Black Friday

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. I don't know what was more surprising for me . . . the fact that I got out of bed at 3:15am on purpose, or the fact that Kohl's had a line of people waiting to get in at 4am.

It was black as night as I jumped into Steph's Tahoe. I understand now why it is called Black Friday. Not a creature was stirring, and I wondered if my brain had any signs of such. Dressed for the snow, I sat eagerly with list in hand and elbows sharpened. I had no idea what I was getting into. But one thing for sure, I was ready for just about anything.

We arrived at Kohl's at 4am, and the doors were opened. I went straight for the items on my list, and I got every single one! Then I headed for the line, which seemed like about a quarter of a mile long. It felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the room, and my multiple layers made it feel like I was in a sauna. My arms ached with the load I was carrying. But I was determined. One inch at a time, and I finally made it to the check out.

At approximately 5am, we headed across the street to Target. I had to stop at McDonald's. My stomach, although it was not used to being awake that early, was confused and thought it was time to eat. I choked down an egg McMuffin and a hash brown (which was wonderful by the way) and proceeded to stand in line with the rest of the crazies.

Cold wind blew against my jacket, freezing all of the protruding parts of my body - which happened to be my nose. I had on flannel pants, Ug boots, long underwear, a heavy jacket, and a scarf. It may not have snowed after all, but standing in that line for 45 minutes it might has well have.

As the line began to move, I got a little bit nervous. I am not really much for crowds. By the time I got down to the electronic department, I found myself right smack in the middle of one. I managed to find the line, and pay for my items without too much bruising.

I was able to check off all of my Target items by now . . . score!! Stephanie's truck was getting pretty full, but we had quite a bit more to do. Off to Mervyn's, then Walgreen's and a peek at JC Penny's. Once we were packed to the gills, we headed up to Modesto to hit Toy's R Us. Boy, what a zoo.

There were a couple of electronic games I was after, and the line was unbelievable. You had to stand in line to even get into the department, and once inside, the line moved at a snail's pace. With sore arms and tired feet, I pressed on knowing the strain was worth it. I got some really great deals.

Amazingly, I have ALL of my Christmas shopping done, aside from stocking stuffers. Productivity is a big motivation for me, and although today was dangerous and a bit tiring, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I must go and rest my sore and aching muscles now. We are trimming our tree tonight, and I am so grateful that God has provided a few packages for us to tuck underneath.