The Lemonade Weekend

Well, this weekend was not at all how we planned. We were planning to go to WV on Friday evening and stay at my parents'. We'd made a date with my grandparents for Chickfilla on Saturday and a trip to the mall, then Sunday birthday dinner for my dad at my other grandmother's house. My mom had gotten things all ready for us, and I had killed myself getting all ready for the trip--I planned out my meals for the weekend and on Friday alone made cookies, made enough pizza to get me through three meals, made Honey Balsamic Chicken for my daddy since he likes it so much, packed the ingredients to make him Coconut Banana Cookies that he (and I) also really likes, did dishes like 4 times with all the cooking I was doing, packed, packed up all kinds of food, showered and got ready, and fit in Friday's blog post.

Daniel got home, packed, we ate, we packed the car full, and 20 minutes down the road, the car started making such odd noises to make it clear that the brakes were not safe for a 4-hour drive in the dark, along country roads and foggy mountains. So we had to go back home.

It was just a weekend that we can do later. But everything is a bigger deal and a bigger effort when you're sick. Besides the fact that it was going to be so good to be back home, everyone who misses us was expecting us, my mom did so much to get ready for us (she has her own health problems), and Daddy's birthday is in a few days, I think what upset me the most was how hard I worked for this trip. I spent so. many. spoons for nothing. And to top it all off, my sleep cycle is so good right now. So I was crushed. It was just a really weird feeling to be all ready and geared up to be gone for the weekend, with all these things coming up, and then be right back home. I spent the evening watching Nashville and still haven't unpacked.

But come Saturday, the events started to remind me of Emily's recurring experience with changing plans that turn into awesomeness in spite of the disappointments. Daniel made an appointment to get the dear brakes and such fixed that morning, and as it was at one of our area's huge malls, which we'd never been to, and as my current aforementioned sleep cycle was cooperative, I was able to go with him. They basically hold your car hostage until it's done, leaving you stranded at the mall--a massive two-story mall (which, no, we're not used to). And it's a good thing I went, because for the next 6 hours, we walked our legs off in a lovely, unplanned date. Felt kind of like Christmas. :)

Except for the weather, of course, which felt like summer. It was gorgeous. And the mall was gorgeous too.

I don't even remember where all we went, but my iPhone caught some of the highlights:

I really wanted this bag. Does it remind anyone else of the special, magic bag on Barney?? In spite of that, there is something indefinable about it that I love. And I would totally have bought it. Except that there are precious few things I'd spend $100+ on (on sale), and a purse is most certainly not one of them.

Aaand there's a Barnes & Noble at the mall. Oh dear. So we had to go, and I may have finally found a book I'd been looking for for a while, and also one I hadn't been looking for. That's how it works, right? And I accidentally stumbled across one I'd seen often on social media and had had in the back of my mind for months, so it became a future Christmas gift to me.

It was soo pretty through here with the sun and the lights--which this picture captures in no way.

I just happened to look over and see this book, by one of my college teachers. I had her for Short Story Writing and Creative Writing, and she was one of my favorites. And I had no idea a book of hers was at Barnes & Noble! It's a brand spankin' new release too.

And then Kacie met Charming Charlie...

I've heard of it forever but had never even been near one to go to it, and my best friend loves it. There was a bracelet I saw on Instagram months ago that I've remembered ever since...

And after I looked all over the store without luck, they found one in the back for me. ;)

I don't care if it is technically fall, it needed worn right away. :D I'm not even a sea creature freak--it's the gold that does it.

And I had to document a bracelet that did not come home with me. Preeety. ;)

And we just happened to walk by Charlotte Russe during Happy Hour where coats were the special, which I've been needing and unsuccessfully looking for really since last winter. And they had two sizes of the one I loved--one too big and one too small. So we successfully jumped on the right size online before the 3-hour-long sale ran out. (It's ivory with gold accents, in case you can't tell.) :D

Much happiness and much exhaustion later (I really do not know how I did all I did), we headed back to get the car.

And we finally headed home to--what else?--watch Nashville (yes, I've attempted to catch Daniel up on the two seasons he's missed, and now he's watching with me) and eat the pizza I'd made for the trip.

A couple perks of the trip not working out? I didn't really need to cook all weekend. And we didn't have to drive for 8 hours. ;) And we did have a lovely, unexpected, unplanned all-day date. Absolutely exhausting as it was. So for all that, I am grateful.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for this week's Music Love Tuesday--
I'm extra excited about this one! :)