Shop 'til you Drop

I sometimes wonder how "retail therapy" can be good for anyone. A day of shopping just leaves me exhausted!

I got home after 11 last night from the Grey's party (good first episode!) and was out the door by 7:45 this morning. We were shopping on the streets of Warrens sometime before 9 a.m. and kept going and going like the Energizer bunny until after 4 p.m.

Most of this little town's streets are closed to make room for vendors of all kinds -- and the 110,000 people they are expected to draw over the course of the weekend. It is an unbelievable crowd. I happened to run into three people I know, which is surprising because it is so easy to be staring straight ahead at hundreds of people without really seeing any of them!

We had perfect weather, almost too warm at 80 degrees, so we had to focus on staying hydrated. It is really easy to get a bit lightheaded or queasy at this thing because you are walking from booth to booth, often on uneven ground, all the while being bombarded with the strong scents of roasting peanuts, plus various soaps and candles. It can be overwhelming!

We suffered through it, though, and I did find a few things to buy -- including fresh Kettle Corn for the guys and a Funnel Cake for my friend Becky and me. At some point during my shopping excursion, I also got a phone call from two of my sisters who were missing out on the exhaustive entertainment of shopping. I did my best to make them jealous, though, so maybe they'll join me next year!

Relaxed the best I could tonight, putting my feet up and sitting around the campfire next door. Right now I am just staying up long enough to see the Twins and White Sox scores. It's been an exciting week in baseball. Perhaps my Twins are just a bit tired tonight, too. We all need a good night's sleep so we can take on the rest of the weekend. Because we know there's never a dull moment around here...