First off, I sincerely apologize for my absence these last few weeks. I've been very busy - not shopping, though!!
This past weekend, the boys and I went to Summerville, SC to visit my parents for a long weekend. We had a very nice time catching up, and I was able to drive around and see how my old stomping grounds have grown.
On Monday, President's Day, we drove down to Charleston for the day to visit the fountains, swings, market, etc. The kids loved seeing the cruise ship that was docked (it even honked its horn "for them"). We walked the park, swung on the swings, watched the fountains longingly, as it was way to cold to splash in them. Then we headed over to the city market. I have always adored the market. It is several blocks of open air markets selling everything from hand-weaved baskets, unique jewelry, tasty local favorite treats, souvenirs, and everything in between. No matter what you find there, though, you can be sure it is unique. The hand-weaved baskets are a Charleston tradition. There are these shirts that appear to be really tiny because they are "accordioned," for lack of a better word. But when you put it on, it is flattering and fits nicely. There are these boxes that are hand-carved. Upon first glance, they appear to be really pretty boxes. But when you try to open one, you realize it's actually a puzzle. So you can put something secret in it and only those who know how to open the box can get into it. I could go on and on about the cool things one can find in the market. I lived in Charleston for ten years, and still find it remarkable.
I haven't been shopping in a while, due to my promise, so as I walked the market with my family, I actually had forgotten for several minutes that I wasn't allowed to purchase anything. I was creating a mental list in my head of all the things I wanted to double-back for before leaving, when I stopped and thought, crap, I can't buy anything! So I looked to my mom and was getting ready to start dropping hints. But I'm not allowed to do that either. People can only purchase something for me if it's a legitimate reason, like my birthday or Christmas. Unfortunately, President's Day did not fit the bill.
So I passed up the Charleston Receipts cookbook, which I've been meaning to pick up for years and years, a new viking wedding ring to replace the one I lost ten years ago, three different seasoning packets (buy two get one free!) with which to make dips, some hand-weaved coasters, which really do a nice job of keeping one's tables free of glass perspiration, a pair of black stretchy shoes that I almost (should have!) bought last time I was in town, and, oh, the list goes on. What could have been a gleeful extravaganza of shopping, was turning out to be a "why are we even here" kind of moment. That is, until, I realized my five year old was truly enchanted with everything in front of him. So I stopped sulking about not being able to buy stuff, and I started focusing my attention on enjoying my son's exploration. He was completely enamored with the magic boxes that he tried and tried to open, seeing all the bright colored clothing, watching the basket weavers' deft hands do hard work, tasting the samples of southern delectables, and running his fingers along the hand-crafted wind-chimes. When looking at the market through my son's eyes, I realized that it is filled with treasures to experience in the moment, and not filled with things that I must take home with me.
After the market, we had lunch at an old favorite, then made our way back to the car. On our path was a candy store and a bakery. I would like to lie and say I didn't purchase 3 kinds of fudge (buy two get one free!) and a super sinful salted caramel brownie. But this girl is only human, and we've all got to eat, right? My promise did not include food. It probably should have, but alas, it did not. :-)
