Not So Black Friday

Shopping sucks. I hate it even when there aren't good bargains and hoards of people. Between my dislike of talking on the telephone and entering shopping malls, I sometimes question whether I really have two X chromosomes.

Today started as all Fridays after Thanksgiving do for me - I got to the store I wanted to get something from 5 minutes before it opened only to be greeted by a line that was about 500 people long. Of course, when I finally made it into the store there were no Lego Imperial Star Destroyers left ... but I did overhear one VERY irritated middle-aged man complaining to a store employee that he was the second person in line and when he got there, there were no Lego Imperial Star Destroyers, either.

So on to Toys R' Us. To my utter amazement, they did have the Lego I was looking for, several of them in fact, and I didn't even have to get there at 5:00 with all the other crazy moms overeager to please their children on Christmas morning. Stops at three other stores were lucrative as well - several people crossed off the list of "still to buy for" and well over 30 shopping days left until Christmas!! (I am typically the person still doing most of my shopping on Christmas Eve day).

We had some time when I got home to watch Wall-E, spend some time with Carah and Kaylah, and take Noah to get his haircut. Even that went well ... he's almost 6 and he finally made it through without crying or growling at the person cutting his hair! Tonight we took the kids to see Santa and the snow globes at the Shops at Willow Bend and had a nice meal and good drinks at Cantina Loredo (not all of us - the kids had lemonade). So all in all, I can say this was a not so black Black Friday.

Chi

No - not the thing you straighten your hair with.
Noun: vital energy that is held to animate the body internally - in traditional Chinese medicine, the balance of positive and negative forms in the body is believed to be essential for good health.

I do not fear for my family's health - our day was the perfect balance of positives and negatives.

Thanksgiving 2008's positives:

• My family - mom, dad, Bryan, Jayme, Carah, Kayla, Chris, Noah, Ava - all in good health and together for 8 hours in good spirits.
• Great food - breakfast (eggs, bacon, potatoes, pancakes, biscuits) and lunch (turkey, roast beef, potatoes, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, gravy and dinner rolls). And of course, Stella's should-be-world-famous chocolate chip cookies.
• Fun - playing dress-up, the kids and adults playing outside on the playscape, playing catch
  
• Football - win or lose, it's just not Thanksgiving without the TV tuned to the game(s).

Thanskgiving 2008's negatives:

• My family - Bryan burping at the dinner table without excusing himself, Chris spending a good part of the day working on the plumbing in the hall bathroom, Noah asking for something to eat 5 minutes after getting down from the table after lunch.
• Great food - too much at breakfast, lunch, and of course way too many of Stella's chocolate chip cookies.
• Fun - Ava going out in the front yard to play catch in a dress-up outfit that made her look like a hooker.
  
• Football - The Lions losing ... again. Of course, if they won this might throw the world as we know it completely out of balance. So, Lions - for the sake of my family's chi, thank you for once again not winning on Thanksgiving Day.
  

Mohawk

This is what I woke up to Friday morning. Chris had talked about doing it, but of course he couldn't be serious. I obviously underestimated his sincerity (not to mention his nerve).When Chris went in to wake Noah up that morning, Noah opened his eyes and said, "I like your hair, Dad. Can I cut my hair like that?" I heard Chris reply, "I don't think mom would like that very much, Noah." Ava, like myself, didn't even acknowledge what he had done. Maybe she also thought that by not saying anything the hair would magically reappear where it had been the day before.

Chris is not an easily embarrassed person; however, he did say that he felt uncomfortable at work. He said that people would pass him and glance quickly then walk away like they hadn't seen anything. He also mentioned hearing teenagers at a store snickering after he passed. I guess sometimes it's better for me not to say anything - others take care of it for me!