We had an eventful weekend but Saturday was a full rich day. A few months ago a childhood friend of Abe’s had asked if we’d be willing to help him & his girlfriend move. Being the couple who can’t say “No” to anything…and knowing that Abe would enjoy spending time with his friend we agreed. So Saturday morning we got up fairly early (ok, fairly early for me) and trekked to the Cities. We made it down before noon & started right in on getting stuff packed into the moving truck. Spaag & his girlfriend Erin were very glad to see us…several other friends (local) had bailed on helping.
The four of us were waiting for the elevator when it opened & out popped a little old lady who was barreling for the mailboxes. She very nearly smacked into Spaag’s chest. He stepped back with this look of shock & amusement as she made a shoving motion at his chest, “Back Off!”, she said while whooshing past. We all bit our lips to keep from laughing…it was so funny & unexpected. The elevator quickly filled with a few others joining us. Just before the doors snapped closed (these doors did not slide like a normal elevator but were very abrupt) the little old lady slid in to stand in front of the buttons. “I’m only 4’9″, you won’t even notice I’m here”, she announced. As we made our way up to the 3rd floor she said, “I never played basketball in school. I was too short.” We gave each other sidelong glances at this bit of info. “Yep, I just sat on the bench a lot. I’d ask the kids not to pick me…they never did. I’d just sit on one end of the bench & hid my face like this, ” she prattled while demonstrating hiding behind both hands, head ducked down. I smiled politely & nodded at her while everybody else tried not to snicker. We reached our floor & as we walked down the hall all of us started to guffaw. Spaag & Erin agreed that was the most anybody in the building had talked to them the whole time they lived there. It was an amusing way to begin our work.
Soon things got busy & we were filling the moving truck. Every trip down we maneuvered the furniture in along with the massive flat screen tv it only took a couple hours to get most everything packed up. Then we took off down the west side of the Cities to Eden Prairie. The boys were in the moving truck (and made a pitstop for Abe to pick up supplies for a custom sign) & we girls quickly arrived at the new apartment where we unloaded the car.
When Spaag & Abe arrived we set about planning how best to unload the truck. After a failed attempt to remove the railing on the front of the patio (new apartment is ground level) we resorted to hefting most things over the railing & into the living room. While it was difficult lifting the couches & dressers it was less time-consuming then walking from where we could park down to the door (which auto-locks) & then back the other direction into the apartment. The few exceptions to this were the television & the elliptical machine–both far to heavy to lift that high.
I bailed on them after we got the truck unloaded…going off to spend time with a college friend. Mary & I haven’t hung out in AEONS! It was a lot of fun. Since we had limited time a trip to Eden Prairie Center (of “Mallrats” fame) was in order. Mary was happy to discover she could get some new running shoes. It was so much fun just browsing around–we looked at purses & shoes which have always been at the top of our shopping excursion to-do list. We reminisced, teased, laughed and shared a great couple of hours. I managed to try on some blue jeans (2 sizes smaller than normal!!) that fit. Plus I found a pair of dress pants for work so we both felt pleased with our purchases. After shopping ’til we dropped the only possible cure was a trip to Starbucks. Fortunately there was one located right next door so we found some comfy, squashy chairs in a bright brushed emerald green & collapsed. Talking about our blogs, Twitter & everything else under the sun ’til time got away from us & Mary had to dash to finish an article she was working on. So funny how after all these years we fell right into such a comfortable, relaxed day. Proof positive that with good friends no matter how much time passes between visits you can find your way back. I am deeply blessed to find that contact point in my life again!
After Starbucks I ended up back at the new apartment with Abe, Spaag & Erin. We all went out for a bite to eat…Spaag & Erin we gracious enough to take us out. We relaxed & enjoyed our meal before Spaag & Erin decided they wanted ice cream. The relative merits of Stone Cold Creamery (they’d never been) versus Ben & Jerry’s (I had discovered one in the mall earlier) were debated before we settled on Ben & Jerry’s. There was quite a line & as Abe and I weren’t interested in ice cream (I know, Abe not interested in ice cream…well he had a shake with dinner) we headed off to check out a store I thought might be interesting to check out.
We ambled into Woods of the World and slowly took in all the different things for sale. After a brief moment the owner walked out of the back room & started chatting with us. Abe mentioned that he also does woodworking & the two chatted some more. The owner then asked to see some pictures of Abe’s work (I happened to have a couple in my phone), if we had a business card & what our wholesale price list looks like. Since the store just opened & the owner also makes all the products he is looking for more stuff to help fill the space. As we left he shook Abe’s hand & said he definitely thought we could do business together! Once we were out of the store Abe & I stopped & just stared at each other. Eden Prairie Center is a huge mall with a customer base that is largely upper-middle to upper class in terms of income. To be able to show Black Ash & More products in a space there would be an amazing opportunity….we are cautiously hopeful & will be going after that as soon as we are done with Art in the Park in Alexandria, MN this weekend (if you are in the area come look us up…we’re under the blue canopy).