We are the Stuarts (formerly of Imperial) now residing in Okinawa, Japan.

This blog started from a desire to bridge the miles as we were preparing to leave the USA for 3+ years. It has turned into much more. It's part travel diary, part personal reflection, part "sociology of military life" and part mommy-blog. We hope you read something here that is interesting to you (or at least not a total waste of your time).

Friday, October 9, 2009

Flashback Friday...Shopping American Style


I wouldn't trade the experience of living overseas for all the teddy bears in China...don't get me wrong. All the same, I didn't realize how much I would miss American shopping. I didn't really realize how much I WAS missing it...until we came back to the USA and suddenly, the large suitcase I'd packed with gifts (with the intention of filling it back up for the return trip) was not enough!

There are only a handful of stores I really miss walking into...Barnes and Noble, Target, Old Navy, Antropologie, Hallmark, Build A Bear. And the shopping malls...GOOD ones...like Fashion Valley, Horton Plaza or Gateway. Just window shopping there is enjoyable. We've had so much fun walking through some of these places on this visit. (Especially Build A Bear, where I had my own turkey "stuffed".) We didn't even really buy all that much, but the visual appeal, the smells, the sounds...it's all fun! I don't typically take a lot of pictures while I'm shopping...so for this flashback, these will have to represent:



These were taken at Coree's 8th birthday party...4 1/2 years ago.



Even Jake enjoyed himself. What little boy wouldn't enjoy a cammo-bear? Build A Bear has something for everyone.



The End

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