Downeast Outfitters

back to the grind...we got home from Utah and James and Scout headed out to shovel the snow

this is at 5 P.M. at night. We were still in our pajamas putting together Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. nearly 1000 pieces. Prettty cool, huh?

Downeast Outfitters. A must stop for me every visit to Utah. First visit.

I buy a pair of jeans.

$25.

a little expensive but my mother in law had me sell her old gas stove on ksl.com and gave me the proceeds. I sold it for $75 but classic Cheryl style, she gave me $100. what would I do without my mother in law?

to preface: james has given me much recent feedback about my clothes (especially my jeans) being too tight. Every time I wear tight jeans I hear President Holland in my head from many general conferences ago saying: "mothers, let's not try to dress like our teenage daughters."

the jeans were a little loose. and you know with jeans, if they're a little loose before you wear them...they are going to be really loose after a few wears.

which leads me to my 2nd visit.

I had my three kids with me.

grabbed two pairs of a smaller size and went back to the dressing room. I had my pants off and the new jeans not even buttoned when Naomi escaped and ran out into the store. Jake, of course, ran after her. I quickly put my pants back on, grabbed the jeans that fit, and left the dressing room running without my pants buttoned and my shoes in my hands. I got out just in time to hear the tight jean wearing 15 year old say, "oh noooo, please don't do that."

Jake and Naomi were spinnig the sunglass circular around as fast as it could go. I saw a few pair of glasses flying into mid-air.

I grabbed their arms and buttoned up my pants. I put on my shoes.

I proceeded to exchange my jeans as Naomi grabbed the glass bowl of accessories and threw them to the ground. Now the tight jean wearing 15 year old declared, "oh, dear" and called for back-up. The other tight jean wearing 15 year old came to her rescue.

Downeast Outfitters lost a few $5 plastic accessories that day. The young teens were speechless. I could sense the tension as they watched my two boys wander around the store with looks of destruction in their eyes. I decided to brake the awkwardness.

"does this happen often?"

"uh...no. not often."

I left with the smaller jeans.

I tried the jeans on the night before we left SLC. I climbed the staircase to seek James' opinion.

He looked at me. Then he looked again.

"well, if you are going for the spandex look, you've succeeded."

I look at the clock. James and I have 30 minutes before the store closes. We jump in the car and James parks in the handicap spot while I run in to exchange them for a different pair.

The pair I really wanted was on clearance for $98. Yeah, right.

so I settle for a light blue pair of partially good looking jeans that aren't too tight. maybe a little baggy. but I had no choice. This store doesn't do returns. go figure.

I take the tight jeans up to the counter and ask if I can exchange them for the bigger size. the two tight jean wearing, accessory overdosed teenagers looked at me wondering why I had exchanged three pairs of pants in the last two days.

"sorry I keep exchanging pants but I thought the first pair were too loose and my husband told me that the second pair were wayyy tooo tight." they looked shocked. so i continued. "yeah, he said they looked HORRIBLE."

The tight jean wearing 15 year olds didn't know what to say. it was as if the wind was knocked out of them. "That is sooo rude," the one said.

"ouch," said the other one. They were in shock.

I couldn't help but take it up one more notch. I was having an internal party watching them react so negatively to my innocent husband waiting in the car.

"I know, can you believe it, " I went on, "he told me I should stop trying to dress like I'm 15."

Now they about lost it.

"oh my goodness." "are you serious?'

As I grabbed my oversized jeans off the counter and walked out of the store, I knew they were taking bets on how long my marriage would last. They were probably telling each other that they would never marry anyone who would treat them that way.

Oh my young friends. If you only knew how insanely lucky you would be to marry someone just like that! I know your tight jean, not quite developed young brains don't think like that quite yet, but I promise you, one day, you are going to want someone who DOESN'T want you to dress like a 15 year old. There are already way too many of those out there.

I got in the car. I told James I used him as a victim of my conversation. he laughed. i really am lucky, aren't I?