Come Together

I awoke to fresh air, cool wind, and a lovely, sunny day. I originally got up around quarter of 8, but I went back to sleep for another hour. Read the original novelization of New Hope for a while, then went online as Lauren got up and about. Ate banana-blueberry muffins for breakfast as she got dressed.

We finally headed out around 11. It was a glorious morning for a walk. The sun was out, the wind was blowing, and it was much warmer than it has been, in the mid-70's. Our first stop was The House of Fun, the collectible toy shop on the White Horse Pike. We pretty much have to go there today and tomorrow. They're going to be closed for their own vacation from Saturday through May 31st. We spent an hour going through the piles of toys, DVDs, Blu-Ray, old video and board games, stuffed animals, records, comics, and books on pop culture. The arcade games they have in the back room were even turned on. We both eventually ended up with Funko Pops. Lauren picked up wrestler Ronda Rousey; I got the elder Luke Skywalker in his lighter Force Awakens robes.

There's a comic book store, Comicrypt, right next door to The House of Fun. Lauren browsed through the stacks, but didn't get anything. I settled for petting the black and white kitties who wandered around the counters.

Strolled down the White Horse Pike and over the train bridge into Audubon to check out the used CD store Abbey Road. Bob, the gregarious owner, was dealing with a customer when we came in. We had plenty of time to check out his stock. Lauren chose two CDs for her father and two for herself, one a Micky Dolenz set she said she'd been looking for. Along with The Glenn Miller Story on DVD, I bought:

Areatha Franklin - Greatest Hits

Fred Astaire - Steppin' Out: Astaire at MGM

Aerosmith - Permanent Vacation

The Lion King Original Broadway Cast Album

By that point, it was past 1:30. Lauren only had a granola bar for breakfast, and I was hungry, too. We headed down Nicholson Road and past Wal-Mart to Sonic. The clouds were in and out, and the wind had picked up, but the weather was still nice enough to eat outside. She had a Bacon Double Cheeseburger, tater tots, and a cranberry limeade. I had a regular cheeseburger, tater tots, and a frozen cherry limeade. We enjoyed our meals while listening to a family with two funny kids finish their own meal.

I had to show Lauren the new Goodwill that just opened last October. She bought clothes for her parents. I found a mint-in-the-wrapping copy of All Dogs Go to Heaven and All Dogs Got to Heaven 2, along with a CD copy of the Mary Martin studio recording of the 30's Gershwin musical Girl Crazy.

Five Below is next door. We stuck to junk food here. They have aisles of every kind of candy you can imagine, including some that's hard to find elsewhere. I went with Reeces Dark Peanut Butter Cups (which the Acme no longer sells), a Zagnut candy bar (haven't seen those since I went to the Vermont Country Store with Lauren last fall), and Junior Mints, along with batteries. Lauren bought Hershey's bars and a box of mini Nestle Crunch.

We were in and out of Marshalls' and Ross. Neither of us bought any clothes, but Lauren found more junk food on clearance. We each bought a box of coconut patties and a bag of Jelly Bellys. (Her bag is fruit-flavored. I have a "Spring Mix.")

It was almost 4 PM when we headed out of Ross'. It was time to do our grocery shopping. Lauren and her parents love Hint infused water, and it's on sale for a dollar this week. She bought three, and I got one for me too on the way home. Bought Monterrey Jack cheese and tortilla chips for dinner tonight and berry preserves for a bar cookie I'm hoping to try. Restocked milk, shampoo, yogurt, bananas, and an onion.

(And no wonder I was able to get over a week off. The Acme was dead when we arrived, and at rush hour, too. We got into a line with no trouble.)

When we got home, we put everything away, then ran Goofy cartoons as I made Tex-Mex Black Bean Dip for dinner. Came out really well, too. After dinner, we ate candy and played video games. We tried Lego Star Wars, but couldn't get through the Pod Race, and it gave Lauren motion sickness. Had more luck with Lego Clone Wars once we got past the chaotic Geonosis Arena round. "Battle of the Droids" was fun, and is a good round for two players, as it encourages cooperation between clone soldiers and the Jedi (Ahsoka and Anakin, in this case).

Tomorrow, we're going to take a train in Philly to check out their historic three-story Macy's downtown.