i took these pictures while we shopped for blue suede shoes for bear’s birthday gift a few weeks ago. i pity the girl who can’t have fun in a shoe store…

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[today's list: things i'm taking]

we’re going to Sunny Southern Indiana next week, and i’ve already planned to *borrow* the following things from my parents’ house:

~ white milk glass vases and bowls from the credenza in the dining room
~ real sterling silverware and serving spoons from the china cabinet
~ a vintage bracelet or two from mom’s back closet
~ lots and lots of lavender from the garden
~ my collection of sweet pickles books from the upstairs playroom
~ (bonus: maybe a few pyrex teacups from the Jose Casa in indy….)

we prefer to drive rather than fly this trip for more reasons than just finances (although three flights + rental car to shuttle between Indy and Eville really would add up to something unpleasant, as in “we could practically fly to Paris for that amount!”). on top of the fun adventure of the road-trip – fueled by good playlists, incendiary talk radio, and hearty truck-stop coffee – it’s nice to be able to pack the car with all those clothes, toys, and trinkets we’re ready to pass down to the relatives back home. i always imagine coming back with *less* stuff than we left with, but in addition to the stuff i *ahem* borrow from mom & dad and the obligatory “oh my gosh, this is sooo much cheaper here!” goods i stock up on, eric’s Aunt Felicitas typically manages to fill every free spot in the car with packages of toilet paper, paper towels, snacks, and soda before we pull out of the driveway to head home. seriously, we had been married for 5 years before we ever had to *buy* a roll of toilet paper (she once had to send us a *giant* package, and ingeniously used fresh rolls of toilet paper as packing material in the very-big-box) ….it makes me feel spoiled and pampered, and more than a little like The Beverly Hillbillies rolling back into town.

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