sometimes, at any cost. i need to work on that.

yesterday was...uh, interesting. we took a family adventure {we were due for one} and drove ourselves to carrolton, texas {not sure i'm spelling that right}. the adventure had a purpose, besides spending time together in the car exploring our outer surroundings. i had been scoping craigslist recently with a friend, which i haven't done in a very long time {for very, very good reason} and came across an adorable ballerina doll. i fell in love with her, as only a mother can with a toy for their daughter. i was determined to make her a christmas present for jess this year. at a whopping $3, she was brand new and still lovingly in her package. for this christmas, that was my kind of deal!

after i spotted her on my computer screen, i spent the next week corresponding with her owner about how i could get my fingers on this steal. shipping her was not an option for the seller {i understood}. and driving was not an option for me {so i thought}. i googled mapquest and found out this little three dollar doll lived about 40 minutes away. i didn't think that was too terribly out of the question, but i'm still not up for exploring on my own. i casually mentioned to the hubby if he was up for a family adventure on friday and he questioned oh-so-gently my motive. he kindly and willingly agreed. yippee!

okay, back to what felt like a choose-your-own-adventure. i'm usually pretty direction savvy, but moving here has tested my skills a little too closely for my comfort. confidence is a good thing to have when it comes to knowing your way around. yesterday, i just shot myself in the foot. we even had "tom" to direct our path with his kind voice radiating from the helpful mini-computer screen on our dash. i wanted to overpower his sense of direction and take over. i almost got us on the wrong highway. headed in the wrong direction. now i know why he kept saying over and over and over again "turn right up ahead". "he" knew where we wanted to go and how to get us there. "he" knew what road to take. what highways would merge us in the right direction. "he" had to correct our route and regroup on several occasions. "he" had to recompute.

we eventually made it. three different highways later and a few missed turns, we safely arrived at the mcd's that was our chosen meet-up place. i discreetly retrieved the gift and put it in the car without jess even knowing. we were headed home. at least, that was the plan.

with a screaming baby in the backseat, it was a little difficult to hear tom's melodious voice guiding our way. we almost ended up in fort worth, a good 45 minutes in the opposite direction. thankfully, we jumped off the highway, turned around and found our way back on the correct northeast, south bound, heading west highw...gosh, i don't know. either way, we found home thanks to tom {and a somewhat patient husband}. *wink

my poor hubby. on his one day off, i took him on a whirlwind adventure to get a three dollar doll. gas probably ended up costing more, but it's the experience that counts, right?

and here she is, so sweet and totally worth it.*no peeking jess*