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Waiting for snacks at the theater

Holy shit!  What a day!!!  I took the kids to see Arthur Christmas.  It was great.  I LOVED it!  The damn kids didn't even want to go.  But I drug them.  You see, I HATE Thanksgiving.  It's just a horrible time for me.  So I wanted to try to start a tradition that didn't involve me in the kitchen by myself, while everyone else is watching football and talking and having a good time.  When I saw the previews for this movie (and that it came out the day before Thanksgiving) when we saw Puss in Boots a few weeks ago, I knew going to the movies was a tradition I wanted to start. Anyway, the movie was totally worth it.  The funniest thing is that one of the main character elves was named Peter.  Well we have an elf that visits our house at Christmas time.  And his name is Peter.  The kids LOVED that.  Speaking of Peter.  I need to go next door, on a day when it just hasn't snowed and see if the neighbor will ding-dong-ditch and leave Peter at the front door for me!

While we were at the movie I got a text from Stacey.  She wanted to know if Talisa could spend the night tonight so her and her husband could go out Black Friday Shopping.  It really irritated me.  So I told her that she could if she could wait until midnight so I could go out and get some Lego's for Nate's gift to Spencer.  I mean, here it is Thanksgiving and she asks me hours before she needs me to to watch her kids.  I generally don't mind, but I have a freaking life too!  I have things I need to do or want to do.  I feel like she uses me a lot and I am too nice.  I always say yes.  I think I say yes a lot because I feel like if I do then when I need someone they'll be there for me.  I guess I believe in Karma.  But it hasn't worked that way with her.  Every time I need something, and I mean something big not like a cup of sugar or whatever, she just can't pull through.  It is really frustrating.  I have asked her to watch our kids for our anniversary night away, but I am starting to second guess it.  I am not sure she is dependable enough.  If I choose not to have her watch her, then I need to figure out another plan.  Which totally sucks because I really liked my idea!  BOO!

That's a big box of Legos for me to step on!

So the kids and I went to Wal*Mart to get Spencer the Lego's from Nate. HERE is that Lego sack, Amber.
He is going to be so excited.  I've never been to Wal*Mart for Black Friday.  It was INSANE!  One lady almost ran Spencer over with her cart because he was in the way.  And as I pulled him out from in front of her cart wheels, she said she was going to run him over if he didn't move.  She was dead serious too!  Really?  Is a stupid item really worth trampling a child over?  Most everyone else was nice and respectful and funny.  But some people take this shit too damn seriously.  There was a "team" of ladies there with matching T-shirts and nicknames on the back.  There was a couple with matching football jerseys and black paint smeared under their eyes.  I got a picture of them, but only from the back.  You couldn't see their "war paint".  I saw people putting 6+ sets of tupperware in their cart.  Really?  Do you have a family of 5 million and need to store all their food.  Or is everyone on your list getting $6 tupperware sets?  Could you imagine Christmas in that family?  Oh granny what did Sue get you.  "Tupperware.  What did she get you?" "Tupperware.  Auntie what did she get you?"  "Tupperware"  And you know all of them bought that same damn tupperware at the other Wal*Mart down the street for them damn selves.

Black Friday really is a mental thing.  You see all these people getting these "great deals" and you want them too. Then everyone wants them.  And it's like a friggin frenzy.  Oh that lady got 1 of those steam mops?  Well I NEED two, even though I don't even know what it is for.  Oh kids Jammies for $5 a pair, shit I better get one for every night for the rest of the winter for all three of my kids.  You think I'm kidding.  No, not kidding.  I did see someone with half her cart full of jammies.  Yes, you could make the argument that they were buying stuff for poor kids.  And maybe that ONE lady was, but nothing you can tell me will ever convince me that everyone in there stuffing their carts full of toy after toy was donating it all to the needy.  I think you just get swept up in it.  Really they aren't that great of deals.  There were a few things that were good, but most was ho-hum.  I personally don't want that much crap in the house taking up precious space.  I remember back in the day when stores used to give free shit to the first 500 people in line.  Then there were items in the store that were free after mail in rebate.  Now those were deals.  But I did get my Lego's all in all I am happy.  The kids had a great time.  They were feeding off the chaos.  They were into it.  I of course didn't let them fill the cart, especially since they were in it to avoid any more near trampling experiences. 

I think another thing with me and Christmas is that I would rather get one thoughtful gift (especially if it's homemade, but I stress the word thoughtful.  My grandma use to make us all the same homemade gift and it was just like all the mass produced crap you buy in the store because she didn't have time to truly put into making 19 of them.  And usually it was useless.  God I sound like a snobby bitch) than 100 things of crap I'll never use and will end up at the Airman's Attic.  I just don't like having "stuff".  I mean we move every three or so years, so I am constantly purging. Who the hell knows we could go from this 1800 square foot house back to 900 square feet.  I would rather have a few things I love than 1 million things that are eh.  So I suppose I view gifts the same way.  I of course will take any gift given to me and I will do so graciously.  But after watching people tonight I think they just buy whatever, just because.  It doesn't seem like they think much about why they are buying what they buy.  They just do.  Whether it's because that guy has one or because it's cheap.  But is it really cheap if you don't have much money to begin with and whoever you are going to give it to is just going to put it in the yard sale this summer for $.50?  Is it really cheap if you have to buy the same item 10 more times this year because it keeps breaking because it's of such poor quality?
Really I'd be happy if someone made me a meal I could put in the freezer and bake when I had a I don't feel like cooking night.  Right now that would be the perfect gift for me!

The drive home was more insane then the time at Wal*Mart.  I really thought I was going to die a few times.  It's been snowing all day.  No big deal.  Except the snow is really light an powdery.  So where people drive in the lanes is clear, but there is snow everywhere else.  So if someone changes lanes in front of you, intstant powder in your face and visibality reduced to 10feet.  Oh, yeah don't forget it's pitch black 15 hours a day too!  If someone in front of you doesn't exctly follow the already cleared area, more powder in your face and zero visiblitiy.  So you slow down, which causes more assholes to pass you and put more powder in your face to the point where you are screaming STOP PASSING ME ASSHOLES!!!  I was THIS -> <- close to pulling over until I didn't see any more cars, but thankfully our exit was right there.  Yes, I drive slow in conditions like this.  I just don't feel like dying before I have have sex with my husband one more time.  Maybe next year.  But I really have a problem driving when it's snowing "cat's and dogs" (like Kayleigh has been saying all day) and then the snow from the ground in all in my face.  I don't want to go 75!  I'm in the slow lane get off my ass.  URG!  This is the first time I've ever complained about drivers here.  Generally I think people drive fine here.  I don't feel like I am going to die EVERY.TIME.I. GO.ANYWHERE like I did in Phoenix.  But it was ridiculous. But we are home alive and well and I drove how I felt safe.  So there you go.  I just hope all those other assholes got home ok!  I will not go anywhere near that highway if conditions are like this again.  Hell, I won't even leave base.  Whatever it is can wait until they plow the roads or it's light out and I can see a little better!