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I took the girls shopping on Saturday to buy Easter dresses. I never go to the mall so it was a transition for me to be among the mall set. My Saturdays are typically spent at Costco, the grocery store, or Home Depot.

We found some dresses for the girls and I tried on a couple that looked almost good on me. I'm adjusting to my middle age acceptance but as I stood evaluating myself in the mirror, I realized that I needed a bra. A good bra. So we dragged the girls with me to Victoria's Secret. Right before entering the store, Alyssa mumbled, "This store makes me so uncomfortable."

The moment I walked in, my purse strap snagged on a rack and I pulled the rack partly over before catching it. Fortunately, there was a Victoria's Secret Associate to greet us and she grabbed it, too. "Oh! Look at that! We have the store booby-trapped!" I snickered. I turned to my daughters who were already taking retreating steps. "She said 'booby.'" My older daughter rolled her eyes at my maturity level while my younger daughter just looked uncomfortable. I excused them to go wander the mall.

The associate asked what she could do to help me. I was still tickled by her first comment and announced that I needed a "Booby-Trap." Fortunately, she was also a rather odd duck and giggled with me. Apparently, that's what middle age women do to cope with the gravitational pull on our bodies. I bought an expensive bra and have enjoyed the way every single shirt I own now fits better. Who knew that the ladies are not supposed to be down at our belly buttons?

It was a relatively successful shopping trip with stops at Dillards, JCPenney, all kinds of boutique-y stores, Victoria's Secret, and the Food Court (the girls while I was at Victoria's Secret). At the end of the day I made my way to the grocery store where I made an impulse purchase. I bought a purse. A smaller, leather purse that I did not buy at a) the second hand store, 2) Tijuana or 3) Canal Street in New York City. It's been YEARS since I've bought a leather purse at a store. It was on clearance and I was quite pleased it. I've been carrying around my monster purse from Canal Street for 6 months. I purposely buy smaller purses as my tendency is to fill the space and never clean it out. Thus, it was time to clean it out and go small again.

Yesterday I received a couple of comments on my purse. Our secretary complimented me on my purse and I told her I just bought it on Saturday. She asked where I got it and what kind is it. I froze up. She was expecting a name brand from a nice a store. I couldn't admit I bought it at Smith's (Kroger) on the clearance rack but I couldn't lie, either. So I told a tiny fib. It was more of a fib of omission. I told her my daughters and I were all over the mall on Saturday then dropped some of the store names, quickly seguing to how I bought a new bra.

Later I was sitting at the doctor's office with my older daughter and she complimented my small purse. I happily announced that I'd cleaned out my purse and only had the absolute necessities in my little purse. She asked if I had dental floss. I did not. She told me "too bad," while looking at my teeth. So I named all the things I carried in my purse at that moment; my wallet, phone, my glasses, keys, Tylenol, and my dance shoes. "Your dance shoes? Have you started dancing again?"

"No."

"Ummm..."

"You never know when you're going to need your dance shoes." So I've added dental floss, a little more makeup and Tums. I didn't take out my dance shoes. You never know when you're going to need your dance shoes.

 Really.

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