For several months I've been thinking about what I would write about if I created a blog. I find that when I actually have a few minutes to sit at the keyboard...I stare blankly at the screen as all of the great ideas I had while either going from one meeting to another, grocery shopping, walking the dog, making lunches, getting the kids ready and so on...suddenly disappear from my memory. I remember as a child keeping a pencil and a note book on my night stand so that I could capture my thoughts in in the middle of the night. Now I find my night stand is cluttered with a Blackberry, an iPod, and iPad, Tylenol, Tums and a stack of books that I vow to read when I go on vacation...I never go on vacation, but I do manage to read the books from time to time.
So here I am, me and my computer and I don't really have anything profound or interesting to say.
Recently we attempted a family vacation. Both my husband and I had grand ideas of places that we would travel to. Unfortunately, a few days before we would leave on said vacation, our son cut his foot which required stitches...so we decided to stay close to home, taking day trips as we saw fit.
To kick it off, we traveled to Toronto to attend a family wedding. With our quick jaunt under our belt and B's foot on the mend, we decided to make a run for the border...not the Mexican border or Taco Bell... just the upstate New York border. The Baker's were heading to the New York State Fair!
I found myself telling our kids this definitely was not going to be like Disney World...but that it would be an experience and we would have fun.
It was Africa hot. We spent the day at the fair. We sat through a concert and 'people' watched the whole time. We were exposed to interesting culinary delights and watching fair goers and their indulgences made the whole experience even more interesting.
Post fair, we made our way into Syracuse for dinner at the Dinosaur BBQ where we regaled in our adventures and carney stories. After a delicious southern BBQ dinner, we made our way back to the motel, as day 2 was going to be dedicated to shopping and the drive home.
Up until now I haven't given you any details about our family. There's me, my husband and our kids - an 8 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. For the most part they are best buddies. They love each other, have similar dispositions and humor but when they decide to act out or gang up on their parents...it's game over.
You see, my husband and I rarely get time together. If we try to go away for an hour let alone an over night we get 10, 15, 50 calls from our kids. Where are you? What are you doing? When will you be home? Can I have a snack? You get the picture. The same goes for shopping. Often we bribe them and / or bribe and divide and conquer to successfully shop. I don't know why we thought today we would be successful in our attempts to score big on the American deals...but we fed them and drove to the outlets and everyone seemed to be calm. So far so good...
10 minutes in, someone starts to complain, 20 minutes in both are complaining...at the 30 minute mark both my husband and I are wondering what the heck we're doing here and we should just pack it in and make our way back. Perhaps we'll have better luck in Watertown.
All I wanted was underwear. Victoria's Secret bikini briefs if you must know. Nothing fancy. No lace, no thongs, I didn't even have a color preference...just give me the 5 for $25 deal they always have. Of course, the price may have risen as the last time I was able to shop on my own for underwear was about 7.5 years ago. I remember it well. I was on a business trip in Minneapolis. I had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe in the Mall of America and during my post dinner mall stroll, I stumbled upon Victoria's Secret. I needed new undies, so I stocked up.
I don't want to leave you with the impression I've been wearing the same undies for 7.5 years as this is not the case. I've been sporting grocery store underwear. Yes that's right during my many trips to the store I've been trolling for fruits, veggies and snazzy cotton briefs.
The modern grocery store sure has come a long way. I remember being a kid and seeing the egg shaped 'L'eggs' container chalk full of old lady gitch down the soap, shampoo and conditioner aisle. Now I'm met with a vast selection of poly cotton blend complete with lace, frills and buttons. As the seasons change, so do my options. Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day...you name it, I have a pattern to match the festivity...all the while I long for my plain Jane bikini briefs from Victoria herself.
Over the last 20+ years we've seen the selection in our grocery store grow from meats, fruits and veggies to include all this and more...patio sets, BBQ's and even undies. I wonder what the next 20 years will have in store for us?
