Hubs came home from work this evening and suggested we run over to Dillard's to check out the shoe department. He is in desperate need of some new classy (but not too dressy) and casual (but not sneakers) shoes that he can wear with jeans and a polo or button-down shirt. I'm done a little pre-shopping already, so that when we had the opportunity, I could coax him in the direction of the shoes I liked and not have to explain all the reasons why what he liked wasn't the best option. Yeah, I'm manipulative sneaky like that. That said, not knowing what size he'd need, I didn't just buy the shoes when I saw them last week (during my other shopping trip to buy Hubs's gifts) and wrap them for under the tree. So...back to hubs getting home from work...
"OK, Darlin, we can go shoe shopping, but I've already purchased all your presents, and I'm really not sure about getting anything else," I told him. Of course, seeing as how I'm not working, so our income comes solely from Hubs paychecks (well, except for the grocery money I make with my Reserve paycheck), he reminded me, "well, I'm paying for them anyway, so let's get them and you can wrap them up and it won't make any difference anyway." Sold. After all, he does need new shoes. Really badly.
So, after a toasty dinner of Shepherd's Pie (which, while making it, I reflected on how appropriate the meal was this time of year, when we remember the "Shepherds watching their flocks by night" and seeing the Christmas star...but that is another post for another day), we piled into the car and went to the mall. Surprisingly, it wasn't that crowded, we found a parking place right away, and we didn't have to fight through throngs of last-minute shoppers to make our way to the store. We found the shoes I'd previously discovered, which were now 30% off (Score!), tried them on, made the purchase, and went right back to the car. Easy peasy.
After our trip to Dillard's I begged and pleaded (no, I'm not exaggerating) with Hubs to take me to the Beach where you can drive along the boardwalk at a Christmas light display. I've heard of this display on the radio for the past ten years and have never been able to see. After lots of begging, Hubs agreed. Unbeknownst to either of us, however, due to a massive line of cars, we would spend three hours waiting and then inching along the boardwalk to see the lights. And since we both drive stick shifts, three hours of first gear was not a pleasant experience. The lights were good, and the $8 admission wasn't too crazy, but they weren't so good that it was worth the three-hour wait... But, it was fun to see the lights, get into the Christmas spirit, and get out of the house for an un-typical Date Night. Sorry the pictures below are blurry; most of the lights were "animated" so my autofocus couldn't really do its job...
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| Christmas Palm Tree |
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| Driving under the King Crab |
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| Santa's sleigh on the fishing pier... |
