Black Friday - - a mother and daughter tradition

There is one day that Mom and I look forward to each year - the day that most people dread, the day after Thanksgiving, also known as "Black Friday." Every year since some time in late college, Mom and I have gone shopping on Black Friday. It began with the curiosity about why so many people went out shopping that day and why most stores were such crazy places. We never bought much because we were people-watching and laughing hysterically at the antler-adorned, Christmas sweater wearing gaggle of women in search of the "greatest" bargain in shopping history. Every year our shopping expedition has gotten bigger...Mom has begun bringing up the topic earlier and earlier (This year she began talking about it in October!) and wanting to make "plans" for that day. This year we out-did ourselves - - we went to the Prime Outlets in Grove City, which is an hour-and-a-half away from home. We shopped from 11:30pm on Thanksgiving night throughout the day on Black Friday. We are still mostly interested in the people-watching but there really are some great deals out there, should you want to find them or need them. I think the highlight of the day for me was the book signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers with Glenn Beck. Mom and I picked up my Dad and away we went to the South Side of Pittsburgh for this event - - hopefully you can see the picture that Dad and I had taken at the book signing. (Glenn Beck, for those who have never heard of him, hosts a radio show in the morning and a prime-time television talk show on CNN Headline Prime. He is truly one of those nice guys.) We ended our great day of shopping with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, which I have to say is one of my favorite restaurants for more than one reason. There are not many days in the course of the year where I truly am "off" the job - - Black Friday is one of them and I enjoy it thoroughly. Mom and I are already looking forward to next year's shopping extravaganza.