12/10/07 We Go Toy Shopping

We got a late start to the day today. Well, let me clarify that, "I" got a late start because I never rolled out of bed until almost ten o'clock. That is very unusual for me. I was awake from three until five thirty when I could finally fall back to sleep. When I finally did get back to sleep I guess I made up for the hours I lost during the night.


There is a lady named Val who lives in Arizona City who is hosting a Christmas party for the needy children of this town. She and her husband did this last year on their own. They bought all the presents for 300 hundred kids, wrapped them, paid for the food and entertainment and the other costs associated with a party of this size. A huge undertaking to say the least.


This year, because the number of kids has grown she reached out to the community. Quail Run RV Resort agreed to donate a nine foot Christmas tree and stand and it just mushroomed from there. We took a collection of toys and money from park residents and the residents really came through for this worthy cause. The local golf course donated the party site and their food supplier, Sysco, is donating the goodies to eat. Local businesses have stepped up to the plate and these children are certainly assured of a fantastic Christmas party.


The deadline for donating toys is tomorrow so we have to get out and go shopping today for our donation. Now I haven't bought toys in a long time and was surprised at how expensive some of those things have gotten! Especially children's books!


Our first stop was Lowe's because we had some things to return there. Next stop, Walmart! Today I have a love/hate relationship with this store. We had to return seven boxes of lights that we won't be using and some extension cords. I headed towards the Customer Service (yeah, right) counter in the store and found about a dozen people ahead of me in line. The kicker? Two, count em', TWO associates behind the customer service counter! Did these two ever move S - L - O - W!!! Finally, an assistant store manager passed by and I called to her to come over to where the line was. I told her that two people behind the counter with a line like this (it had grown by a half dozen that were now behind me) was not acceptable and that more sales associates had to be brought in, that these two were slower than molasses running down Rising Sun Lane in January! Within minutes two more people were behind the counter and things started moving. There is a Customer Service god!


Bob had his own things to do in the store so we had parted ways at the door.


Next stop....the toy department! First thing that went in my basket was Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. If I recall correctly these were MY first games and probably yours too. I went up and down aisles picking things for boys and girls. I even made sure to get some things for the little tiny kids.




OK, so the toys were picked out and now it was time to go through checkout. Have you seen the commercial where Walmart says they have more lines open for the Christmas season? Don't you believe it! Not even half of their checkouts had clerks and this was in the middle of the afternoon. Yep, today I have a love/hate relationship with Walmart!

I figured since we were there (Walmart) I might as well get a broken nail fixed and my chipped nail polish taken off and new applied. I always go to the same girl because I like her and I was glad she was working today. Unfortunately, she already had a customer so I had to wait. By now Bob is out of the store and waiting in the truck.

I finally get done and when I get to the door it is pouring! Buckets! Of course we parked the truck in the far reaches of the parking lot. A lady standing next to me was waiting for her husband to pick her up and she offered me a ride to the truck. I was thankful and glad to take her up on her kind offer.

We never got back home until 6:45 and were we ever glad that I had thrown the fixin's for beef stew in the crock pot this morning.

After a very good dinner we settled in for the night.