Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
For those that have been following my family’s Black Friday antics, Black Friday 2017 was quite different.
Thanksgiving Day just felt different. (Little did we know at that time that our lives would change so much during the next year, but that is for another post.) The morning started just a little bit off. It was nothing that we could pinpoint; it just did not seem normal.
We started our trek to my brother-in-law’s, two and a half hours away. We had to stop a couple of times for very odd reasons. We had a nice dinner and started making preparations for our night of shopping. We even made new shirts for this year. They were blingy and so cute!
Something Different is in the Air
We headed out with our lists to pick up my sister-in-law’s granddaughter who was not feeling well. It was our regular crew: sister-in-law, niece and her husband, the aforementioned granddaughter, my son, and me. Our niece’s husband is in charge of finding our “theme song”. He had been very busy at work that week and had not had a chance to find us a song. The song usually sets the tone for the silliness of the night. This was definitely a missing component of the night.
We did, of course, have our usual silliness of shopping in a sleep deprived state. I get very silly when I need sleep. We did repeat old bad jokes and I would just start laughing like a crazy person. My laughing would cause others in the group to laugh. Yes, they laugh AT me and NOT WITH me! I have come to accept this as my lot in life in this family.
Don’t get me wrong, we did have a successful and fun Black Friday, but I think we all knew that it was a sign of the changes that would be coming our way. The mood was different and things just were not the same. Our family is growing and so there will be changes, but that will be another post. We will continue our Black Friday tradition for as long as we can.
Read the hilarious antics that have been a part of the past Black Friday Traditions:
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
Our annual Black Friday shopping has added a new chapter. I will say that Black Friday 2016 was the most unforgettable yet! In the past, we have talked to Siri, listened to and sang “Dumb Ways to Die,” told stupid jokes, and have done some crazy things. Black Friday 2016 definitely tops it all!
The rule is that once you turn fifteen, you can go Black Friday shopping. This time, my sixteen-year-old middle son decided he wanted to go. Apparently, this is not good when you put him with his thirty-two-year-old cousin’s husband, Jimmy, who is a former college football player (a big, big guy). All I can say is, “Heaven help us!”
Our outing started out pretty normal. Jimmy had already told us he had a YouTube song/video for us. After we had made several stops, he decided it was time for the video. It was “PPAP – Pen, Pineapple, Apple, Pen.” Let me say, this is the stupidest thing we have seen yet. It is so stupid that I cannot even laugh.
Our next stop was the mall to look at women’s boots for my niece. While she was looking, the “boys” are discussing what size women’s shoe they would need. Jimmy wears a men’s size 13 (Did I mention that he is a “big boy?”) so we knew he would not be able to find something to try on…in the women’s department. So they set off to find a boot for my son. They started with a lovely high-heeled sandal in a size 11. He modeled it for us and then said it was pinching his little toe. (He also almost fell twice and could not keep his balance in those four-inch heels.)
Then, Jimmy found the ultimate boot–a size 11 wide! This made them both happy. My son tried it on and stumbled around as other shoppers walked by giving them strange looks. We were all laughing so hard. Did I mention that it was around 2:00 a.m.?
These two continued getting in touch with their feminine side. They looked at makeup in Sephora. My son tried on sweaters that he had bought for his girlfriend. He even did the model poses. Yes, I took plenty of pictures! These two had quite the time and ended up getting lots of odd looks and lots of laughs.
The highlight of the night (yes, it got better) was when we later made a stop at Quik Trip. Remember the song that I mentioned earlier? It has a dance. Before they got back in the car, Jimmy taught my son the dance in the Quik Trip parking lot at 5:00 a.m. This was so funny! And, yes we did get it on video.
Before anyone says that I should not have shared some of these embarrassing highlights, I did preface the night with the comment, “Remember, what happens on Black Friday goes on the blog.” They were forewarned!
I do not know how we will top this next year,
but I am sure that they will try.
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
Last year, I wrote about my family’s crazy Black Friday experience. Believe it or not, it gets better every year. We have some great times together and create some fun Black Friday memories!
The last several years, my sister-in-law and I have insisted that we are not staying out all night. Somehow, my adult niece always manages to keep us out all night. Once, we even managed to get a trampoline in the minivan with five people. And last year, we finished shopping by 9:00 a.m. and I got to have three hours of sleep before going to have lunch.
Thanksgiving started as usual. Everyone got to be together, and of course, we ate more than we should. We got the newspaper ads out. We highlighted everything we thought we might want and organized our game plan. Then things got interesting.
I have never had an iPhone. I am an Android user! “What does this have to do with anything?” you ask. Well, I was introduced to Siri and the fun began. Have you ever asked Siri, “How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” So by 3:00 am, we are asking Siri everything from “Tell me a joke,” to “What is the meaning of life?” And we did not just ask once; we asked each question multiple times. Siri will give multiple answers. We let Siri entertain us every time we got back in the car.
Around 6:00 am, I knew my Black Friday post would post so I looked it up and read it to everyone. Of course, then we had to sing “Dumb Ways To Die.” I believe this will be our new Black Friday tradition. We had so much fun rehashing previous escapades.
Different and Quirky
We were afraid that one tradition was going to change last year–our pizza buffet lunch. There were more people to feed, a sluggish economy, and higher prices. We had previously decided we would forego the pizza and have leftover Thanksgiving dinner. Somehow, we found out that they were doing a Black Friday buffet special. That saved the day! We were able to go and have our traditional pizza. I know it sounds weird, but it is something we have done for years. It’s what we do. It’s different and it’s quirky, like our family!
Of course, the weekend was not without incident. There was an impending ice storm. My oldest son left after we got back from eating pizza so he could get back to college before the storm (That’s another story). We, unfortunately, did not. By the time we were ready to go, it had gotten pretty bad towards our home. We decided to stay another night (I had packed for it, just in case). We got up the next morning, called friends to check on the roads, and headed out. The closer we got home, the worse the roads got. Fortunately, we made it home without incident and a lot of prayers.
What Black Friday Memories Will We Make This Year?
I do not know what this Black Friday will bring, but I am up for the challenge. Now my family knows that what happens on Black Friday will be written about the next Black Friday. They need to work hard to give me new material.
Toni was born and raised in a small town in Oklahoma.She graduated from East Central University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics.After college, she returned to her hometown to marry her best friend, Charles.Toni is a stay at home mom to their three teens, two boys and a girl, whom God led them to homeschool.Her goal is to raise her children to love and serve the Lord.They live on a farm where they grow produce to sell at several farmers markets.She also plays the piano at church and teaches piano.
BLACK FRIDAY! Those two words either bring fear or joy to your heart. You are either one of them or one of them. Everyone has a strong opinion on it one way or the other. There is no in-between.
I love Black Friday! Some of you may think I’m crazy. I may be, but I love it. There is just something about getting out early and braving the weather and the lines to get that incredible deal. I am a bargain shopper! I also love the rush of getting in the crowds and trying to get that last box of Legos for $10.00 or that new digital camera for $50.00. Several years ago, I got up at 3:00 a.m. to drive 30 miles to stand in line to get a dual portable DVD player for our van. (Yes, I know I’m showing my age because nobody buys those things anymore.) Three in the morning is nothing now. We get going at midnight!
Well, we actually get started before midnight. This exciting event now takes place at my sister-in-law’s house. Thanksgiving is spent there in Tulsa, almost three hours away from where we live. We awaken early Thanksgiving morning and travel to their house. As all of our families have grown, it has been wonderful to have to add so many tables. I know that is the true meaning of this holiday: to be thankful for what God has given us and to be with loved ones–but we all love Black Friday!
After our incredible meal, the “girls” all sit around the table with the newspaper. This is a sight to behold. I am not going to give away all of our secrets, but I will share an overview of what transpires. Needless to say, we are very organized. We start with the first ad, circle what we want with bright markers and initial it, then pass it around the table. When everyone has finished, we go through and put them in order of store opening times. Then we check for duplicate items and find the best prices and make our list. We then make sure we have our shirts ready or make our new ones. Yes, we print up matching shirts for all of us! We don’t make new ones every year. We’ve even had strangers stop us and even take pictures with us in our shirts.
Most recent T-shirts
Back side of T-shirt
We try to take a nap! This does not always happen–most of the time it doesn’t. Okay, that may be wishful thinking. But, we do try to get things ready. There have always been four of us. This consists of my sister-in-law, niece, niece’s husband, and me. The niece’s husband is a 300+ pound former college football linebacker (you should see him in a bright pink shirt) so he is there for “protection” – and comedy relief. The last couple of years, we have started adding to our group. My sister-in-law’s granddaughter (She is not my great-niece because I am not that old. Only old people are “great” whatevers.) was allowed to go because she had turned sixteen. And now my daughter is counting down the years until she can go.
We all have our respective jobs! I am the “Bargain Hunter”. I search out the the items that we did not find quickly. I also pick up things for a friend who hates Black Friday shopping but wants some of the bargains. She even calls to check in with me to see how things are going. I will admit that Black Friday shopping is much easier with the invention of the cell phone. I often wonder what the increase in usage of cell phones is on that day.
We have a great time! We go from store to store. We also make several pit stops. I do not know if you have a Quik Trip where you live (I don’t), but I believe that it is the best place while Black Friday shopping. They have giant drinks, the best hot snacks (regular or breakfast), and of course clean restrooms (women’s and men’s, and women do go to the men’s when no one is around). I also get very “punchy” when I get tired. Around two or three in the morning, I start laughing at everything. This is where the nephew-in-law comes in. He starts with all the dumb jokes to see how much he can get me laughing. My favorite is still, “Two men walked into a bar; the third one ducked.” Think about that one. I also learned about YouTube from him. My favorite is “Dumb Ways To Die”. Apparently, this is an actual public service announcement from Australia. That makes it even funnier.
Sometimes we take a nap in the car! This we actually do. If there is a store that only one person needs something from, two go in and the rest of us take our nap. Somehow, we make it through the night and finish up by no later than 10:00 a.m. We then go home, take a nap, then go out for pizza. This is as good as Thanksgiving dinner. We go to a buffet. Yes, Thanksgiving dinner one day followed by pizza buffet the next day!
I missed this event last year. Our van broke down one hour from our house. By the time we got towed back home it was late. Our other vehicle had bad tires so it could not make the trip. My son’s car only seated four and we are a family of five. We were stuck at home with nothing but the desserts. Have you ever cooked a Thanksgiving dinner in two hours? I did, and it was actually good and completely gluten-free (my husband has a true gluten allergy).
I did take my kids shopping around 9:00 a.m. when my friend called to see how it was going. Of course, I got a lecture of why I did not call and tell her we were broke down and didn’t make it to Tulsa. They would have towed us home and we could have come over for dinner, etc. I had several of those offers and that overwhelmed me. My niece even called and said that it was not as much fun without me. My sister-in-law told me that they even discussed meeting me in Oklahoma City to do our shopping. Our nephew offered to come and try to fix our van. For Christmas, my niece gave me one of the gifts that we would always go to the mall for. She had picked up an extra one for me. We were truly missed! Of course, we did learn a lesson: when you miss Thanksgiving, they plot against you. That is another story for another post. I will get even with at least our nephew.
Our traditions have evolved over the years, but last year reminded me just how great my family and friends are. We get out in all the craziness, but we enjoy being together and being there for each other. I would not trade that part of our family for anything.
Do you have a Black Friday story to share?
What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?
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