Before breakfast we presented our dad with a birthday gift, for which we were quite proud. The day before we had gone shopping with the intention of finding a present for him, but we had no idea what to get. And that's where my ramblings begin tonight.
Kate and I headed over to Peoria as soon as we were ready Friday morning. We couldn't even imagine what Dad would want for his birthday. We each had a little, and by that I mean very little, shopping money of our own to spend as well.
Our first stop was very unsuccessful for Dad's present. Katie bought some sandals. That was all we saw the whole time. Our second stop was a similar case. However, while trying on clothes with Katie, I had some of the best laughs I'd had in awhile. Here's why:
You can't tell by looking at the picture so much, but Katie was having a blast dancing around with these pants and suspenders, hiking them up as much as she could. She was in love. Haha. Only Kate. We left the store feeling great... as far as our purchases went... but still nothing for Dad. Now what?
We tried the mall. The majority of our time there was spent on the floor of the shoe clearance room in Bergners. I fell in love with a pair of mocassin boots, but unfortunately could not afford them at all. Katie found a pair of black leather boots and really like them. I looked at the price, and told her I wouldn't talk to her the rest of the day if she didn't get them. We left the mall in the exact same state as far as a present for Dad.
We stopped at another store. I can't remember whose idea it was now, but one of us thought about an MP3 player. Just a little one because Dad won't need a million songs. It was perfect. It was something he would never expect, and to us, that made it as good as gold. Of course, we knew we would have to fill it up with songs for him before we gave it to him, but that's ok. Finally success.
Our day had been wonderful. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Avantis, managed to find the perfect gift, and snagged some amazing deals for ourselves as well- including $3 shirts. What can beat that right? Well, I'll tell you.
Katie and I have been to Peoria hundreds of times. Since Canton is limited on shopping opportunities, we usually make the trip to Peoria instead. This past Christmas break, we managed to get lost somehow, and endured a trip twice as long on the way home.
This time, we made it half way home, only to get stuck in a long line of cars behind a stopped train. It didn't look like we would be moving anytime soon, so we decided to back track and find another way home. Katie was the navigator since we didn't have either of our GPS devices with us... we took the same road we took over Christmas break.
Katie was nearly in hysterics at what she had done, claiming she would no longer be allowed to give directions and suggesting illegal turns across the interstate whenever there were no police in sight. Don't worry- I didn't take this idea.
Unlike Katie at the time, I was able to see the humor and silver lining to this moment... Maybe because it wasn't my gas or my fault. Instead, it was an adventure in which we were able to prove ourselves. We managed to find home through a much better route than last time, and were able to spend a little extra time in the car together. If you haven't ridden in the car with us, this means more time to sing at the top of our lungs. Friday was a Michael Jackson- The Way You Make Me Feel, and Christina Aguilera- Ain't No Other Man, kind of day. In other words- fantastic.
Even though nothing that day really went how we planned, the side roads took us on a wonderful, unforgettable journey. We found the perfect gift after exhausting many main roads, managed to pick up some jewels ourselves on the way, and we were able to enjoy a special, humerous time together, all because we took a different road.
