now.




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