December 21

I wasn't really thinking when this morning, as we pulled out of the Mother Ship parking lot, I told Abby that we were going to go on a Costco run.

Because Costco is a virtual zoo this time of year, which I remembered as we rounded the corner in front of the store and I spied a line of cars parked along the side of the road. Oops.

But, as it turned out, it wasn't much of an oops after all. There were lots of cars circling the parking lot, but we found a space quickly. (In the back, of course, but why not?) There were also lots of people inside, but Abby navigated the cart like a champ, we got what we needed (and in some cases just wanted), and hit the efficiently-run self-checkout line in good time. Even a brief stop by the food court for a smoothie and a hot dog and soda combo (because it's still just $1.50, baby!) didn't slow our pace much at all. 

It was, all in all, a blessedly easy trip. And even better, I got to spend time walking around with my girl, which is always a blessing.