Yesterday Calah and I were able to visit my Grandma for the first time since she has moved back to Pennsylvania. On the way back home I had to stop at the grocery store for a few items. I had Calah with me, but she’s not the type of kid who needs candy or anything like that, so trips to the store with her are never an issue. She does however have one vice: Balloons. She LOVES balloons. As I pushed the cart into the store with Calah in it she began to squeal with delight. Right inside the door there was a small display of Valentine’s Day balloons. I let her play with one for a minute, then I told her to say goodbye to the balloons. Which she did. But then she started squealing again, this time looking in another direction. And another. I looked up and there were hundreds of balloons everywhere throughout the store. I don’t know if I have ever seen a place selling so many balloons! Calah could not figure out why she couldn’t play with each and every one of them. I took a picture and sent it to Sumaya with a note that said “Oh my God – The whole store looks like this!” Needless to say, I didn’t get very far before I had attached a big red heart shaped balloon that said “I Love You” to my cart and Calah was happily holding onto the string. She held onto the balloon throughout the store, all the way home, and for the rest of the night until we put her to bed. Even then, she couldn’t understand why I was so cruel as to not let her sleep with her beloved balloon that floated in her room, attached to a chair, out of her reach. She gave the most mournful wails with her arms outstretched to her balloon as I turned off her light and closed the door. She eventually fell asleep and I’m sure had sweet dreams of a balloon utopia.
By the way, when I got home I had asked Sumaya if she got the picture I sent. She said, “Yeah, didn’t you see my reply?” I checked my phone and sure enough, she had replied. And I quote, “Ha! I’m guessing you’ll be coming home with one of those.”
Posted by Justin 
