Therapy

I had a doctor's appointment to follow with on my schnauze, and it was in the town of Apple Valley. As my mother said, it just sounds like a cheery place to be. Its true! I had the best morning I've had in a long time.

The drive is agonizing. Nothing but desert hills to see along the way, and it takes about an hour and twenty minutes from post. However, once you leave the interstate and drive up the hill and through the two rocky hills, you feel like you've gone through a gateway to a better place. Most of the area of California we are near is barren, dumpy and lacks any decent shopping, structures, level of cleanliness, etc. Apple Valley, on the other hand, feels like home. I listened to country music on the way there and actually teared up at one point, listening to a song about a farmer driving his planter along a highway with cars lining up behind him flipping him off. I laughed because I pictured my dad driving the planter and I instantly became homesick.

Once I got finished at the doctor's office (everything up the good old sniffer is doing well, by the way), I headed down the road. I'd heard there was a Target, Wal-Mart, etc about three miles away. I couldn't fathom this being true. I had to see it for myself.

I drove as fast as I could, within reason, the three miles.I came around a small bend and there it was....the red and white sign, gleaming in the sun...it was SUPER TARGET! My happy-mones (good version of hormones) were soaring! My daughter and I stopped to grab a bite to eat at McDonald's and off we went on our Target adventure. Walking down the aisles (which were clean), sifting through the clothes racks (and not just cheap foreign clothes with dumb sayings...Wal-Mart), seeing interesting and unqique home decor, the familiar red shirts with khaki pants clad employees and the cute little Archer's Farm brand boxes of food brought back countless memories of home. Target is my mom and I's (is that proper grammar?) favorite place to get groceries and shop for every day items. In fact, most of my close friends do the same. When I used to get bored, I'd stroll around Target. When I needed a baby shower gift or to register for my own, I went to Target. When I needed new comfy pants (I'm addicted to comfy pants) I went to Target to buy them.

I spent two hours in that store. I easily surpassed my $100 cover charge. I purchased four floor runners, foam bath letters/numbers for my daughter, diapers, and foil. Every day items made extra special just because I bought them at Target. I felt like I had gone to two hours of therapy. I feel so much better!