GUYS IT'S THE WEEK OF THANKSGIVING

I MADE IT!

As you can tell, I'm just a little bit excited for this week. Insert shameless plug for my Thanksgiving article here: 14 Reasons Why I'm Craving Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow I fly home, and I will spend almost a whole week with my family. It's been over three months since I have seen them.

I can't wait to be home where I will: watch movies with my family, drink tons of Scenic Brew Coffee, help cook Thanksgiving Dinner, get out the Christmas decorations, help lead worship on Sunday, and go Black Friday Shopping!

Speaking of Black Friday, this week, I have decided to tell the slightly funny story of my first Black Friday experience. So, let's begin.

Until recently, Black Friday has never been a big thing in my family. In fact, I had no clue what it was until sixth grade. I was so confused why it was called that. Why "Black Friday?"

Maybe it's because people's hearts turn black doing whatever is necessary to get great deals? Maybe because it's pitch black outside when you wake up in the wee hours of the morning to have cart wars? Or is it because your wallet becomes empty after all the shopping, so it's no longer full of green but just black emptiness?

Who really knows?

When I was in sixth grade, I went Black Friday shopping for the first time. During that time in my life, I was convinced I was going to be a pastry chef. I loved cooking and baking. I watch the Food Network all the time. So, what does a future baker ask for Christmas?

A Kitchen Aid mixer of course!

I wanted one desperately. I was sick and tired of using a handheld mixer. Those things kill your arms after five minutes!

So, this year, I was determined to get a stand mixer. I looked through all the ads searching for the best deal. Then I found it. A pearl white Kitchen Aid under $150. I needed this.

Once I found it, The hard part was convincing my dad to let me get it. But, somehow, I managed to convince him it could be my Christmas, birthday, and next year's Christmas present.

So, after Thanksgiving dinner that year, dad and I prepared for our shopping trip. First, we looked at the Wally World store map. Because, for some reason, they just hide stuff all over the store in weird places.

It's basically a Christmas scavenger hunt that no one appreciates.

After locating what we wanted, we made a game plan. He'd get hunter's bike from the garden center, and I'd get the mixer from the curtains section. But, we never said where we'd meet after that.

Big mistake.

So, the next morning, we got up at 3 a.m. to go shopping. I was so excited. I had no idea what I was going to walk into. After we finally found a place to park, we entered the store.

I have never seen so much chaos in my entire life.

Carts were flying, people were everywhere, and it was pure craziness. My dad headed towards the bikes, and I went and stood in line for my mixer. Five people were in front of me. Yes, I was the weird kid standing in line for a Kitchen Aid mixer, and I felt no shame.

As soon as the "ok" was given to the employees to let us loose, the chaos began. I grabbed this humongous, heavy box and headed for the front of the store.

Then I realized. I had no idea where my dad was going after he got the bike.

Have you ever tried to find someone in Walmart on a normal day? How about Black Friday?

It's not easy.

So not only was I the weird kid with this big Kitchen Aid box, I was the weird kid going in circles looking for her dad in the middle of cart wars.

I finally gave up. My arms ached from carrying the heavy box. I sat on the floor, out of the way and waited at the front. Then, my dad walked in from the outside through the doors.

Turns out, in the time it took me to get a Kitchen Aid and circle the store four times, he had bought a bike and put it in the car.

He held the box after that.

And, we've been Black Friday shopping every year since.