After far too little sleep, I woke up before the sun rose over the mountains. Can’t really call that “O’ dark-thirty,” since there was light (and a good amount of it, at that). After observing the hygiene rituals, I took Jess to her doctor’s appointment. I killed the intermittent hours by sketching, reading and watching the wallpaper curl. I brought her back home and kept an eye on her while she slept. She woke up a few hours later; I ran to the store to pick up a few things and fixed her a light lunch. Seeing that she was feeling better, I decided that I was going to head to Home Depot and Lowe’s to check out a few things.

That seemed harmless enough.

I headed out a little before 2:00. I decided to grab a cup of frozen mocha goodness on the way. I stopped at the soon-to-be-VERY-local Beans & Brews. I wasn’t aware that it was “Mocha Monday,” but since it was, I had a large frozen mocha (with two espresso shots) for less than the price of a medium (without shots!!!).

Three LDS missionaries were also there. Missionaries… at a coffee shop?! My mind reeled from the seeming paradox. Two of them hung out by the door. The third was in line and ordered a hot beverage. This may seem innocuous enough, but there is a verse in… The Word of Wisdom, I believe… that cautions against “…hot and strong beverages…” (Yes, I do pay attention to the things that my LDS friends tell me. Yay for Comparative Religion!) The young man got his drink and the trio departed. Suffice if to say that I was a little stunned. And more than a little amused.

Then I was off to the Lowe’s at Jordan Landing!

As I said, the trip to the home improvement stores was intended to be fairly quick and painless.

It was painless.

“Quick?”
Not even close.

It’s finally happened.
I had heard friends talk about it, but never completely understood it.
At least not in this sense.

I can lose track of time in a Best Buy. Easily.
Ditto for Toys ‘R’ Us. (Especially if Joe is there. And there are FunNoodles around. We tend to have “swordfights” through the store.)
I can spend hours in an IKEA. Some people have been unfortunate enough to have experienced this phenomenon firsthand. (: I forgive you – more or less – for having gone to IKEA without me on Saturday.)

This… this was something else.
I spent over two-and-a-half hours in Lowe’s.

I really went in just to price lawn mowers, particle board and/or drywall. And joint/wall compound – because I need to patch a couple of wiring holes that I put in the walls here. (What?!? I needed to be able to run a couple of cables from the living room into the office. And I surely wasn’t going to have cables running along the floor down the hall!)

I think that I walked down EVERY aisle in the place. Taking notes. Getting pamphlets. Trying to figure out “Where could I use one of these…?”

I think that it’s official: I’ve been assimilated.

And… AND… I didn’t even look for anything to construct the ‘Mech.

And we haven’t even moved into the house yet.
God help me when we do…

*sigh*

It’s Game Night. I should get going.

…but there’s a Home Depot along the way.

Pray for me.