October 8, 2013
I am just now in from another very productive vacation day with a lot to say. I know..your so surprised. :)
The weather here is gorgeous. Blue skies showcasing a fall leaf display everywhere you look and temperatures in the fifties and sixties making it a perfect sweater weather day.
The day today began with a mammogram. Everyday should begin with a total stranger groping and compressing your breast-icles beneath ice cold plastic trays to the size of a potato pancake while continually asking you...are you okay? "Um, no...in two seconds I am going to faint...please stop asking and go PRESS THE BUTTON." At least if I did faint I wouldn't hit the floor. And after my four compressions I was given a lovely tote as a parting gift: filled with literature, a pill case and a pink carnation donated by a local florist for all those getting mammograms during the month of October. Check that off of this years to do list.
Purchased at JCPennys, this Martha Stewart set of three beautifully glittered paper luminary set will work perfectly on the shelf in my kitchen. Uses tealight candles for illumination, I will be using battery operated candles.
And Victorias Secret sent me a coupon booklet offering a free mist and I chose their new Midnight Exotics Forbidden Vanilla.
Now, onto this mall and another Holiday I floorset shopping trip at Bath and Body Works.
You know I never really go into the stores with a huge list this is what I want. But it seems the more I am there, the more I see and think...hey I can use this or I like that and in a few moments my husband is carrying around a full blue bag.
Today I saw a lot and I bought a lot.
snowflake holder $24.50 penguin snowglobe belly mirrors $5.50
glitter bows on elastic band $1.75 sparkly glitter gift bags $3.00
all of the signature body products shown were free with bouncebacks and three or four surveys were also used as additional savings.
After working up an appetite shopping, we decided to head out of town to a favorite Italian place and have some chicken parmesan and penne. The platters come to the table so full there is no way you can eat everything in one sitting. We are always given free garlic knots as appetizers and sugared dough as dessert. Mama comes to our table every single time to personally talk with us and gives us hugs and kisses when we get there and when we leave. We love this place because its not an Olive Garden restaurant kind of feel...it is a genuine Sicilian 'come into our home" feel.
Leaving there now stuffed to the gills so to speak it was time to walk it off shopping at Lowes for paint for the front porch. And on a side note...customer service is LONG gone at Lowes. There were three workers in the paint department not servicing anyone as we were the only ones there. One was yelling at someone (personal call) at the counter and ignored us. One barked at me when I asked, "excuse me can I ask you a question about this paint?" and the other worker putting color cards into the display was finishing up his story to the "barker" about his discontent of his job. In a few moments he came into the aisle I was in and was explaining to me how Olympic changed its label, but he doesn't know if the formula changed. And then he left. I grabbed a can off of the shelf and hoped for the best. :)
Next was grocery shopping. Uneventful until we were leaving the store and bumped into the mother of our daughters classmate from day one of school. Seeing us, she immediately broke down and offered her condolences making us cry too. It would seem this years memorial hit a nerve in ALOT of people. Even our doctors yesterday and the nurses remarked about it and her and today at the facility while getting my Mammogram someone came up to my husband and mentioned her. They all knew when it happened, most of them were there for us. But her friends mom told us that she didn't know...but Ronnie (who is now a sheriff down south) was so distraught to find out as was his sister Mary who is finally coming home from Afghanistan. She said all he kept saying was how sweet she was and how they always had lunch together all through their school years. And we stood chatting for a few moments remarking how everyone of the children that went to that elementary school grew up to be wonderful young adults. And after hugs were had and tears were dried, we left and spoke about that ourselves on the way for coffee. All of the children in that group had families who supported them. We were all at the games, the plays, the open houses. We cheered each others child on and laughed on the sidelines at the silly things they did. And now we watch them as parents themselves following the same path.
Life, is good.