It was worth it.

I did it. I was one of the shopping fools out before dawn on Friday morning to take advantage of some deals. I actually intended to get up at 5 AM and pick up my niece at 5:45 AM, but when Jeffrey came crawling into our bed at 3 AM, I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep and why not get a really good jump on the shopping and get to Kohl's before it opened? Because, nobody else would be out that early and it would be less crowded.

Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

When I ever pulled off the highway and saw the parking lot filled with cars, I couldn't believe my own eyes. Were those people lined up along the sidewalk? Was that queue as long as the length of the building itself, including the retail store adjacent to it?
Apparently I wasn't the only one who has a little one creeping into bed at 3 AM.

I did manage to find a parking space as the doors were opened and it wasn't ridiculously far away. I did not, however, find a shopping carte, but neither did a whole lot of other people. I found what I needed and it was a little overcrowded in the toy department, but I found the item I had come for. Of course, my arms were starting to hurt from carrying everything, so I tossed what I could into a soft throw blanket I was buying until that didn't work, when I dropped everything and headed for the handbags. I grabbed the largest one I could find, returned to my pile and stuffed it with what I could. There. I think I made a good dent for a start. Now to pay for it. Funny how it seemed I had finished right about the same time as nearly everybody else. I accomplished the shopping within an hour. And then spent more time standing in line to check out. At 5:45 AM, I called Jordan to let her know I would be late to pick her up because I was still in line.

But it was fun. I met some people behind me, a woman had graciously given me one of her cartes that she didn't need, and we helped each other out creeping along. I carried one woman's casserole plates and her sister-in-law fetched pajamas for my boys. It was all good. And thanks to the slow-moving line, I could browse and select items on display along the way.

I now have $50 to spend at Kohl's next week. That won't be too difficult! I picked up Jordan at 6:30 and we hit some other stores. It is definitely helpful to have a companion when you shop, if not for the company, then so she can stand in line while you continue to shop. We made a great team. We were home just past noon.

Of course, I was useless for the rest of the day, but it was still all worth it. You have to have a positive attitude or it will otherwise be a miserable experience. We happy shoppers found each other and it made the experience that much more exciting.

I'm going to do it again next year. Maybe.