Blessed :)

Last night Mike and I took the kids and headed over to Merritt Island to the nearest mall to get some shoes. His tennis shoes were beyond worn out and mine need replacing really soon too. Rack Room does sales pretty often where it's buy one get one 1/2 off, so we generally try to hit that and were glad to find that was the case last night :) Both of us found shoes that we like and we saved $40 both by the better prices there and because of the sales. We both have issues with our feet/ankle and need supportive shoes that we just don't generally find for $10 at Wal-Mart, unfortunately. His shoes were so bad that he actually wore two DIFFERENT shoes all day yesterday and then to the mall last night. Glad we found a good sale :)

I also needed some books to take to St. Pete so I have something to do for the many hours of sitting bed-side. I read a few while I was there last time and this trip I won't be able to spend the night with her (CVICU rules) so I'll have even more time I need to preoccupy myself during the evening. Mike and Kristopher walked down the mall to move the car up to bookstore parking since it was 9pm (and the kids were AMAZINGLY well behaved!) and the interior mall was closing. Have I ever mentioned that a bookstore is the PERFECT 'rest stop' on a long trip? Ok, well, if I haven't there ya go. The three little ones and I parked in the coffeeshop of the bookshop and I made up bottles and gave Brianna her cup of milk. I had a small bottle of gatorade for K when he came back, and I bought a hot chocolate and we sat there for a few while everyone had their drinks. Not exactly a great place for a whole meal, but a snack is no problem either.

While I was sitting there some friends from church (Hi Val and Gary!) stopped in and told me that they'd seen sales on Christian Fiction and told me where to find it (in the clearance area UNDER the counter- on 'display' but virtually invisible!). They headed back out as the mall gate closed and when Mike got there I went to explore. Well, not only did I find the ones that they'd pointed me to, there were two other areas that also had 75% off sales and had some Christian Fiction included :) I love Lori Wick, Beverly Lewis, Jeannette Oke, and a few others that I can't name off the top of my head but I recognize their name/work. I found 2 or three in one area, another two in another area, and a few more somewher else. Each book was $4! Normally they're $14! I picked up a nice stack and spent $36 on not three books, but NINE :) I will have plenty to read in St. Pete and will have no problem finishing the rest in the future. Several of them are continuations on series I'd started and a few are new to me. One is a new author I hadn't heard of before as well. What a neat surprise-- I expected to find 2-3 books and spend the same amount!