"Shop Around the Clock"

Yesterday was our annual shop-all-day trip to the outlet mall on I-95. We, the 6 girls and I, left at 8:00 AM and returned home at 9:00PM, after eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner out! What a day! And the vehicles were loaded with gifts of all kinds! Valinda and I sat in the back seat and talked but were unable to see each other due to the packages between us, around us, and beneath our feet! We also had to be aware of packages behind us which may have come tumbling down on our heads at any time! This year, we were wiser and used 2 SUV's instead of the standard one; yet, once again, we were packed to the ceiling in both. When Mary called Jeff, her husband, she told him that he may need to bring another vehicle down for us. (Just kidding) He laughs at us because it's surprising that we have room for the occupants. He says that all he can see when we arrive home each year are a few eyes, then he fusses that we didn't drive an additional vehicle. Jeff is a retired Major with the Highway Patrol so safety is a real issue with him, plus he thinks we are a bunch of silly girls. I guess we are but we are definitely fun-loving ladies! The stores should not complain about the lack of sales so long as there are folks like us who love to shop until we are broke! And, we still have more than 6 weeks left to do more damage! Isn't giving and sharing our hard-earned dollars with our loved ones why we worked in the first place? (Well, maybe that was the second or third place.)

Last year, we had so much that we literally forgot a couple of packages in the stores. The problem was that I discovered my package missing the day after we returned and, after calling each of the girls to see if it was mixed in with their packages, I called the store where I thought I had left mine and they had found it! So I made the 1 and 1/2-hour trip down to get it. Two days later, one of the other ladies called each of us looking for one of her packages. Fortunately, when she called Tommy Hillfiger, they were holding hers, so she had to make the same trip. I wonder how much we actually saved on those 2 items after we had to make the extra trips down to pick them up! Whatever! We enjoyed the laugh and we tried not to make the same mistake this year; however, we haven't been through all our purchases yet to confirm our actions! I'd better do that right now! Wish me well!