Thanksgiving Day. Stanley usually shows up around 9:30 - 10:00 ish. We play around with my family. Usually Jo, Ryan, Leesa, my daddy, and Stanley play poker, BS, or ERS (Egyptian rat screw) and I watch. I will NOT play ERS with Stanley. The kid kicks butt, and your hand takes a full day to recover. He has a mean smack down. My dad usually has Stanley go downstairs to the recording studio to listen to one of his latest compositions to make sure it sounds the way he wants it to, to the public ear. (Not to mention Stanley is the ONLY friend I have that my dad actually respects his musical opinion... Talk about once in a blue moon. Whom ever I marry had better take lessons from Stanley as I've never seen my dad offer his respect or good opinion musically, so freely, to anyone! I'm still recovering from that shock of a lifetime...) Once that calms down we all troop up to my room where we crash on my bed for a few hours and discuss Black Friday. Normally, he comes to get me around 9am and we hit up Kohls, target, Sears. Basic clothing places. This year it started out fairly normal. Earlier than usual, but nothing terribly out of the norm. I got a call at 8:45 asking if I wanted any other movies and then I got a "YOU'RE NOT WATCHING THE MACY PARADE!?" After which I of course asked the channel and proceeded to watch the parade for the first time in my life. There were the occasional text messages throughout the day and what not. He came over around 10ish... visited a bit with Brianna (who stopped by to pick up her vest) and sat down to play poker and ERS after bringing me the famed Bentley Pumpkin Pie he'd been promising me for the past 3 years, and a bit of the sweet potato casserole or pie or whatever it is called, that he made. (I will admit I did a happy dance when I realized he had actually remembered. He called me right before he left his grandparents asking if I wanted some of the sweet potato something-or-other also... key word there is also. It didn't click until after I hung up the phone. I squealed and did my happy jig much to the enjoyment of Jo and Leesa. I hadn't believed him when he said he was for sure going to bring it this year. He was more determined than ever... and he came through! I am so proud of you Stanley! Hahaha! ) Both the pie and the sweet potato something-or-other lived up to, and even rose above expectations. For those of you who don't already know, I have a stance against pumpkin pie. I don't like it. Flat out. However, when I was dating Stanley I promised him that if he brought over a piece of this pie I would try it. It never made it past his plate so I started saying 'yes' just because I knew it would never happen. Way to prove me wrong on so many levels! This is a pumpkin pie that is more than just edible! It is down right enjoyable! The recipe for the sweet potato something-or-other is from Ruths Chris. The steakhouse Stanley works at. He made the one he brought to me, but if ever you go to Ruths Chris, go ahead and order it. It will "alter your life" as Stanley says. After the ritual poker game, and the ERS game; my dad had Stanley follow him and I to the recording studio where he had Stanley deliver his opinion of the newest Christmas composition 'Christmas Drums.' The other big change to this years tradition is the shopping. We went to South Towne at midnight. Jo and Leesa followed us in Jo's car as Stanley and I were going to Best Buy at 3am. That was the other change. I was doing the early morning shopping with Stanley this year instead of just the 9am clothing finds that were recommended to him by his mother and his aunt. The mall, just in case you were wondering was a mad house. Stanley described it to me as "trying to find your way through a bunch of lemmings" after having to run back out to the car to get his A.E. gift card and run back. We made 2 amazing finds at American Eagle. A v-neck dark grey sweater, and a navy blue zip-up hoodie. Originally they were about $70.00 altogether, but when the 'door buster' sale took place it was knocked down to about $48.00 to which we were able to use his $50.00 gift card and still have a little change left for another A.E. day. (Granted it will only take off tax or whatever, but still...!) We left the mall after wriggling our way in to Aeropostale' and walking right back out again. Totally not worth it! The place was so packed there was a line to get in! We made it back to my house leaving again after a quick pee break. We made it to Best Buy at about 2:00am. The line was already wrapped around the building. It turns out people had been camped out there since about 5:00 Thanksgiving Day. Stanley pulled out his stadium seat covers and we laid down on the cement... well, Stanley laid on the cement, I used him as a pillow. We fell asleep for about 20 minutes (favorite part... Stanley mumbling some random thing and the chick behind us though he was talking to her. Why he only talks in his sleep when he's with me... I have no idea, but I think it is one of the most entertaining things!) when the line began to compact. The people in tents had started to pack things up. It started to rain heavily around 3 am. You want cold, I'll give you cold! We were both shaking convulsively by the time they came around with the tickets at 4am. Stanley had the scarf I made him wrapped around his neck and tucked in to his coat, and the scarf from Maggie wrapped around his face. I had to snap a cellphone-picture as it was too hilarious to miss this opportunity of public humiliation!
We had a surprise visit from Dan Smith, my friend and ex-co-worker from my DFCU days, or as Stanley calls him 'break-room Dan.' We stood in that rain for 2 hours. It was horrible! After 2 rounds of 20 questions and a 5 minute spat of naming off things that were warm we finally made it in to Best Buy at 5 am. It was time to divide and conquer. I was in charge of finding the V-tech phone, the WII games, and then Stanley. He was going after the movies, and the tv series seasons. We found a few extra movies and made it out of Best Buy at 5:45am. We decided to stop by Kohls and look at their dress coats for Men. We didn't find anything but a euphoric delirium as we somehow wobbled our way back to his 'slick' little car. (Slick is the name for his passat...) After going 40mph down Bangerter, and weaving worse than a drunkard on New Years we made it to my house at 6am. Stanley made it up the stairs and resumed 'his side' of my bed and was out within 2 seconds of his head hitting the pillow. I turned my mattress on to high (I have a heated mattress, not an electric blanket... but the mattress itself is wired to heat up. I can't heat it by myself. It's too big.) so that we would heat up faster and slipped in to my silky pants. I refuse to sleep in jeans if I don't have to. It was 6:09am when I finally joined Stanley on the bed. He had rolled up in the blanket I had thrown on him. It was freaking hilarious! I was too tired to take a picture so you'll just have to picture Stanley rolled up like a pig in a blanket... in a light blue ladybug/caterpillar/dragonfly fleece blanket. His mom called a bit later, as well as his aunt Jenni, and then his mom again all within that first hour. We had about 2 1/2 hours of peace until the members of my family started to rise. Emma (6) and Miranda (9) were quiet. However my special needs aunt (twenty-something... 26...?) began to yell "let go of the plane Jessi" at the tv screen. She gets all in to whatever movie she is watching. Emma started yelling "BE QUIET LAURA" and and then all was quiet for maybe 30 minutes. How Stanley slept through this I do not know... Anyway, Emma came upstairs crying so I got up to quiet her. Stanley woke up to my moving, but was asleep again shortly after affirming I was okay. It was about 45 minutes later that my dad came in, shook his head at Stanley crashed on my bed and carried on with asking for my help in finding out what my mom wants for Christmas. He had to pull me out again 5 mintues later to get the computer to work so he could have my grandpa and Johanna preview the commercial I am doing for his store. I went back upstairs and snuggled up in my blankets again for another hour until Christina Dehlin called and recommended Stanley check out JC Penny's before the day ended. He rolled over and asked me if I would be okay with going there at 11:30. We wound up sleeping until 12:30... We got up and headed out to the District. His mom had picked out the perfect brown dress shoes. We found a leather belt that matched perfectly, and we left for target. We got a Starbucks hot chocolate to share and wandered around for a bit. Neither of us felt rested in the least bit, but it was an adventure well worth experiencing! I'd do it again next year, and will most likely wind up doing so. However, if we are going to wait in line at best buy again I am wearing two pairs of socks with hand warmers in my pockets, and a thermos of hot chocolate whether I am in the mood for it or not!!!
We had a surprise visit from Dan Smith, my friend and ex-co-worker from my DFCU days, or as Stanley calls him 'break-room Dan.' We stood in that rain for 2 hours. It was horrible! After 2 rounds of 20 questions and a 5 minute spat of naming off things that were warm we finally made it in to Best Buy at 5 am. It was time to divide and conquer. I was in charge of finding the V-tech phone, the WII games, and then Stanley. He was going after the movies, and the tv series seasons. We found a few extra movies and made it out of Best Buy at 5:45am. We decided to stop by Kohls and look at their dress coats for Men. We didn't find anything but a euphoric delirium as we somehow wobbled our way back to his 'slick' little car. (Slick is the name for his passat...) After going 40mph down Bangerter, and weaving worse than a drunkard on New Years we made it to my house at 6am. Stanley made it up the stairs and resumed 'his side' of my bed and was out within 2 seconds of his head hitting the pillow. I turned my mattress on to high (I have a heated mattress, not an electric blanket... but the mattress itself is wired to heat up. I can't heat it by myself. It's too big.) so that we would heat up faster and slipped in to my silky pants. I refuse to sleep in jeans if I don't have to. It was 6:09am when I finally joined Stanley on the bed. He had rolled up in the blanket I had thrown on him. It was freaking hilarious! I was too tired to take a picture so you'll just have to picture Stanley rolled up like a pig in a blanket... in a light blue ladybug/caterpillar/dragonfly fleece blanket. His mom called a bit later, as well as his aunt Jenni, and then his mom again all within that first hour. We had about 2 1/2 hours of peace until the members of my family started to rise. Emma (6) and Miranda (9) were quiet. However my special needs aunt (twenty-something... 26...?) began to yell "let go of the plane Jessi" at the tv screen. She gets all in to whatever movie she is watching. Emma started yelling "BE QUIET LAURA" and and then all was quiet for maybe 30 minutes. How Stanley slept through this I do not know... Anyway, Emma came upstairs crying so I got up to quiet her. Stanley woke up to my moving, but was asleep again shortly after affirming I was okay. It was about 45 minutes later that my dad came in, shook his head at Stanley crashed on my bed and carried on with asking for my help in finding out what my mom wants for Christmas. He had to pull me out again 5 mintues later to get the computer to work so he could have my grandpa and Johanna preview the commercial I am doing for his store. I went back upstairs and snuggled up in my blankets again for another hour until Christina Dehlin called and recommended Stanley check out JC Penny's before the day ended. He rolled over and asked me if I would be okay with going there at 11:30. We wound up sleeping until 12:30... We got up and headed out to the District. His mom had picked out the perfect brown dress shoes. We found a leather belt that matched perfectly, and we left for target. We got a Starbucks hot chocolate to share and wandered around for a bit. Neither of us felt rested in the least bit, but it was an adventure well worth experiencing! I'd do it again next year, and will most likely wind up doing so. However, if we are going to wait in line at best buy again I am wearing two pairs of socks with hand warmers in my pockets, and a thermos of hot chocolate whether I am in the mood for it or not!!! 
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