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| I almost opted out of Black Friday this year, but after reviewing the sale ads, I found a few items that were already on my shopping list. So I set my alarm clock for 3:20 to begin my adventure to Sears, AC Moore, JoAnn Fabric and Rite-Aid. (I'm not crazy enough to go to WalMart or Best Buy!) I wasn't going for any big ticket items, but I didn't want to miss anything just for a couple extra hours of sleep.
For me, the allure of Black Friday is probably the thrill of the hunt. It takes preparation (reading through the pile of circulars the day before), dedication (getting up in the wee hours of the morning) and perseverance (waiting outside for stores to open, standing in long lines, and sticking to your list in order not to waste the savings on things you don't need). There's also a little bit of comraderie among shoppers who all feel like they are winners because they got some cheap stuff. And of course, I can't beat the feeling that by 8am on Friday AM I'me 3/4 of the way through with Christmas shopping, and I spend 50% less than I would have for the same items any other day of the year.
Black Friday Shopping also reminds me of Owino Market in Uganda. It was my favorite place to get used clothing usually imported from Asia, and maybe Europe. It was a giant market with about 1 ft wide cooridors between stalls. And you could get pretty much anything there, including pick pocketed if you weren't extremely careful. My favorite was to buy pants there and then take them to the seamstresses on the other side of the market to get them hemmed up. (Owino shopping tip: Wear long flowy skirts when desiring to buy pants as there are no dressing rooms!) And then on the way up you can pick up snacks and ingredients for supper. I called Owino "extreme shopping." You had to fight the crowds, tight quarters and the overbearing stall keepers to get the cutest clothes for the cheapest prices. But it was totally worth it!
 Owino Market burned down earier this year, but they've already built a lot of it back. Here's a link to a slide show of the market: http://www.guardian.co.uk/katine/gallery/2009/mar/04/owino-market-fire-kampala
P.S. I heart pics of markets. Those perfect little piles of tomatoes and other colorful veggies makes me smile.
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| Due to popular demand...The Last 4 years....in list format
2005: Fell in Love on an escalator at Montreal
Director at CrossBridge Summer Camp
Moved back to Chapel Hill for Grad School
Got engaged at an Exxon
Visited IKEA for the first time
2006: Got Married
Cooked King Salmon from Seattle's Pikes Market.
Husband cooked me a meal once.
2007: Graduated
Got a job at the Durham Senior Center
Went on a few dates to get Icees
2008: New Day started. Spending lots of time with refugees
Started working at an assisted living
Visited Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park
Witnessed the marriage of Chinlun and James
2009: Bought a house
Resumed old hobbies of cross stitch and xanga
Random House Photos:
 My grandma brought me my great grandma's sewing table.  
New Sink and garbage disposal. Holla!
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| So, my first Xanga entry since 2005. Part of me feels the need to rehash the last four years, but I have a feeling that I would never actually finish the entry and no one would read it anyway.
I'm currently preparing for Thanksgiving. My FIRST Thanksgiving in my own house. Yay! I've already made and eaten 3 pies (no worries - I shared them with others). And I've done half of the shopping already. After a trip to WalMart tomorrow, I'll be finished, and ready to get to some hard core cooking.
Patrick is getting up at 5am on Thursday to smoke the Turkey. I'm so proud of him. Grandma is bringing her smoker to make this possible. Smoked Turkey is absolutely the best. If you've never had it, you are certainly missing out.
To finish this entry, I'll post my Thanksgiving menu. I decided to go with the basics this year:
Veggie Tray
Ham
Turkey
Green Bean Casserole
Roasted winter vegetables
Mashed Potatoes
Deviled Eggs
Stuffing
Rolls
Tea
Cider
Root Beer
Chocolate Chip Pie
Pumpkin Cheese Cake
pumpkin pie
My grandma and mother-in-law are bringing a few items, so I can't take credit for all of it. But I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving!
One piece left!
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|  This is why i LOVE Stokes County. (where I work). If you look closely, you'll see a man riding an electric wheel chair down Main St. in Walnut Cove.
(This picture was taken from my car.)
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