June 22, 2009
The wedding we attended was on Saturday, and Annie came home on Friday. I had already informed her that she was going to wear the skirt I bought her when I was in Taiwan, but we didn't have an appropriate top to go with it. So, as soon as she came home, we ran to K-Mart. I was not very willing to go to the mall and buy an expensive top given that she despises wearing skirts and dresses, and probably wouldn't wear the new top that often, if ever again. Our goal was to get a top, but I had another purchase planned that I thought she would like.
We made it to the almost-local K-Mart, and began our quest. No offense to Scotts Valley, or to K-Mart, but that particular store sucks. Ok, I guess that sounds offensive. Nevertheless, that's my judgment on that store. The Girls Section had absolutely nothing. Everything had prints of iCarly, or Hannah Montana or some such crud. Nothing dressy. We finally found some tops that would work on a clearance rack for women. I think it was the clearance rack for old ladies from some of the clothes on it. Nevertheless, after 25 minutes we settled on the black sweater that she has on in the picture from the last post.
She was dragging her feet because she is always tired when she returns from her mother's. Apparently, the transition is more stressful than I understand. I told her that I wanted to look at something else, and she started feeling out whether I might let her wear the sweater with black capris instead of the skirt. No, you are wearing that freakin' skirt. It is a cool skirt, and she always receives compliments when she wears it. She just doesn't like skirts. I might not be that fashionable, but when I set my mind to it, I choose well. When I was hoofin' the streets of Taipei, I had my mind set...
She was still looking a little disgruntled when we entered the sporting goods section of K-Mart. I could see it in her face. 'I want to go home.' 'I want to have pizza for dinner.' 'I don't want to be here any more.' I reached up and grabbed a volleyball off of the rack, and she froze. Her eyes were huge, and her face was overtaken by a huge smile. Suddenly, she had energy. I drove home with a happy girl.
When we arrived home, she went in to try on the outfit. She gave her approval for the overall look, and then changed clothes, again. It was time for volleyball. We started practicing serving and hitting to each other. Now, I certainly do not claim to be an expert at volleyball, but I had a feeling that she had misinterpreted what she had learned at school. I tried to get her to hit it the way I thought was appropriate, and she argued that the P.E. teacher had said she was supposed to do it 'that way.' Ok. I thought maybe she would notice that when I did it 'my way,' the ball always went where I wanted it. She marveled at that, but was unwilling to change. Finally, the pain of hitting her forearms won out, and she tried 'my way.' She started getting great hits and serves. I reminded her that I don't know how one is supposed to hit the ball, but I understand physics, and this just made more sense. She interrupted to exclaim, 'I know, I know... Everything you are saying is right. That's what she she was trying to tell us.'
Oh my God. I finally won one. We played volleyball pretty much every waking moment we were home. It was great.
Spike!
We made it to the almost-local K-Mart, and began our quest. No offense to Scotts Valley, or to K-Mart, but that particular store sucks. Ok, I guess that sounds offensive. Nevertheless, that's my judgment on that store. The Girls Section had absolutely nothing. Everything had prints of iCarly, or Hannah Montana or some such crud. Nothing dressy. We finally found some tops that would work on a clearance rack for women. I think it was the clearance rack for old ladies from some of the clothes on it. Nevertheless, after 25 minutes we settled on the black sweater that she has on in the picture from the last post.
She was dragging her feet because she is always tired when she returns from her mother's. Apparently, the transition is more stressful than I understand. I told her that I wanted to look at something else, and she started feeling out whether I might let her wear the sweater with black capris instead of the skirt. No, you are wearing that freakin' skirt. It is a cool skirt, and she always receives compliments when she wears it. She just doesn't like skirts. I might not be that fashionable, but when I set my mind to it, I choose well. When I was hoofin' the streets of Taipei, I had my mind set...
She was still looking a little disgruntled when we entered the sporting goods section of K-Mart. I could see it in her face. 'I want to go home.' 'I want to have pizza for dinner.' 'I don't want to be here any more.' I reached up and grabbed a volleyball off of the rack, and she froze. Her eyes were huge, and her face was overtaken by a huge smile. Suddenly, she had energy. I drove home with a happy girl.
When we arrived home, she went in to try on the outfit. She gave her approval for the overall look, and then changed clothes, again. It was time for volleyball. We started practicing serving and hitting to each other. Now, I certainly do not claim to be an expert at volleyball, but I had a feeling that she had misinterpreted what she had learned at school. I tried to get her to hit it the way I thought was appropriate, and she argued that the P.E. teacher had said she was supposed to do it 'that way.' Ok. I thought maybe she would notice that when I did it 'my way,' the ball always went where I wanted it. She marveled at that, but was unwilling to change. Finally, the pain of hitting her forearms won out, and she tried 'my way.' She started getting great hits and serves. I reminded her that I don't know how one is supposed to hit the ball, but I understand physics, and this just made more sense. She interrupted to exclaim, 'I know, I know... Everything you are saying is right. That's what she she was trying to tell us.'
Oh my God. I finally won one. We played volleyball pretty much every waking moment we were home. It was great.
Spike!