Today was our last full day in Philly. It got off to a slow start because the guys had a late night— which meant the girls were in charge of the kids. Camille brought Wawa coffee to the house and we all nibbled at different foods that were around. Once the guys were up and moving, the girls ran out to make some Christmas returns. First up, Buy Buy Baby. Camille had purchased an outfit for Arabella that we needed in a bigger size. Turns out it didn’t come in the bigger size, so we picked out some cute pink overalls instead with a white onesie with a Peter on collar underneath. It was also Keri’s first time in Buy Buy Baby, so we gave her the full walk through. She seemed appropriately impressed.
After Buy Buy Baby we hit the Chick-fil-A drive through to get some lunch for emmie. Camille, Keri and I got fries. Then it was off to Kohl’s and HomeGoods.
The purpose of the Kohl’s trip was to return a duplicate gift Camille had purchased for Arabella. We walked in with the box and I asked the greeter where the Amazon return counter was located. I may as well have asked, “Which way to Mars?” by the way he looked at me. He clearly thought I was crazy— and, if we are being honest, I thought the same of him. It was only after Googling, “Amazon returns at Kohl’s” that we learned it’s a convenience only offered in Chicago and LA. Oops.
Homegoods was a quick stop. It was attached to a Marshall’s and Camille and I looked around while Keri made her return. Then we picked up some takeout food for the guys— McDonald’s for Vinnie, subs for Jarmon and Scott— and headed home.
It was only about 3p at this point, so I texted Mandy to see what she was doing. Mandy is one of my best friends from Pittsburgh. She now lives in Connecticut and I in Chicago— but her sister and my sister in law live about 15 minutes apart in suburban Philly. Last year we slipped out for a quick drink at Chickie’s and Pete’s and had a wonderful catchup— so we decided to do the same again. Wine, crab fries and good friends are a winning trifecta. Mandy’s fiancé, Will, joined us this year. I didn’t invite jarmon because he only sees his family a few times a year and I thought he should spend the time with them.
Back at the house we all enjoyed some wine and watched some TV. I hadn’t eaten anything besides my Chick-fil-A fries and my crab fries (yes, i recognize that’s a lot of fries)— and I drank a lot of wine— so I was down for the count. When the third comedy show came on at about 9p, I slipped upstairs to read my Elin Hilderbrand book and call it an early night. The first few chapters were so good I was sad I hadn’t started reading it sooner. Luckily, there are still a few days left to winter break!
Trina Orlando 