The tie that binds

Okay, so this picture is some two or three years ago, but in it you'll find three generations. Mom, me, and my grandma... Since I can remember, the three of us have been something of a team. This is illustrated no more brilliantly than on the day many call "Black Friday". We were like some kind of unstoppable force on Black Friday. Christmas presents purchased for everyone and anyone - if it was something someone - ANYONE - needed, we were on top of it. We were something of shopping dynamos.

Then came the day when E and I moved to Colorado, which is a state far far from Texas, when put in terms of a weekend drive for a shopping trip. The Black Friday madness was put on hiatus - indefinitely. With me living some 1200 miles away, shopping all day long was a far-fetched impossibility. It was a sad day for the dynamic trio. Black Friday indeed - the words held something of a sinister meaning all of the sudden for us. It was the day we USED TO have a bonding moment that none of the men in the family could understand.

Flash forward five years, and we find me all moved back to Texas. Driving - no problem. Shopping, on again! In an effort to make up for lost time, my mom and grandmother drove up to Rockwall to spend the weekend shopping in the Big D. Black Friday be or not, we were going to go shopping whenever we felt like it - holiday or not. We hit up every mall that we could think of. We spent two hours in Ikea alone! It was a shopping extravaganza. We had really returned to our original shopping glory. We were full of fun - talking and catching up. It was just like old times. The only thing is, Black Friday is on a Friday. Typically we have an entire weekend to recover from elbowing little old ladies out of the best bargains. I'm exhausted. Next time we'll have to go on a Friday - just so I have plenty of time to recover.

My mom and grandmother? Ready for another round. I'm the wuss in this family battle.