Black Friday Fun

This picture was taken at about 3:30 this morning, in front of our local Target. This merry trio was working off a combined total of about three hours of sleep - (just Michael got a little shut eye after driving down to Eugene late last night). Travis and John had been partying it up at the Woodburn Outlet mall with Brayden until returning to Eugene around 1:00 - where they then changed into even warmer clothes, dropped off Brayden and found their place in line.

I can give you all of this information now, but in the midst of those hours, it was a big ol' blur for me as I tried to get a few hours of sleep before I partook in the fun. Unfortunately, that "revolving door" of coming and going wasn't exactly conducive to REM sleep - especially with the introduction of the Schilling's dog, Baxter. Apparently, he begins shaking in the car about a block away from arriving to our house with each visit...so, there's no surprise that he's just so excited he can't settle down upon getting here. (Hey, buddy, I know how you feel, Black Friday is exciting, but it's even better when you've had at least a few hours of sleep!)

So, by 2am, when I gave up and got up, it was with a little concern that I found myself trying to find my family members in various locations of the house, only to discover Michele was missing. A quick phone call to her cell confirmed that she'd never returned from her 11pm trip to Toys R Us. Poor thing, she spent a big chunk of that time outside and ill-prepared for the cold - as Toys R Us opened at 10pm so she had every expectation to be able to walk right into the store. No, apparently, they restricted the number of people inside the store, so half the time was spent outside - and half in line to pay for the few purchases that were only supposed to be a quick run in and run out. Fortunately, by the time I called, she was nearly on her way back to my house, so we were able to hop in the car and join the guys by about 3:15.

The big "door-buster" purpose for this extraordinary effort was a 40" tv for less than $300. (Even more by the time you throw in Michele's 10% - and the $10 gift card for spending over $100). This picture shows we weren't the only ones eager to get into the store... So, long story short....our trio of husbands missed out on the tv deal by about 3 people. Yes, the "allocated 15 per store" (are you kidding me?!) ran out right before they got theirs. HOWEVER, just as they were dejectedly turning their carts in a different direction, a gentleman sheepishly approached Michael and offered him his tv. He explained his wife had already snagged one, and you can only get one per family. Of all three of the guys, the tv deal was most significant to the Schillings. Travis and John were disappointed, but DEFINITELY reported that it was so worth it - they all had a ton of fun together. I love those three together, it just makes me so happy to see them being goofy and manly, and silly - and ultimately, they make each other better men. We are so blessed.

Meanwhile, at about the time the last tv was handed out, Mom arrived, and the three of us began our annual adventure together. Something that I really noticed this year from folks on Facebook is that if you aren't actively involved in a Black Friday excursion, it seems to be the thing to do to "bash it". I'm not sure if it's an anti-commercialism statement, a defensive statement as to why they don't participate, or what - but, it's kind of a downer to me as this is truly one of my favorite days of the year. Absolutely, it's Michele and I's favorite day of the year with our mom, having done this together for over 25 years. (And as far as those ornaments we pulled from the Giving Tree - and being able to provide twice as much for those two kiddos as we would have been able to if it weren't the deals found on Black Friday....let me just say, for us it is worth it!!!!!)

Alright, putting aside my own commentary (yes, I'm a bit defensive...I felt picked on reading Facebook earlier) - we just had a lot of fun today. And, due to our early start, by 1pm we were done. This picture was taken around 10am - when the pumpkin pie, whip cream, Diet Coke, and peppermint-chocolate bells had already been eagerly dug into. (The random guy that we asked to take this picture of us must have thought we were so crazy...but sleep deprivation can be a bit like excessive alcohol consumption - it really loosens your inhibitions- none of us had any problem with posing for this!).

So, after having not slept for about 31 hours, Michele decided to "just close her eyes for a bit" while trying to sort through and allocate the presents. Had I not woke her up, she might have stayed there until tomorrow morning. But, the kids were itching to get let back into the bonus room, and with the Duck game starting at 4, we were eager to get them out of our hair so we could watch it in peace. Sorry, Michele....you gotta wake up, but for sure, the hard part of the day is over!

A little "Oh Happy Day" postcript.....Our Ducks just beat Arizona. We are for sure the undisputed Pac 10 champions (second year in a row) - and if we can beat Oregon State next week, we will be playing for the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!! Wow! Due to the whole fatigue-factor of the day, I opted to pass my ticket on to Brayden for him to go in place of me. However, because he's been feeling sick (and sitting in the rainy 40ish temps wouldn't help that), he opted out as well. As it turned out, John ended up taking Travis' brother-in-law as his guest, while Travis (two rows up) took our brother-in-law (Michael) as his guest (Stephie, still recovering from her back surgery, was happy to extend the ticket to Michael once we found out he was coming down with Michele today). So, us girls watched at home, while the boys were at Autzen. The first half was NOT pretty, but the second half returned us to our beloved "get-it-done" Ducks.....end score: Oregon 48, Arizona 29. GO DUCKS!!!!!!