never as easy at it seems

There are a bunch of things I could write about that have taken place since my last post, but I want to recap my evening while its fresh in my memory.  Here it goes...

I flew into Dallas today for an event and actually didn't feel stressed.  Everyone else arrives tomorrow, so I got a little bit of a head start which was a nice feeling.  One thing I'd planned to do was take a trip to IKEA.  I'd only been once before and we needed some modern inexpensive furniture for the event I'm planning.  Anyway, I took care of some things at the hotel and set out for IKEA in Frisco, TX which is just over 20 miles from downtown.  Luckily I didn't hit traffic and never got lost.  It was awesome!

After I loaded the car I headed back and passed a Wal-Mart.  I debated whether or not to stop and of course decided that I should have several miles past the exit.  So, I then tossed the idea around to go to Target instead, but thought it might be too late, etc.  After too much thought I reverted to the Wal-Mart decision and rerouted my gps.  Upon arrival I noticed the Wal-Mart wasn't branded like a regular store, the logo was solid green and it became clear that this location was solely a grocery store.  Not too worried, I selected the next closest store on the gps since it was only a few more miles out.  On my way there I thought how much easier it would have been if I'd just pulled over at the one in Frisco but tried not to beat myself up about it.  While in route I passed Target.  I told myself that the 30 minutes I had until the store closed and the fact that they are typically more expensive for the items I needed wasn't worth it and so I kept on toward Wal-Mart.  This time when I arrived at my "destination" I only saw a Sam's Club.  Realizing that they are affiliated but obviously not the same store, I got a little frustrated.  At this point I didn't want to give up because I knew the other Wal-Mart listed on the gps was another 2 or 3 miles and it would be a total waste to turn around and go back to the hotel.  So, one last time, I searched for the closest store and hit "Go".  After another 10 minutes, a few missed exits, and my gps unnecessarily "recalculating" I pulled into a vacant parking lot.  That's right folks, my third and final attempt to find a Wal-Mart was unsuccessful.  Now, even more frustrated I headed back to the hotel.  I passed the Target, again, at just a few minutes past 9 and immediately beat myself up over the idea that I may have actually had enough time to get everything I needed before they closed.  Just salt in the wound.

So, that's my night in a nutshell.  The only other highlights were seeing the following billboards:

1. "May the Pork be with You" (bbq place)
2. Brook loves her pacemaker (this was for a hospital I think and looked like it was written by a giant with a crayon)
 
Oh, and while it's sort of inappropriate I can't leave out this one out!  It was actually a neon sign that ran the full length of the store... "Condoms to Go!"

Seriously.  It was the sign I saw right before a handful of billboards that were borderline offensive and that I've blocked from my memory.  Hopefully tomorrow's errand to Target goes better than tonight's attempt to Wal-Mart.