i was one of the masses.

i can't believe we did it, but we actually went shopping the day after thanksgiving. granted, our method of shopping was a little unorthodox.

first we headed off to the diner for breakfast.

and around 11 a.m. we were at the liquor store. (buying gifts! i swear!) this is new for us this year -- being "prepared." we bought a case of wine to give as hostesss gifts (now- try and refrain from inviting us over all at once). different kinds depending on who we would be visiting. white, red. pinot noir, zinfandel, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, burgundy, riesling.

next stop - bed, bath and beyond. two more gifts, no lines, easy parking spot. almost too good to be true.

then we headed down to a boutique in plainville called the artisan's marketplace where we got another three gifts. all wrapped, too.

still fueled from breakfast, we headed over to borders and knocked two people entirely off our list. practically no line, but the parking lot was a little insane.

by this point, we're clearly feeling overconfident. so we headed to the shoppes at farmington valley - one of those outdoor lifestyle shopping centers. the second we pulled into the parking lot, it was clear that we may have overshot this whole shopping thing. there were lexus suv's coming at us from all directions, volvo stationwagons jumping curbs and aiming for the closest spot in front of sur la table -- it was a madhouse, people.

we headed towards the outskirts. our destination was kohl's -- and by some miracle, we got a parking spot -- (side note, the day after thanksgiving did appear to be a great day to go grocery shopping.)

20 minutes later, we were in line with a gift for my mom. long line though it was, we were out of there inside 30 minutes.

and i'd just like to point one thing out: i slept in until 9:30.