day out and long walk
Yesterday, E had to get his car worked on. So he brought it in and walked home. According to the map, it’s 2.3 miles away, not terrible. So we were either stranded in the house or we could go out and walk around the area.
I needed a mother’s day gift for my mom, so we decided we could at least make it as far as the mall and then see how it was going. (I have very weak ankles, one of them has bones that aren’t in quite the right place, so walking is more difficult for me, and i have to take it slow!).
It was a BEAUTIFUL day. Blue sky but not too hot. Sunshine and a touch of a breeze. I put on sunscreen and we went off the mall to look for shoes for E. Can you believe that the entire time I’ve known him, he’s had one pair of tennis shoes? I mean, he doesn’t wear them every day or anything, but they are sufficiently worn out ;) So I’ve been on him to look at new ones.
While we were there, it was lunch time so we got something to eat from the food court. I really like Paradise Bakery, which has a delightful turkey cranberry sandwich and yummy pasta salad (and they give you a fresh cookie, and they are to die for!). E finds multiple places to choose from, and so he likes that a lot, not getting the same thing every time like I do. ;)
We hit a few more places to look at shoes, but E can’t seem to find something he likes exactly. So we went out the !Macy’s side of the store, which I’ve been wanting to take a picture of because it’s cracks me up that they let the star and M for Macy’s show for a few days before covering it up with a banner.
On the way to Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond (where I figured I’d find my mother’s day present), we stopped at a little empty park. It looks perfect for flying a kite because there’s so much grassy area. We walked the rest of the way to Barnes and Noble, where I waited instead of walking the last half mile. I’ve picked up a book about digital photo editing a few times now to skim it, and so I sat and read more of that (The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby) The color/balance adjusting tips may really help me, so I keep trying to memorize the steps. I’m not sure, I may just need to buy it 
There was a middle-school group singing in the back of the store, which was kinda fun to hear.
When E showed back up with the car, we went over to see if there was a movie showing. We were guessing the car would take MUCH longer into the day, so that was our fall-back plan for hanging out. Even though the car was done, it still seemed like a good idea. Sure enough, a showing of Poseidon was happening like 10 minutes later, so we went for it. 
Finally, we went back towards Target, which didn’t have what I was looking for. I wanted one of those picture holders with metal do-hickys to stick snapshots in for my mom - she has a desk at work for the first time since having a job and I thought that might be an easy way to snazz it up. I have a feeling that it was seeing Christie’s Photo Holder with the flowers and bear that got me thinking of it! So we went down to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and found something that was close enough to the idea, but still not exactly. Its just a foldering photo squares frame that is still pretty cute. I’ll print out a few pics for it maybe, gotta browse through iPhoto and see what I can find!
And then we drove home in the nice happy car with fully working breaks and better wheel bearings. All in all, i probably walked at least 2 miles. And my ankles are sore, but not as bad as they cool be! Good stuff, and a fun day.
Today, our plan is a barbeque at Leonard and Sarah’s with the rest of the family. It should be fun, and it’s set to be another beautiful day (my dashboard tells me 80°, woah!) Maybe I even need to dig out shorts!
Happy Mother’s day to all my favorite mothers out there!!
