My wonderful wife is off on the ultimate shopping excursion, at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. She planned this trip months ago, flying to meet her sister in Chicago then winging together toward the shopping metropolis to have a special time with her, and I am glad she is having a wonderful trip. When all is said and done, she will have spent 4.5 days shopping and ???$s, having taken 2 empty suitcases with her to separate and bring home treasures catching her eye for those she loves here. And, I continue in excitement concerning her time there, fulfilling her dream of visiting the Disneyland of the shopping world. Yes, for those who know Carrie well, she, with her short legs can dust any human being in shopping stamina. As her daughter-in-law put it, "My long legs can't keep up with those little super shopper legs! She does get the deals though!", and Melissa has legs and gait twice that of my petite lady!
When she returns, should one do the math for the entire trip, it certainly isn't 'a deal'. But for this, her husband's heart, her trip there and the celebration of her worth far exceeds the bargain quota, for she has saved a lifetime's worth of $s more than earning her way to such a trip. Truth is, if we totaled up all money saved with her coupon clipping and sale shopping, this trip is, indeed a bargain. I sent her off freely and with great joy for her value, her sacrifice, her love for this soul deserves this trip.
I dearly love Carrie's sister, Amy, and the friendship that has developed between her and Carrie is sweet and a blessing for us. They talk, they shop, they bake together. She, her hubby and boys bless us with a place to stay when visiting family in Michigan and it is wonderful to be in her home. As I think about the joining of our two families, I reflect with great love and joy to have abundant, sweet times, just sharing life, together.
In her absence, there has been plenty of things to do to keep me out of trouble. So much so that I haven't even finished half of the tasks I had hoped. Working retail during this season (my second season doing so) is challenging, but my goal is to bring a sense of calm and care into shopper's lives. Having several other jobs has added to my business, planning a kitchen remodel for a friend's rental home next month, working on writing for another employer, and taking care of the preschool facility I manage. In addition, yesterday I built a structure to display a large 'quilt' that looks like the cover of our Advent devotional on the stage. Having pre-cut the frame pieces two days previous, its assembly along with the installation of the quilt took 5 hours (much longer than I thought).
Today is Carrie and Amy's last full day of shopping. Their last full day together. Tomorrow morning they will board the shuttle taking they and their treasures bound for home. Thankfully, I have the day off to vacuum the house, clean all the dirty dishes, finish putting up my part of the Christmas, and maybe even work a bit on the bathroom remodel. When she arrives, I will thoroughly enjoy hearing of the many memories she and Amy built while together there, along with the joy of watching her unpack the treasure troves from the trip. With each smile, each perfect gift she unpacks, every memory, every sparkle in her eye, I will sit amazed and thankful she had opportunity to live and enjoy yet another priceless dream. For when I ponder my treasure trove of this trip through life, Carrie is my most treasured treasure.
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