Do you want to see something really, really pathetic?
This is Lola's toy "box"
yep, here is a closer-up view so you can see just how crammed in there her toys are
Do you think Lola is the most spoiled dog in the history of the world, or what?
Here is the little stinker looking for something in that heap of toys.
Oh yeah, these are in addition to the 15 or so she had strung all over the house at that moment.
What is more ridiculous is that she really plays with most of them. She keeps some sort of rotation pattern going. It is a pattern that I don't understand, but I know that in addition to the usual suspects that are always around, I constantly see something laying in the floor of the dining room or my office that I had forgotten we even owned.
So this brings me to the subject of giving. You see Lola, being the spoiled little princess that she is, get Christmas presents AND stocking stuffers (yes, she has her own monogrammed stocking hanging on her grandparent's mantle). Usually she gets something rather extravagant for her gift like...
Her Bed from Anthropology
"If my dreams would come true, bones will rain from the sky"
Her fancy pants collar...
For Lola's stocking, she always got tons of her favorite treats... cookies from Three Dog Bakery, rawhides, etc. Well, as you probably know, Lola was cut off from treats last year due to her Pancreatitis. She needs no new collar (she got the new Coach one this summer), her bed is still good, as you can see she needs new toys like she needs a whole in the head. So I have been fretting about what I'm going to get my little pup for Christmas this year. I still have no ideas, but here is the little dose of perspective I gave myself today...
Jennifer and I went to Collin Creek Mall (I'll get to that in a minute...and that will make this the longest post in history) for some Angels off the Salvation Army Angel Tree. December 14th is the deadline to turn in gifts, so we wanted to get ours. So Jennifer and I start looking at the tree and within seconds, we are both standing there teary-eyed (in fact I'm that way right now just thinking about it again). We were looking at all the Angels trying to pick out a couple that we wanted to help. How in the world do you choose between the 1 month old that needs a car seat, the 3 year old that wants some princess toys and needs new tennis shoes, the 5 year old that needs a winter coat and an educational toy, the 92 year old that needs a coat and some new slippers, the 67 year old that needs some new sheets and a bath set, etc.?
I know that I was thinking about Lola's new sweater, her toy chest, my "big dilemma" about what to get her for Christmas. I was thinking about all the things that I have and still believe that I "need". I'm sure Jennifer was thinking what it would be like if she had to request a winter coat for Joshua instead of running out to the mall and getting him one. So how did we choose? We really didn't. We grabbed everyone we could and then finally had to say, enough. Jennifer got a family of three for her, Kyle and Joshua to give to. I got a teenager because her request for a flat iron and new jacket tugged at my heartstrings. AND, of course we agreed to go halves on the baby in need of a car seat and the elderly lady who needed sheets.
They said that donations are way down, so if you can, stop by the Salvation Army Angel Tree in your area and get an angel or two. If there isn't a SA tree in your area, there is probably one somewhere. I know Nocona has an Angel Tree at the Dairy Queen, so just look around and help someone out this Holiday Season.
Now, to the mall story....
We went to Collin Creek because that was the closest mall with an Angel Tree. I try really, really hard to never go to Collin Creek. I think it is totally ghetto. It is totally hopping with gang members. Jennifer and Kyle go there more often (but they aren't gang members).
We grab our Angels and Jennifer says we should go to Sears and look for things. I swear, Sears is Jennifer and Kyle's answer to everything. If you asked them how to get world peace, they would say, go to Sears and buy it! I do not go to Sears. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Sears per se, I just don't think to shop there. The extent of my shopping experience at Sears consisted of looking through the Sears toy catalog 25 years ago and making my wish list for Santa. Maybe it was because we didn't have a Sears locally...we ran to Ben Franklin for everything, but Jennifer and Kyle's families ran to Sears.
Anyway, here is how this situation unfolded.
Setting: We walk into Sears.
Me: What in the HELL is that smell?
Jennifer: What smell?
Do you not smell that god-awful smell?
Not really.
Seriously? You don't...oh god, it's getting worse the further we go into the store!
I don't know, it just smells like a cleaner or something.
Does it always smell like this in Sears?
Yeah.
WHY do you come here then?
--------------------------
Still in Sears:
Me: Where are we going?
Jennifer: I don't know, I was following you.
WHY?! You are the queen of Sears. I don't know where anything is!
You seemed to be going in the right direction.
---------------------------
After looking for everything in Sears and not being impressed with prices:
Me: Let's get the hell out of here. I cannot stand this smell a second longer!
Why on earth do you shop here?
-------------------------------
We walk out into the open part of the mall near the food court:
Me: Good Lord, it stinks out here too!
Jennifer: This mall is just not for you. Try to single out the cotton candy smell and sniff it.
---------------------------
Heading back into JC Pennys so we can walk through to the parking lot:
Me: Oh crap! I need to pee again!
Jennifer: Remember, there are those bathrooms right by our exit that we stopped in on the way into the mall.
I know, but they stunk really bad too!
This is just not a good smelling experience for you. I'll drop off your gifts at the Angel Tree so you don't have to come back here.
Oh, thank the Lord!
Her Bed from Anthropology
Her fancy pants collar...
and her stamped name id tag (my phone number is stamped on the other side)
For Lola's stocking, she always got tons of her favorite treats... cookies from Three Dog Bakery, rawhides, etc. Well, as you probably know, Lola was cut off from treats last year due to her Pancreatitis. She needs no new collar (she got the new Coach one this summer), her bed is still good, as you can see she needs new toys like she needs a whole in the head. So I have been fretting about what I'm going to get my little pup for Christmas this year. I still have no ideas, but here is the little dose of perspective I gave myself today...
Jennifer and I went to Collin Creek Mall (I'll get to that in a minute...and that will make this the longest post in history) for some Angels off the Salvation Army Angel Tree. December 14th is the deadline to turn in gifts, so we wanted to get ours. So Jennifer and I start looking at the tree and within seconds, we are both standing there teary-eyed (in fact I'm that way right now just thinking about it again). We were looking at all the Angels trying to pick out a couple that we wanted to help. How in the world do you choose between the 1 month old that needs a car seat, the 3 year old that wants some princess toys and needs new tennis shoes, the 5 year old that needs a winter coat and an educational toy, the 92 year old that needs a coat and some new slippers, the 67 year old that needs some new sheets and a bath set, etc.?
I know that I was thinking about Lola's new sweater, her toy chest, my "big dilemma" about what to get her for Christmas. I was thinking about all the things that I have and still believe that I "need". I'm sure Jennifer was thinking what it would be like if she had to request a winter coat for Joshua instead of running out to the mall and getting him one. So how did we choose? We really didn't. We grabbed everyone we could and then finally had to say, enough. Jennifer got a family of three for her, Kyle and Joshua to give to. I got a teenager because her request for a flat iron and new jacket tugged at my heartstrings. AND, of course we agreed to go halves on the baby in need of a car seat and the elderly lady who needed sheets.
They said that donations are way down, so if you can, stop by the Salvation Army Angel Tree in your area and get an angel or two. If there isn't a SA tree in your area, there is probably one somewhere. I know Nocona has an Angel Tree at the Dairy Queen, so just look around and help someone out this Holiday Season.
Now, to the mall story....
We went to Collin Creek because that was the closest mall with an Angel Tree. I try really, really hard to never go to Collin Creek. I think it is totally ghetto. It is totally hopping with gang members. Jennifer and Kyle go there more often (but they aren't gang members).
We grab our Angels and Jennifer says we should go to Sears and look for things. I swear, Sears is Jennifer and Kyle's answer to everything. If you asked them how to get world peace, they would say, go to Sears and buy it! I do not go to Sears. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Sears per se, I just don't think to shop there. The extent of my shopping experience at Sears consisted of looking through the Sears toy catalog 25 years ago and making my wish list for Santa. Maybe it was because we didn't have a Sears locally...we ran to Ben Franklin for everything, but Jennifer and Kyle's families ran to Sears.
Anyway, here is how this situation unfolded.
Setting: We walk into Sears.
Me: What in the HELL is that smell?
Jennifer: What smell?
Do you not smell that god-awful smell?
Not really.
Seriously? You don't...oh god, it's getting worse the further we go into the store!
I don't know, it just smells like a cleaner or something.
Does it always smell like this in Sears?
Yeah.
WHY do you come here then?
--------------------------
Still in Sears:
Me: Where are we going?
Jennifer: I don't know, I was following you.
WHY?! You are the queen of Sears. I don't know where anything is!
You seemed to be going in the right direction.
---------------------------
After looking for everything in Sears and not being impressed with prices:
Me: Let's get the hell out of here. I cannot stand this smell a second longer!
Why on earth do you shop here?
-------------------------------
We walk out into the open part of the mall near the food court:
Me: Good Lord, it stinks out here too!
Jennifer: This mall is just not for you. Try to single out the cotton candy smell and sniff it.
---------------------------
Heading back into JC Pennys so we can walk through to the parking lot:
Me: Oh crap! I need to pee again!
Jennifer: Remember, there are those bathrooms right by our exit that we stopped in on the way into the mall.
I know, but they stunk really bad too!
This is just not a good smelling experience for you. I'll drop off your gifts at the Angel Tree so you don't have to come back here.
Oh, thank the Lord!
-----------------------------
End Scenes
This was another one of those days when we believed that we would have made interesting reality tv. Funny thing is that many of our most humorous conversations revolve around my aversion to some sort of smell!
Go forth and give my friends, but heed my warning and for your own sake, stay away from the stinky stores!
Comments
i also agree with collin creek--ghetto. it's really sad, too, because it used to be such a nice mall a few years ago!
Okay, CCMall was THE shiznit when I was in high school. That was the only place to go. Then when Stonebriar went in, we never went back. SO sad!
Not a fan of Sears, either!
I've only bought treadmills, tires, and appliances there. Guess I've never seen the softer side!!