By Allan Olson
Even though free lodging is no longer available
for us in the big city on the hill to the east (i.e., Duluth), we decided Friday
night that we would head in that direction anyway. We left home Saturday morning
at 6:30 a.m. and arrived at our first stop, Sam’s Club, shortly after they
opened.
We had all agreed before leaving home that it
was going to be a long day, and in order for us to survive the day, we were all
going to need to have some patience. And so . . . the fighting began when we
were only a few miles east of town on Highway 2. Since I was battling a cold, I
was in no mood to listen to it, so I pulled over and informed everyone that
either it stops now or we turn around and go home. Wisely, they settled down and
we continued our journey east.
We found some good deals at Sam’s Club, but the
real deals were at the mall. The few stores we visited had dropped their prices
on clothing, creating great bargains for consumers, and we took full advantage.
I was getting tired of sending kids to school with holes in their pants and with
stained shirts, so it was time to purchase some nice clothes for school.
Hopefully, they can keep them looking nice for the next couple of
months.
As much as I would have rather shopped sans
kids, since I really don’t enjoy shopping, overall it was a good experience on
Saturday. We found some really good deals on kids clothes, and then it was time
to find a few things for dad. The kids decided to help in that search. Off the
rack came a pair of bright yellow pants, then orange pants and some other really
outrageous looking clothing. They were laughing hysterically at their
suggestions. I finally found some clothes I liked at prices I liked (cheap), and
went to try them on.
Each piece of clothing had to be approved by the
kids, and if they weren’t looking at the moment of truth (when I opened the
dressing room door), I had to open the door and show them again. My wife said it
was my fault for letting them get involved in the first place, so I had to deal
with it.
We took a lunch break at the local Applebee’s
(much to Alivia’s delight, since that seems to be her favorite place to eat) and
continued our shopping afterwards. We finally left the mall just prior to 4
p.m., about six hours after arriving. We went to BestBuy for a little bit, and
eventually found our way to my aunt’s house. We visited there for over an hour
before we finally decided we had better hit the road for home. We enjoyed a late
supper in Grand Rapids, and arrived home about 16 hours after we left. That was
much later than we had hoped, but it had been an enjoyable day – at least until
we turned the water on at home.
For whatever reason, it appeared that we had
lost significant water pressure. We still have water, unlike last year when we
had to replace our well pump, but a diagnosis of the problem was still
undetermined as of Sunday evening.
On Sunday morning I watched some of the U.S.
Olympic hockey game, a curling match between the Canadian and U.S. women’s
teams, and then tried to get a little more sleep. Finally that afternoon, aided
by some cold medicine, I got a good nap in, and when I finally came out of my
slumber I found the family hard at work heating water and doing dishes and
general cleaning. All of that was in the plans for Monday, but I thought with
the low water pressure perhaps it would be put off for another day. So instead
of feigning exhaustion, I helped where I could in the cleaning
process.
That evening I made supper, and a couple hours
later mom and I joined the kids for a long awaited movie night, complete with
popcorn and candy. The main feature was Hotel Transylvania – a movie all of us
had already seen on the big screen; it was good for a laugh or two.
Plans for this week include getting our water
pressure back! Aside from that, I don’t think we have any other plans . . . but
plans change.
Please be safe while ice fishing this season,
and remember to take a picture to preserve a lifetime of memories. Also, please
watch out for the buses that are transporting our children, and remember to
drive safely this winter. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! For more of
my columns visit: http://allan-crazykids.blogspot.com
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