Black Friday makes my coffee taste better

So last week, I wrote this about Black Friday. BF was going to be so magical, magical!!!

But then I missed this string of texts: Nov. 29 3:04 a.m.

Lianna (sister and annual shopping partner in crime): "Anyone else get their sleep ruined by a noisy infant?"

Mom: "I am ready!"

Lianna: "I'm waiting for Julian to fall asleep....Cross fingers"

Me: SILENCE.

Why? My sleep/rain falling with gentle thunder app must have been too loud. Coupled with my air mattress sleeping partner husband's snore machine swishing sound = no hearing of the texting......

Thus 5 am rolled around and I awoke to my horror of seeing these texts and finding that I had been left.

Nnnnnnnnooooooooooooo!!!!!

But there was no ill intent, see. The night before, we got some crazy idea to go to WalMart at 8 pm and had never seen such a disgusting sight and/or smell and we promptly left. Having that experience, we had decided just to sleep like normal and leave in the morning so they just thought I really wanted to sleep.

Whaaaaaat???!!!

Finding myself without my shopping partners was a total bummer, but then I found that Shawn was here too. And turns out, he had one big goal: To be one of the first 100 patrons at World Market and receive a genuine Downton Abbey tea cup.......

Seriously.

So we went. Because I immediately wanted one too.

We got there at 5:50 and they opened at 7. There was no one in line. Obviously we were the only ones who wanted one of these....people were m-i-s-s-i-n-g out!!!! We decided we were a tad early. What to do.....we went elsewhere to shop. When we returned at 6:20, the parking lot had begun to fill. People were waiting in their cars and there were a few in line outside the store. Shawn began to sense his competition...he began to estimate their numbers.

We decided there weren't enough to threaten us yet and left for a while longer. When we returned there was a line! NOOOOO!!!! We ran to the line. Shawn counted their numbers. We must retrieve our Downton Abbey tea cups.

Then we realized the people in line had tickets of some sort. Where did they get them we asked? The front the line? The front of the line. Ok. We ran.

We GOT TICKETS!!! Victory!

They also had terrible Dixie cups of bad coffee and shortbread. How festive!

We ran back to the back of the line. (Why were we running?)

We were next to a really old lady and a very well dressed man in a checkered scarf. We discussed Downton Abbey and the upcoming season. What would they do now since they killed off Matthew?! We snapped a photo. I shared my shortbread with the old lady. Just when I thought I had frost bite on my left thumb......

The line moved. WE WERE IN!!!!!

And this happened.

Posed regally in front of the wine racks.

Man, this was so worth it. And then World Market became my favorite store ever. We found a ton of gifts and stocking stuffers for my mom and sister. Shawn and I filled our cart with gifts. Their prices were phenom and the quality seemed to be great! I'm so excited about this store!

Shortly thereafter, we met back up with my original BF clan at Target, my home shopping wonderland, and the rest is Black Friday history. Magical magical magical.  We were all together again!

Here is what I'm drinking my coffee out of this morning.

It tastes so much more....I don't know what. Better.

Happy Thanksgiving and BF 2013!!! 

Robot is a Dip

Tonight, from his tiny toddler bed, Eli was calling his Robot a "Dip".

This is Robot. Eli actually loves Robot and sleeps with him every night. Robot sings him songs....well, his Mom does and makes Robot do the actions to Wheels on the Bus and whatever other songs Eli requests...but anyway. Point being, Eli and Robot are tight.

So tonight, Eli was calling Robot a "Dip". I don't know where he's heard that before....

Kind of like that one day at daycare, when the adorable and sweet director was asking Eli about his "All About Me" poster. She said, "Awww...Eli, is that your puppy?!"

Eli replied, "Yep. That's Rosie Posie Clark. She's a JERK."

ME: "Oh...hahahaha....(nervous laugther)....kids these days. Where DO they come up with this stuff? Just kidding. That one was totally from me."

Anyway....

Tonight, Eli was putting Robot to bed and he said, "Go to bed, you Dip!"

ME: "Poor Robot. You are hurting his feelings. You shouldn't call him names like that."

Eli: "Robot doesn't have feelings, Mom! He has buttons."

(That's true).

ME: "Well, we still shouldn't call him names. Go to bed."

Eli: "Robot, you're a DIP."

I snorted out my nose and tripped out the door into the kitchen where Steve asked what was wrong with me and I tried to recount this story through my laughter. Steve went in there to say good night to our precious little son.

Steve opened the door...

Steve: "Goodnight Eli. I love you."

Eli: "DAD! Ugh. I'm trying to sleep!"

ME: More snorting and hysterical kitchen laughter.

I don't know where they get it from.

It choked me up

You really shouldn't take my opinion on movies seriously.

Please help me....anything that isn't Air Buddies, Space Buddies, or dogs playing sports and single parents with dogs finding love with other single parent families with dogs meeting at the soccer field finding love and joining families simply fascinating sooooooo......

That being said...

We watched a movie the other night that totally rocked my world.

Before I tell you what it was (because you'll stop reading), I'll tell you why.

At the end, if you can make it there, there is a scene in the climax of the movie, where time stood still. Where there was the ultimate picture of what it meant to make the ultimate sacrifice for another person. To give them your life.

It choked me up.

It choked ME up.

The movie was Mars Needs Moms.

Stop laughing. 

WHO could've seen that one coming?

http://youtu.be/CCRJNPAWOHA

The whole movie the son has tried so hard to achieve a goal and he couldn't do it. Then, as you have seen, things shattered and he was there on the ground, unable to breathe, gasping for air...dying. Was there another choice for her? What was a mother to do?

What is a mother's love?

She would unflinchingly give her life for her child.

What is a father's love? That he would do the same.

What is our Father's love then? I wondered. That he sent his Son to breathe life back into us. Like he did.

It chokes me up.

Yellow

There is a song by Coldplay called Yellow. Most have probably heard it.

Once, an ultra-cool college boy played it acoustic for me in his college dorm room on campus and I was mesmerized.

But now I hear it, and it resonates in my head. It speaks new words although they are the same words and the same notes that have always been. 

But now, I am a mom. I've been a mom for 10 years. Yikes! Being a parent changes you. You give birth to new people or you accept them into your family and it is a birthday for you too, because you are no longer the same you either. You are new. You are a mom or a dad, and you've never been that before. You see things new like your children do and you hear things new like they might. It's a gift, really, whether you get to be a mom or dad, or you get to work with the babes, or teach them, or deliver them into the world, or meet them on the street. They change you, for the better.

That's why I think, the familiar words of this song from back then, now sound like this, to me:



Look at the stars!!!

Look how they shine for you (my babes) And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow

I came along
I wrote a song for you (I'd do anything for you)
And all the things you do
And it was called 'Yellow'

So then I took my time (Sometimes I've taken the long road) Oh what a thing to've done
And it was all yellow

Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful (a fantastic creation)
D'you know? You know I love you so
You know I love you so

I swam across (I had to grow up)
I jumped across for you (I left childhood behind)
Oh what a thing to do (It was so worth it) 'Cause you were all yellow (You shine so bright)

I drew a line (This is who we are)
I drew a line for you (We had to change for the better)
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow

Your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D'you know? For you I bleed myself dry (I'd lay down my life if you needed it)
For you I bleed myself dry

It's true
Look how they shine for you (Please don't forget) Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for

Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine

Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And all the things you do (I'll always love you)

Read more: Coldplay - Yellow Lyrics | MetroLyrics

Our very YELLOW tree