We headed south... for the day!

The kids didn't have school on Friday November 1st.  We decided to head south for the day and spend some time in the town Brandon and I lived in during seminary.  We started our time there running errands.  First we went to Helzberg Diamonds to get my ring cleaned.  After that we went to two of my favorite markets/stores to get ethnic food.  There is an Indian market with the best curry I have found.  There is a local grocery that is so ethnically diverse that I am always an extreme minority.  I love visiting these places.  

After the errands we went to lunch at Chick-fil-A.  Sadly the line was REALLY long.  Apparently many workers were partying for Halloween and didn't show up for work.  There was a painfully long line and one worker up front.  The worker was choosing joy and pleasant and it just broke my heart all that he had to do.  The kids wanted to stay so we waited.  I think we ended up waiting about 45 minutes in line and then we waited over 15 for the food, a long time for fast food!  They said it was worth it.  

M:  This is my favorite lunch!

After lunch (which was getting well into the afternoon) we went to a huge indoor mall.  I used to walk in this mall almost every day in the winter.  It is all one level and goes on and on.  The kids have never been in a big mall like this before and found there was a lot to look at.

We loved all the animals at Rainforest Cafe!

Brandon's cousin Ty often talks about Bass Pro Shops and even got the kids some gear one year for Christmas.  They were very excited to see the store and check it out.

Ready to shop. 

I love these two. 

T: I liked petting the dead animals. 

M: There were a lot of fish in the water. 

T: Mom, I am just touching the water for a second. 

T: This is the perfect place to sit and watch. 

After Bass Pro we explored several stores on our way to the arcade at the other end of the mall.  My good friend Nancy met us and walked with us.  The kids were so dysregulated most of the time, but we were able to chat a tiny bit. 

The kids were very excited about the arcade.  Everything was expensive, but we put money on a card and started playing and the kids did have fun.

Virtual Reality

M's always loves a race car game. 

Many dollars were spent on this giant Connect Four.

So thankful that I got to spend some good time with Nancy. 

After all the games this is what the kids were able to get with their tickets. 

On the way back through the mall we stopped at several stores.  T could have shopped forever.  She wanted to move to the mall.  M and I were much more eager to keep moving.

T: So Claire's is the world's most perfect store!

M: Thankfully they had a little corner for me to sit and wait in. 

After many more stores and a food court and other fun mall things we ended the day at the LEGO store which was a fun way to end the day.  The kids were able to create people and do some playing.  Now as I write this I marvel at how much different our world is today.  Everyone touching and sharing things, all the germs all the people.  I guess I am glad we made the memories while we could!

M: I am guessing this took a while to build!