(32) Thanksgiving and Black Friday

Again I find myself well past due for a blog update, so here goes.

Thanksgiving is such a humbling time of the year. It reminds us all to reflect on the many blessings we share, and reminds us that the glass is half full. Most of all, it centers our focus on the importance of family, something we oft take for granted. It is great to be home again this year to spend time with family, and of course to enjoy a good meal. I certainly love a good meal, and anxiously dreamed of succulent turkey, real mashed potatoes with gravy, and a mound of delicious stuffing. Not to mention the assortment of desserts! The day started out with a trip to Monica's new apartment here in Franklin. I was going to help carry some furniture in that was being delivered, but my Donna Delphi (my GPS) insisted we take the scenic route. I was a bit late as all the furniture was inside and Todd and his father were fitting a slipcover onto a loveseat. We headed for Greenfield shortly after, Monica along for the ride.

When I arrived at my mothers house, she was in the kitchen preparing the feast. I got a sneak peek and a few photos with my new Canon Rebel XSi. Allison got her camera and we were the photographers of the days events. Grandma and Grandpa Stair were down from Lafayette, and it was nice to see them as it had been a while. We lounged, relaxed, and talked while the food was cooking and filling the air with a mouth-watering aroma. Before we knew it we were chomping away at some excellent homemade cuisine. Afterwards, we did some preparation and planning for Black Friday shopping, and I set off for home to catch a nap before the shopping frenzy.

Well the plan was to meet at my house at 11pm, which came before my nap did. We headed down to Taylorsville outlet mall for the midnight madness sales. We made a lap around the whole compound, stopping in stores that perked our interest. There was a lot of folks there, but reportedly not as many as last year. We really didn't find anything we were looking for, or at least any deals worth sticking it out in the line for, so we walked back over to Max & Erma's where the Subaru was parked. We decided to go inside for a bite to eat, but mostly to burn some time as it was only a little after 1am and the other stores don't open until 4am. Monica and I had the breakfast bar that they had set up solely for shoppers, while Mom went with soup and a sandwich. We headed back to my place to warm up and take another power nap before the second round of shopping. Again, my nap didn't come. I sat reveiwing all the deals online, noticing that many, if not all, of the things on my list were best purchased online. If they weren't cheaper, it wasn't worth waiting in line for the difference. Needless to say, once 4am came, I decided I'd stay home and snatch up the Christmas gifts on my list rather than take another nerve-racking tour under the fluorescent lights. Mom headed on to Target to get an in-store only deal, and Monica decided she had better stay home and get some sleep before work at 9am. I just don't enjoy black friday shopping, contrary to what some might think. I do get very excited for Black Friday, and even make a sport of it. However, the atmosphere of a retail store packed to the gills of card-swiping consumerists is an environment that I'm not comfortable at all in.

See, I had a real tough day one Black Friday. It was 2004, and I was in Kabul Afghanistan. I'll spare the details, but long story short, I jokingly said at the end of that day "I'd rather be black friday shopping that go through another day like today." A year passed by, and when I heard mention of Black Friday that year, I instantly recalled my horrendous day just a year before. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, humbling and centering oneself, I decided to put myself through the hell that is Black Friday to a guy like me. And I've continued to do so every year that I'm home in the US. Now I look forward to it, as I'm often in need of re-centering each year, and it puts a smile on my face to have this annual reminder that there are FAR worse places to be than a crowded department store at 4 in the morning.

Anywho, enjoy the pictures, as they are taken with my new Canon DSLR camera! It takes some fabulous shots!

Until next time...