Shopping mall

Shopping. It has to be done. Things wear out. Children grow taller. As much as you want it to, stuff doesn't last. For example, take my lovely comfy black shoes that have walked all over the world with me. By February, I had walked the soles completely off of them, and I was treading around on the smooth sponge layer that makes them so comfy. After a slip in the mud, two big bruises, and then finally getting sick of that squish sound with every step, I decided it was time to replace them. And yet I still delayed the actual shopping trip for about four weeks.

Once I announced that I was really going. No really, this time I really mean it and I'm leaving, the rest of the family remembered all the things that they needed at the Mall as well. So we made an event of it! Why just go shopping alone when you can bring the family and count it as family time?

First stop, shoes for Jonathan. No, those are ugly. I wouldn't wear those. No, not sure what I'm looking for but that isn't it. Ew. I'm not getting white ones.

In the end he settled on the green sneakers. With the steep price tag. But whatever. He'll wear them for at least six months, I predict. Unless they get lost somewhere in transit.

Next stop, shoes for me, somewhere upstairs in the large department store. In that store, my shoes have cute feminine names. There was a pair named "Jess" that was almost perfect, of course. Only unfortunately, not on sale and not in my size. But the pair named "Lass" was in my size, super comfortable, and on sale for less than half the price of Jonathan's shoes! Win! So now I have comfy black shoes again.

Third stop lunch. And apparently phone break.

Fourth stop: Hey let's go in the Storage Solutions store! Hey how about the arts and crafts store! Look! Phones!

Real stop: sewing and crafts store. I needed iron-on patches. Because in spite of those first few sentences at the top of this post about things wearing out, sometimes it's a lot easier just to patch them a few times rather than try to find a replacement in the correct size and style.....

Final stop: Outdoor goods store. I bought a rain jacket 10 years ago before moving to England, and it has been the greatest jacket ever but it is literally falling into little bits every time I shake it open. We are heading into the rainy season here again, and I need a rain jacket that will keep me dry during my hour of walking outside every day. The price tag on the jacket I really liked was ... Gulp. High. I talked myself into thinking about it and then coming back to buy it later. And then I talked myself into Good Grief. Just buy the jacket and save yourself a trip. Because if it lasts 10 years again, the price per year is tiny. The price per day is less than pennies.

Math. We use it.

All done! Let's go catch the bus home.

Until Jonathan stopped us. Wait. What about a haircut? I thought the point of me coming was so that I could get a haircut. I haven't got a haircut yet! So we swung by a place called "Cuts only." Jonathan looked through a book of haircuts and picked one out. And then the guy with the clippers starts in and ... woah! Tim and I look at each other. He really wants it that short?

And after watching curly lock after curly lock fall off of Jonathan's head, Tim stood up. I want to do that too.

So we got two haircuts. 

And then we went home.

Look how good they both look today.