~Shopping With Kacy~

I had the great pleasure of a visit from my niece Kacy and her mother this weekend. Kacy is my deceased brother's only child and a real joy to me. She is the youngest of my mother's grandchildren and a surprise to all of us. She certainly does her part to keep us young.

My SIL, Deb, emailed me last week to say they were going to come to our area to shop and spend the night in a hotel as a treat for Kacy. I was a little disappointed that they were staying in a hotel, but remember how much fun that was for me at that age. The plan was for us to meet them for dinner, so I was appeased. BUT, to my great delight, Kacy decided she liked it better at my house and they came here on Thursday evening. Also to my delight, they decided to stay over on Friday night too, and asked me to go shopping with them on Friday.



We left my house about 10 A.M. bright eyed and bushy tailed. We stopped for breakfast at our local cafe. I love to show her off as much as I can. I'm amazed at how much she changes from time to time that I see her. I last saw her in October and she has grown taller and more lovely in that time.

We drove to a nearby mall and started our day with Kacy having highlights and a hair cut. That gave Deb and me time to shop a teensy bit for ourselves. We both knew that the day wasn't about us, but we did manage to purchase a couple of things.

Then the fun began. I received a total education in what's cool and what isn't. My vocabluary has increased a lot. Words like, Zumiez, PacSun, Delia's, Hot Topic, Urban Behavior, Hollister and Aerie have now begun to make sense to me. I thought of our friend Cheryl as I followed after this little ball of energy all afternoon while she traipsed from one store to another. I learned the difference between skinny jeans and super skinny jeans. I discovered the names of bands I had never heard of before. After an hour, my head was spinning. There was one moment when Deb and I felt cool as we danced to the music in Abercrombie and Fitch. The feeling was short lived with one whithering glance from Kacy who was clearly embarrassed by our behavior.

By 5 P.M., I was whipped, but determined to keep going as long as they could. By then I had taken to going into the mall and sitting on a bench, guarding packages while she tried on clothing. About 6:30, they came out of a store, both with glazed expressions on their faces saying, "We've had it." Hallelujah. I called Jim and told him to order a pizza and wings, we were on our way home.

Of course, we had to bring in the packages to share the bounty with Uncle Jim.



This is the VERY EXPENSIVE hairdo. I told Jim that when the hairdresser told Deb the amount, she very calmly paid for it and then turned around and picked me up from the floor. WOW!! I'm glad my girls pay for their own hairdo's these days. On the other hand, isn't she just the cutest?



Kacy and her "baggage".



A few less packages for Deb. The beer is a consolation prize.



"Thanks, Mom".

Both Jim and I really enjoyed our time with them. They are so easy to have around and we always laugh a lot. Kacy has taken to calling me Aunt Pamela. She says she likes the sound of it and, you know what? Me too.

We were all tired out from our day of shopping and went bed early. Kacy was still recovering this morning.



After a nourishing breakfast and a shower, she managed to revive enough to start for home. The house sure feels quiet and empty this afternoon. Love you, Kacy.