to say the girls' weekend was fun is an understatement. kathy and I met my mom and aunt karen for lunch at Panera to get sustenance for the shopping that was ahead of us. anticipation ruled our conversation- "do you have a list?" "what's on your list?" "what patterns are you looking for?" then we were off!
we walked into the colliseum in just two minutes- no long lines here. we decided to divide and shop for an hour then meet up at 'our spot' to sort and regroup. this part went like clockwork. then the announcements started- "ladies, the end of the check out line is marked by the pink and silver balloons. at this minute the wait to check out is two hours." YIKES! I started to get concerned. now for those of you not 'into' vera bradley you may be thinking 'I wouldn't wait that long in line for anything!' and normally I would be with you. but this sale was about more than shopping. it was about being, spending time, and sharing life moments. my sister and I got in line first, then mom and aunt karen joined us. in total, we waited four hours to check out! rumor has it that at one point, the fire marshall closed the doors because there were 5,000 people in the room!!
for all the waiting, we did find incredible products and save a ton of money! in the end I purchased 49 items {for me, gifts, lisa, and becky} with a retail value of $1495 for $245. I can't show all the specific items, because I was able to purchase 4 great christmas gifts! but for me-a backpack, backsack, coin purse, five belts ($1 each!!), a mini hipster, and pj pants. after dinner and a fun trip to Target, we crashed in the hotel room and poured out all our finds- comparing finds, swapping and bartering were all going on.
there was talk of visiting the outlet sale again on saturday, but when the line to get into the door was an hour, we just couldn't do it. in the end we visited a vera flagship store nearby. while you might expect all the shoppers to be at the outlet sale, this store was packed!! the store had it's largest day on friday and showed no slowing on saturday.
we shared, laughed, shopped, ate, and drove our way around ft. wayne, and we're looking forward to another trip next year. it's becoming an annual event!
4 comments:
what a wonderful time. What deals you got girl! You are hard core...4 hours in line! Next year, go to Target and get the book first, that'll occupy you in line! :) I'm so glad that you 4 got to enjoy each other. Is that your mom's new phone? She's so cute. Can't wait to hear what made its way into your bag!
What a blast! That sounds so awesome. I can't believe you got that many items...and what great savings. Must feel good. I can't imagine waiting in line that long. What memories though. Happy you had such a great time. Love, Kris
Thank you for planning a great weekend--I had the best time, even waiting in line wasn't bad because we were together. I think we all enjoyed ourselves and the only thing wrong was it ended too soon. I really liked spending the night and going to the flagship store--who knew, I think it was there last year. Thanks to you, JoEllen and Kathy for a GREAT weekend!! Love, Karen
Thanks for keeping us organized and on the right track. Planning for next year, just think of all the shopping places that we haven't found yet. It was a great time, but like Karen, it ended all too soon.
Love,
Mom
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