Friday, November 26, 2010

bright friday

i had good intentions, i really did.

my plan was to get up at 4 a.m. this morning to brave the black friday crowds with my mama and sister. though i'm trying to buy homemade and secondhand this christmas, i wanted that experience. of trekking to target in the dark. of starbucks at 6 a.m., shopping bags full at our chilly feet. but mainly, more than anything, i wanted to make a memory with those women so special to me. black friday was more than a crazy shopping day to me. it was a chance to create one of those "remember when" moments that i could look back on fondly.

but a few things stood in my way.

the first was a sleepover. the kind that i haven't had in a long while.

my mama spends the night with my grandpa, nanno, on tuesdays and thursdays. since his pneumonia, he has just felt more comfortable having someone in the back bedroom, in the off chance that he falls in the middle of the night or has an emergency. he has five children, three of which live within walking distance, so they just all switch off spending the night with them. last night was mama's night. since my sister is home from college for thanksgiving and we want to soak up our time with her, enjoy every second of her sweet, kind presence, we decided to make a
night of  it.

we painted nails. stayed up watching chelsea lately and talking. nanno retired early, around 10, and mama held her heavy eyelids open until around midnight, finally retreating to her childhood bedroom in her flannel pajamas and warm socks.

my sister and i, knowing that our black friday adventure was to start at 4, stayed up the entire night. on nanno's couch, we sat with our legs crossed facing each other in our pjs. for a while, we watched mindless television. then, without discussing it, we simply muted the shows and began to talk. a good, heartfelt talk like we used to have when we shared a bedroom. it made my heart smile to listen to her talk about her  life, and to share mine with her.

then 4 a.m. rolled around. we woke up mama. all three of us prepared to go shopping. and i  realized i just couldn't do it. i didn't need to. i had already made my memory that night. i had bonded with the women in my life over so much more than early bird specials. so i let them go on, and i headed back to my cottage in the dark, where i saw this:



and i knew i had made the right decision to stay home. as quietly as i could, i slipped into bed, barely waking my sweet husband and pablo. and then, just as i had spent the night with the two top women in my life, i rolled over on my side and said my prayers, thankful to spend the wee hours of the morning with my two top men.

19 comments:

Jessica Adams said...

Wow. I followed you back from your comment and I am SO glad I did. I am absolutely in love with this post -- quite honestly it makes me speechless.
Totally. Following. You.

--Jessica
www.lifedoneproperly.com

Anonymous said...

i think you should publish a book of your posts and sell it. it would be the perfect handmade christmas gift, because all of your posts feel like a little gift!

i'm glad you made such great memories. your family sounds magical and loving. and the last part of your post is just too too perfect.

happy bright friday to you :)

sarah nicole said...

Awww so sweet!

lindsay said...

everything you say is just so beautiful. isn't it a nice feeling when you can really get wonderful bonding time in with your family? it really puts everything into prospective.

thank you for sharing this lovely gift with us...your family sounds absolutely wonderful and i'm so happy that you had a magical time with each other :)

elisabeth said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Daydream Living said...

Hi Courtney,
I left you a comment on the lovely tights (and having a mum who knows what you like is so precious). I love that photo of your husband with the dog, and indeed memories come in all kind of shapes and having this blog will help you remember it even better! Gotta go to sleep it's again late here with snow outside...
Maureen

Amy said...

This sweet post just melted my heart, in all seriousness. I'm sitting here with this little smile because I know this feeling all too well. I too tried to make it to Black Friday, but plans fell short as well. And I love love love seeing my sleepy man in bed. Great post darling! Just wonderful!

Blondie's Journal said...

Your post brought back a flood of felling that I had from nights spent with my mom and sisters...just talking endlessly. I'd love to have those times again...

I'm so glad you stopped by. I'll be back to visit more.

XO,
Jane

Kaity Teer said...

Beautiful retelling of such a meaningful experience. I so enjoy your writing. Sounds like you enjoyed a lovely Thanksgiving.

P.S. What kind of dog do you have? My parents have a havanese named Wilbur. They look like they could be brothers or cousins. :)

ChinkyGirLMeL said...

Awww how sweet. I hope you have a happy happy weekend with the top people in your life. =)

the solar flare said...

beautifull post :D i'm new on blogger :D if you want to follow me i'll follow you back:D xoxo http://martinathesolarflare.blogspot.com/

Dee Paulino said...

Sounds like a perfect bonding moment. You you you are a sweet apple!!

Signe said...

Aaaaw, so sweet!! Glad you had a great time - shopping or no shopping :)

Kelsey Cunningham said...

This is such a sweet story. My mom and I try to make it shopping on black friday but haven't made it each year. Your writing is grand, made me smile. Hope your Thanksgiving was fabulous.

http://eatdrinkbeatourist.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Um, OH MY GOODNESS, that is the sweetest, cutest thing I've ever read. I'm so glad I decided to check out your blog. Definitely a new follower, and excited to learn more about you :) What a sweet little family you have. And that dog is the cutest thing in the whole world :)

vintch said...

Thank you sweet friends for your sweet words! @Kaity--Pablo is a bichon frise-- it means little white lap dog but on our case its more like spoiled rotten lap dog:)

Amy O Kay said...

this is such a beautiful post! thanks for sharing this memory with your readers.

a whole lotta love said...

so fun! isn't that what thanksgiving is all about?

charla beth said...

this was sweet and romantic.
what a perfect way to spend Thanksgiving
and to bring in the first day of the Christmas season.

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