Let the shopping begin...

Day Three...Power Shopping

Huh, does power shopping somehow involve a slow, painfully slow, trip through...wait for it...Sam's Club?  It does for the Illinoisans. Let me preface this by saying that while I am up, showered and ready to head out by 9:30 (which is a far cry later than the average work day) the Illinoisans wake up around 9:30 and proceed to move at the pace of the turtles (and not the ninja variety).  So, at 11:00 we are ready to head out for power shopping. I ask where they would like to head, ready to aim my vehicle for the Scottsdale Fashion Square or some such holiday shopping Mecca. 

Sam's Club comes the reply.  Ok...

So, we get in the car...I can't even express what a feat this is. My dad can't buckle his belt, so Esther is going to help him...yes this takes an entire 4 minutes.  We head out and my dad exclaims "wow look at the traffic would you? I've never seen this many cars, it's more than Chicago!"  Really?  Ok, we'll at this point it's cute.  And I'm glad I'm doing the driving.

We drive the 5 minutes too the local Sam's Club, slooowly get out of the car, complete with my dad not being able to figure out how to get the seat belt off...push the red button I say.  I can't see the button is his response.  Ok, we will help you....we get him out and walk, again slooowly to the doors to enter. Esther asks my dad to get his card out to show the attendant. 

Yep, he can't find it....in the mean time I've dug mine out and I'm heading in...but wait, where are they?  Yep standing in the entrance, blocking the way for all others looking through every pocket in my dads pants and jacket for his card.  Finding it after an extensive search they head to the scooters, Esther hops (as much as one with a cane can hop) in and we are racing beside her as she speeds through the store. If only I had a hook on the back of my car to bring one along for every ride.

We gather the items they are sure they cannot live without while they are here and head to the checkout...what? It's now 1:30? How can that be?  

Yes they bought maybe 10 items, and we have spent nearly 2 hours "power shopping". 

This is where it gets good.  My dad decides that he might want to stop off in the bathroom before we make the looong (5 minute drive) back home.  He literally spends 12 minutes in the bathroom.  I'm ready to send out a search party when he arrives.  On the way out the door I see a hearing aid kiosk located near the check out area. I stop over and ask the gentleman if he could do an exam on my father - have I mentioned that I have to repeat literally every. single. thing I say twice?. He is available and I convince my reluctant dad to have a seat.  The first step is looking in his ears only to see that an entire wax museum has taken up residence. Yuck, right!  I agree that we will have his ears cleaned elsewhere and we make an appointment for the following Thursday (two days after Christmas).  Doesn't that sound like just the Christmas treat?!

Exhausted, we head home (and I once again field the question/statement "wow look at the traffic would you? I've never seen this many cars, it's more than Chicago!")  where I make lunch and we rest.  

Power shopping at its finest...not