Birthday Coupons

I spent most of the day with young Miss C today..... we used some of her birthday coupons that I gave her when she turned 15 in March.

We went to the bookstore first....... she had a coupon for two books. She only found one, so we'll go back at some point so she can look for another book. Then I had given her a coupon for two items from the "Old Navy" clothing store, so that was our next stop. What an adventure that was...... I hadn't been in that store before, but C felt right at home and she quickly found a bunch of things to try on.

C insisted that I find something to try on also, so I took some tops and shorts into the dressing room. What a mistake...... those sizes weren't meant for women, they're meant for kids. I told C that I wasn't young enough for all those frayed cuffs and muted colors, with beads and fringe hanging from every other seam. C found two nice tops for herself, and that's what we went there for, so that was a success.

After that, I decided to stop in at the shoe store. I hadn't been there for a while, and I wanted to get a comfy pair of flats that weren't open sandals. I found the perfect pair of soft moccasins, and C loved them so much also that she asked if she could get the same shoes in her own size. Luckily, they had her size. When she tried them on, she jumped up and down in them and declared them "the perfect shoes for the lake cottage."

We drove to the Italian gelato shop, and had that for a quick lunch before coming back home. When we got to C's house, her parents weren't home yet from their own errands, so we left a note there for them and we came back to our house. My husband was back from his meetings, and after C showed him everything we bought, he suggested we all get into the car for a surprise.

I had no idea where we were going, but off we went, driving towards League City. No matter how many times C and I tried to guess where we were going, neither of us came up with the right destination....... a motorcycle shop.

My husband got a motorcycle license back in the spring-time, but never bought a motorcycle. I thought he had forgotten about it, or just felt like getting the license but not getting a bike. Wrong. He was just too busy with all the lake-cottage searching..... but he had been looking on the Internet for bikes, and asking people where he works.

Today, one of his co-workers told him about a motorcycle for sale...... the right make, the right size engine, low mileage, low price. He told him where he could see it, and off we all went. Well, you had to see Miss C's face when my husband told the man he'd take the bike. I'm sure the look of surprise on her face only matched my own...... my husband usually takes longer to make up his mind about something, but this bike seemed to be a good deal since he knew the person selling it. And the motorcycle looks brand new, and "fit" him somehow, without looking too big or too small. This will be a motorcycle-for-one...... I told my husband that my days of sitting on the back of a bike are long gone.

Still, the motorcycle will get a thorough check, tune-up, everything else...... and it will be ready in a couple of weeks. The motorcycle shop has just one man working on everything--- he can't find anyone to help him, so he's a bit behind schedule on all the repairs and checks.

After the motorcycle shop, the three of us went to C's favorite Chinese Buffet restaurant to celebrate, so that was our early dinner. What a summer this is turning out to be...... first Mayberry, now a motorcycle.