I have learned that between work life and home life there is not much time for any other kind of life.... Which, is fine by me.
However I tend to try and eke out every drop of happiness in the world.
Leech every smile from passerby's and drum out a laugh from between a perfect strangers lips.
While shopping this last Saturday, I brought along my Chewbacca. He was gifted to me by a parent at work, and I have quite fallen in love with him.
So Saturday found me in the backseat of Mandy's Chevy, Chewbacca clutched in my arms.
We were shopping. For Christmas. Nice right?
Brandee and I were shopping warriors....At least, this is what I told myself. (It sounds much better then shopping procrastinators.)
The rain sprayed the windows and sloshed against the tires, but Chewy and I were safe and dry.
We battled the crowds at the mall, and stood in line at aeropostle...A store, my daughter loves. The crows were ridiculous, but we could only laugh and breathe and hum Christmas music beneath our breath.
We left the mall pretty happy with ourselves, only to find a 30 minute wait to leave it. I was hungry, and when I whined that I was hungry, Mandy offered me sunflower seeds.
"It's all I got."
I accepted. Popped a cheek-full of saltiness in my mouth and contemplated my fellow shoppers out of the dark tinted window.
They were grumpy.
THEY were really really grumpy.
So, I did the only thing that made sense to me. I popped Chewbacca out of the back window and using my fingers, I made his little furry arm wave to them.
He "turned" his GIANT head and watched people drive up next to us. He growled and waved and hopped about.
And soon enough the grumpy shoppers began to smile.
They began to laugh and point and wave.
In fact, you would be surprised to know how great the numbers are of grown ups, who will wave at a stuffed animal.
(it's alot)
A car pulled up along side of us, and the back window slid down. A man popped half of his body out of the window and screamed to Chewbacca "Jump little Chewy JUMP!!!! I will catch you!!! Come on buddy....JUMP!"
But Chewy shook his head and shyly waved instead.
He waved back and slid his thin body back inside. Everyone laughed, and I did too in the backseat.
All along McHenry and Tully and um....another street..Chewy waved and people laughed...But always waved back.
In front of Target, Best Buy and TJMAX people laughed, and waved and in one case, pulled their child closer, because they probably thought I was a child molester luring children with my fuzzy big headed beast.
INSIDE Best Buy a man who worked there wore a jacket that said "Zombies WERE people too" He stared at my Chewy.
"You wanna hold him?"
"I really really do." he said
So I handed him over.
"Squeeze him...he's squeezy."
And he did. He helped us with everything we needed.
On Sunday evening, after an entire weekend of shopping we were all BEAT. I left my house, once again with brandee and Mandy. The plan at the end of the day was to pick up dinner, a movie and wrap presents.
My soul was tired. I had slept on and off in the backseat between stores, while the rain poured on the car. It sounded so lovely to me.
The splatter of the rain, and the swoosh of the wipers washing it away. Splat swoosh splat swoosh....
I lay in the backseat, lightly sleeping. My hoodie pulled tight against my head.
The door opened and Mandy stood there. She held an umbrella for Brandee and I, and quite honestly I felt like a celebrity. I felt like I should be wearing an incredibly short skirt with nothing underneath, and when I exited the car the paparzzi would burst bulbs at me and my vagina would be on US WEEKLY the very next day.
But alas, there was only wind and two smiling faces when I excited, who probably did not understand why I yelled "VAG SHOT!" when I exited the vehicle.
Regardless, mandy cradled us in umbella while we battled the raging rain.
Inside Target Mandy DEMANDED that Brandee and I try on footie pajammas. "Okay" Brandee said.
"I DONTWANNAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I whined
"Yes. You will. SO there." Mandy exclaimed. And picked out blue footies with sharks for feet.
Brandee giggled and I said "FINE! But you are the meanest person ever." Then I Harrumphed. (Which was quite impressive.)
Brandee and I took numbers at the changing room and went next door to each other.
As soon as I slid my foot into the shark I started to laugh.
...and laugh....
And laugh!
Until my body shook and my legs crossed so that I wouldnt pee all over my blue shark footies. I opened the door and leaned against the wall. Mandy started to laugh and Brandee came out looking all cute in her pink owl footies. I looked like a blue burrito.
The blue fleece clung to every nook, and indeed...every cranny too.
I laughed and laughed and started to dance. I did the running man and the Gundum style.
(A picture DOES exsist)
The lady in the front laughed and told us we were selling the footies for her.
I loved Mandy a lil bit more for making me do it, and hung the shark P.J's back up.
AT the end of the evening, as promised we stopped by blockbuster. I held chewbacca in my arms as we perused the movies. My face was stuffed against his fur and I inhlaed his happy smell. I missed my babies, and couldnt wait to them to come home.
We finally decided on two movies and checked out.
As we were leaving a man, who looked like a boy and a woman who looked like a stuck up snatch were having a conversation about footie pajammas.
"No...I swear they do exsist. And they're are nice ones too!" he insisted.
The girl shook her head in disgust.
Brandee informed the boy and the snatch that we had indeed, just tried on footie pajammas.
She shook her head once again and proclaimed. "I just think that there is a time that you just have to GROW UP."
"Really?" I asked her and held up my Chewy. I squooshed his tummy and he growled at her. She didn't even crack a smile.
We left, and I looked back. She frowned and continued talking to the man/boy.
I felt sorry for her. How sad.
It was raining again, so I stuffed Chew into my jacket. I pulled my hood up and dashed next door to TOGO's. YUUUUUUUUM.
As we entered, a girl rushed forward and held up her hand "Im sorry. BUT NO DOGS ARE ALLOWED IN HERE...okay?"
I was confused.
I pulled out Chewbacca and held him up. "Butitsjustchewbacca." I exclaimed
"oh....OOOOH!" and she laughed.
The whole time she made my sandwhich I stared at the pimple on her face. The.WHOLE.Time.
Until Mandy saved me and sent us back in the car to keep warm.
We went back to Brandees and watched pitch perfect while we wrapped. We laughed and butt danced. (That's the kind of dancing you do while you are wrapping a million gifts)
At 10:00 we bucked back up and headed out to pick up Emma in Oakdale.
That night I crashed into bed, with both Chewy and Emma beside me.
