Strategic Choice #1: Go early so that Sam could potentially nap in the afternoon
Strategic Choice #2: Hit up Denny's after drop off to ensure that (a) Sam gets a really "healthy" breakfast and (b) he naps in the afternoon
Strategic Choice #3: Skip the shuttle service opportunity and walk about 1/2 mile to and from our local foo-foo outdoor mall in order to (a) exercise and (b) make sure Sam gets a nap
Now that those strategic choices are "out there," let's recap the events of the day (yes, I said day, not morning).
In a moment of serendipity, Casa de la Tires (aka: the Acura Dealer) turned out to be a very entertaining place. Below is a picture of Sam with none other than Sam, the most-patient-salesman-I-have-ever-met. Sam showed Sam EVERY car on the showroom floor...If Sam asked to see the trunk, he saw the trunk. If Sam wanted to take a peek at the engine, up the hood went. If Sam wanted to sit in a car and push buttons, so it happened.
Of all the cars on the showroom floor, this was Sam's favorite. I don't know what it's called but I do know that Sam was privvy to some high class machinery. Please note that the white paper on the dashboard says "This car not for sale." The child has good taste. I guess I can thank the folks over at Disney/Pixar for their influence in this situation because Cars is Sam's ultimate favorite movie and we've watched it almost every movie night for the past year.
In keeping with Strategic Choice #2, Sam and I walked over to the mall. I thought he might want to play in the children's area or have a snack but, no, he didn't. He grabbed a chair, sat down, and watched this custodian clean the gum off of the concrete.
Apparently, he couldn't see very well so he got a little closer so as to really absorb all that was going on....
After our time with the custodian, I decided I needed to get some flip flops. We headed over to J. Crew and I proceeded to survey my options. While I was at the counter about to pay, I noticed Sam was not next to me anymore. I decided to not freak out and instead of walking all over the store in a "I've lost my child" manic-like way, I just yelled his name out. This worked instantly and as I was walking over to hug him, I discovered he had found a new friend:
Sam, never one to be bashful, got a little closer:
Strategic Choice #2 was still in effect and I was celebrating (in my head) the nap he would take later that afternoon. Our adventure continued and Sam met a few more people along the way. Here he is with the very nice window washer man who explained to him how his pole worked:
After a lengthy conversation about apparatuses, we had some bamboo play:
While still at the mall, Sam made friends with the guy from the MAC shop. I think, however, that this relationship was forged because the guy had a hammer and was clammerin' away as we neared him. Sam, quick to notice what was going on, shimmied right up to him and told him how to safely "hammer" the "thingy" he was using. This guy explained the intricacies of hammering as well as balancing stools so people could sit on them.
At 12:30, Sam and I headed back tot he dealer to pick up our car. Premusedly, it was ready. Factually, it wasn't.
So, what did we do? We headed back to the showroom where, Ramin, the second "most patient salesman in the world" showed Sam all the showroom cars AGAIN. This time, however, there was an Acura movie involved and Sam got to mess with all of the gadgets.
All in all, our excursion lasted four and a half hours. At the end of it all, I had spent:
$1200 on new tires
$70 at J. Crew
$8 at Starbucks
$15 at Denny's
$10 at Giggle (a baby store)
...and Sam did NOT nap that afternoon. So much for strategic planning.
please tell me you bought more than flip flops at Jcrew for 70 bucks! As for sam, you should've had him talk to the sales associate, the kid could've probably gotten you a discount with that enchanting personality of his!!!!
ReplyDeleteLove you, Sam!!!!
Nina:0)