Sunday, October 16, 2011

Marcy's Travel Blog- A Livingston County Shopping Adventure!

   Years ago, (before the age of marriage, children, and grandchildren) I use to have a perfect wardrobe! It wasn't extensive. But I had "complete" outfits! From the undies, the outfit, the shoes and purse, jewelry, including cheek-nail- and lip color- it all went together! Now, I didn't have oodles of outfits, but as I said- every outfit was complete! I shared this with my daughter-in-law, along with the wish to have that sort of wardrobe again! Mia informed me that it was possible to do this, and on my budget! O.k.- Mia! I take the challenge! Let's see what we can do!
   My confession is that I am NOT a shopper! Some people LOVE it, I just get tired and rattled. Years ago you could go into a shop, tell them what you needed, and go into the dressing room! The sales person would do the rest! Now, you have to go from department to department, and from designer to designer- praying you can find what you need. I personally find it exhausting!
   Mia needed a few specifics, like size, color preference, and particular style. Color I was sure about, size I wasn't sure (since I've lost a lot of weight), and style- well it just was hard to explain.
   Yesterday was blistery windy weather! But I was determined to see this shopping adventure through, knowing Mia would be there as my personal shopper.
   We got together early afternoon and headed for Elder- Beermann's in Howell. As we walked through the store, Mia browsed, picking items for me to try on. I sort of followed behind, trying not to get too involved with what she was choosing. She was, after all, my personal shopper for the day. Amazingly enough, she was choosing items I knew I'd love! Soft fabric turtle necks, a knit dress, sweaters with a bit of pizzazz, and a dress she thought would be a bit out of my comfort zone. What we couldn't find was a trouser style blue jean, but we had plenty to try on, The sale going on was fabulous, so that gave me a bit more lea way to get a few extras! Amazingly, I walked out of there with two dresses, three turtleneck tops, a necklace, a belt, four sweaters, and a knit sweater jacket!
   Being a person who's NOT a shopper, I needed a break! We went to the Blue Fin for a Sushi snack. It was the break I needed. A bit of sushi, a cup of green tea, and I was ready to go! Off we went to the Green Oaks shopping mall.
   Next was J C Penney's. That was a disappointment. Yes, they had a huge sale going on, but it was if they shipped in lower quality merchandise for the sale! Usually I like the stuff there, but not this time. I did find a long navy blue robe to replace my old white one! (Or should I say, Mia found it!)
   Off we went to DSW shoe store. For anyone with average width feet, this is the place to shop! The last time I tried on shoes the sales man told me to throw the shoes away and just wear the boxes! My feet are super wide! I've always found it difficult to find shoes that truly fit right, so- no, no shoes for me this trip!
   Our last stop was White House Black Market, a small clothing store with some beautiful things! You have to brace yourself a bit. The quality is high end, and so is the price. The customer service is superb! You let them know what you're looking for, and they pull from the racks for you. Mia sat outside the dressing room as a "go-between". By now I was in shopping overload. The more stuff that came into the dressing room, the more I began to stutter! Oh, my!
   The good news is that I found a beautiful dress, a pair of dress slacks, and a dressy skirt. Mia got me out of there before I collapsed in a heap of merchandise overload! Food! I needed FOOD!
   Mia suggested the Olive Garden. It was close, we both were starved, and the soup and salad there is wonderful! Once inside the restaurant we found out it would be a 30 minute wait! Oh my! In my state of exhaustion, she might as well said three hours! Mia told me- It's Sweetest Day! Groan! I'm not sure what hit me the hardest, the wait - or knowing I wasn't anyone's sweetie this year! (Like I said, I was exhausted- so found it momentarily easy to feel sorry for myself!) Thank goodness, THAT didn't last long, and neither did our wait.
   Our waiter was a young man named Mark. I knew he was very busy but still took good care of us! I had coffee, wine (just one glass), water, salad, and spaghetti- with appetizers before, and Mia and I split a dessert after. Thank you, Mark, for your excellent service and humor!
   What a day! I bought some beautiful things, at some great prices! I had the chance to spend time with my beautiful daughter-in-law, and thank God, she was the non-shopper's dream to have along!
   Thank you, Mia! I LOVE what you picked out for me! We'll have to do this again! (As soon as I recover from this shopping marathon!)



My beautiful daughter-in-law Mia the day she graduated from Law School. And the young man next to her? That's my son Steven, who I think is pretty cute, too! (I know, I sure sound like a proud mama- but I guess I am!)

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