Today was a girly girl day! My friend Jessica had invited me to come along on a school shopping expedition to the mall in search of clothes for six year old daughter, Julia. The boys were camping with their uncle, dad Paul was at work, and we were off to Riverview Crossing in Grand Rapids to see what bargains we could find.
When we arrived, we parked by the huge Cinema and went inside the two story mall, wandering from store to store to store! Only stopping for lunch, we ended up finding four dresses, two top and skirt outfits, one pair of leggings, and two swimsuits for next year. With Jessica's bargain hunting skills, she saved WAY more than they cost.
Every time Julia tried them on, we couldn't believe how fortunate we were to find something else. Her big smile let us know each time she loved what she was wearing and her mom always checked to make sure she really liked it. You should have seen how delighted she was when she found the glittery hot pink tennis shoes with little silver hearts! LOL
Nearing the end of the afternoon, we were all getting pretty tired. Can't tell you how many times we went up and down the escalators, but we rode the elevator twice because she loved it. All surrounded with glass, it was huge and we put her in charge of the buttons. Such power she had! We went into all the major department stores, hit a few other stores along the way and covered the length on the top floor and the bottom. Definitely got our walking in today!
When we got back to the house, Julia picked out a girl movie for us to watch and it was "Hairspray". Tonight she got to also choose a backwards dinner and so far selected ice cream and then salad. With a few small additions, we all enjoyed dinner and a movie, some down time after a very busy day.
Time had really passed quickly. It was around 8 when I finally left, knowing I had Foxy at home waiting for dinner after a long day alone. I had a little confusion regarding an earlier message I had left a friend and upon seeing her two missed messages, I called her right away to explain what had happened to my plans not hearing her calls. I sensed some aggravation and disappointment and accepted responsibility for not seeing her message earlier this evening. I had said "maybe..." but I'll know better than to say even that next time.
When silence returned to the car, I found I felt a little emptiness. Different scenes from the day filled my thoughts and I considered my own life. I had always wanted a daughter of my own, came close a couple times, but it wasn't meant to be. I felt a bit of regret creeping in.
Being tired and before I could let my emotions get the best of me, I thought of many things I had shared over the years with my students. The way they made me feel, the things we created and shared together, all the activities that kept us busy and alive, and how blessed I was to be in touch with many of them even now.
You know, not everyone can say they have over 2000 kids...but I can! LOL And even if all of them aren't in touch anymore, they will always be part of my memories and most of them have a space in my heart. I felt a smile creep back onto my face and some of those memories flash into my mind.
Right to the very end...it has been a really great day!
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