In My Heart On Thursday

-Lisa Jan South,  Ensign, Febrary 2011

Bring On Spring

 A few weeks ago I broke my resolve to save money by suppressing all travel desires.  With 24-hour's notice and an invitation from family to join them in the Grand Canyon, I hastily packed my bags, loaded bewildered kids in the car, and hit the open road.  It was the perfect way to welcome spring and summer adventure back from hibernation.

Apparently a little too perfect because now my imagination has gotten the best of me.  With extended family trips already scheduled to San Diego in the summer and Iowa in the winter most people's vacation budget would be full.  I guess it's all in your priorities.  My home is humble and my kids wear hand-me-down clothes and that's fine for me.  Its what makes the going possible.

So what else is on the itinerary?  Well....

~An unexpected additional trip to Iowa and Kansas next week.  Fact is, I miss my family.  And my boys miss playing with grandpa's antique toy trucks. So we're going.  Simple as that.

A July wedding in the Washington D.C. LDS temple that I'd love to go to, but probably will be the first item on the chopping block when reality sets in. 

Relaxing weekends at a "secret" beach-side camping spot

~Hiking in the Utah  mountain canyons.

~Lots of sun and fun at our local waterpark

~Parades and city festivals until we can't bear to take one more piece of free candy or cheap advertisement

~Meeting my sister half-way between here and there for a random weekend meet-up (hint, hint, Beth)

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta with side trips to

 White Sands National Monument

and the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

   And if I'm lucky, an incomprehensible number of things I haven't dreamed up yet!

What have you dared to dream into your summer travel adventures?

In My Heart On Thursday

Dreams Come True

I saved and I planned and my $100 dream day finally came.  Here's a timeline of the whole event:

March 25th-Ben and I pulled out his ridiculously busy calendar and penciled in the only day he had free for the rest of ever.  April 7 was my only option.

April 6th, 2:00pm-Ben calls to ask how I would feel about pushing the day back a couple weeks.  He decided to call at the last minute instead of texting to hear the truth in voice when I tell him it's fine.  Smart guy.

April 6th, 6:00pm-Ben gets home and knows it's not fine.  Tries to cancel his work meeting but I won't let him.  He finds a baby-sitter so I won't make his next few weeks miserable.

April 7th-SHOPPING DAY!
     8:30 Pack the kids off with dad and on my way to Salt Lake City
     9:00 Pull into my first store-Sugarhouse-and discover the store doesn't open until 10AM.  Apparently nothing in Sugarhouse opens before 10AM...except Old Navy...so that's where I went.  And I spend my first $8.00 of the day...at Old Navy, not a DI...on a pair of earrings and bracelet.  It was nice to start my day of thrifting with something brand new.

      9:55 Back at DI I come upon the oddest phenomenon: DI groupies.  The doors opened two minutes early and the throngs swarmed into the store like hungry mice.

     11:00AM On to the downtown store.  Feeling a little nostalgic now.  I lived in Salt Lake briefly in 2002 and bought my first couch at this store.  Fast forward nine years and I discover that DI clerks can actually be friendly.  I seriously thought it was part of the training to be grumpy and unsociable.  The young return missionary put a smile on my face.

     1:00PM The Welfare Square store.  How can you not feel inspired here?  With the granary, cannery, bakery, bishop's storehouse, and dairy facilities surrounding the shared parking lot it's hard not to be amazed at the humanitarian aid efforts taking place at this very spot.  

Oh, and I almost passed out here.  Who knew a full day of shopping would require remembering to stop and eat lunch?

     2:30PM-Eat McDonald's in the parking lot of the Murray DI while it starts to rain...then snow...then thunder...then snow some more.

     4:00PM-Hear a news story on the radio that makes me laugh.  As I'm pulling into the Redwood Road store I call Ben to tell him about it.  After such a great day and relaxing without the kids the two of us are laughing on the phone like we haven't for along time.  When I realize I'm sitting in the car shivering we hang up and I run inside.

    

     5:15PM-Finish at the Redwood Road store, reach into my purse for my keys, and distinctly remember being distracted on the phone and leaving them in the ignition.  Yep, all four car doors locked and the keys just hanging there taunting me.  Ben tries to unlock it by clicking his key faub, sending the signal through our phones, and into the door.  It doesn't work.  He loads up the kids and heads to Salt Lake in the snow.

     5:20PM-I re-enter the Redwood Road store, find a book to read and make my self conspicuously comfortable on a sofa.

     6:00PM-Ben pulls in and unlocks the car without even getting out of his vehicle.  Some lady tries to make small talk like she has no idea I'm at the end of a DI shopping spree and have just foolishly locked my keys in my car.  Ben insists I go to my last store even though I feel stupid he had to come rescue me and know I should just follow him home in embarrassed submission.  Yet, the shopping high is still in my blood somewhere and I really do want to go to the last store...so I do.

    6:30PM-Last store of my day is in Sandy.  Maybe I should have gone on down to American Fork.  The location of this store scares me a little, even during the day...

  

    6:35PM-Now I know I should have skipped this location.  The clerk, much more the expected norm for a DI clerk, was sneakily shining a laser pointer at customers as they passed through the aisles.  He creeped me out.  I skipped half the racks and moved to the opposite side of the store.

     9:00 Home again, home again, jiggety jig.  Exhausted, but happy, and with $6.00 to put back in the bank for the next off-the-wall dream I decide to dream. 

In My Heart On Thursday

                          "Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live."

                                                                                            -Margaret Fuller