New Year's 2015 Re-Cap #4: Nordstrom's and the Blardigan

Okay. I have been about to die to share this post! And it's really long, but sorry, not sorry.

For the past couple of years, I've been reading Shay Shull's blogs, and Sheaffer Sims' blog. They're friends (with each other...not with me!), but their blogs are very different. You should read all 3 of them!

So last year, I bought several items for Christmas gifts because PINTEREST TOLD ME TO. See what I did there? I don't know what's "in" and Sheaffer does...so I read her blog for advice and suggestions when I'm looking for gifts for the girls in my life. Everything I've ever gotten because she told me to...the girls have loved. Plus, Sheaffer makes me look cool...and that's not an easy task!

After Christmas last year, when we got together with my family in Texas...and one of Leanne's friends came over and she was talking about buying some of her Christmas presents at Nordstrom's...and I casually said, "oh, me too," my ENTIRE FAMILY thought I was joking, and my sister, Leanne, told her friend, Kelly, "she's just kidding...she's more of a WAL-MART kind of girl."

Which, I am...but what in the world?

Like I can't shop at Nordstrom's. 

(ROO)

And when my OTHER sister, Robin, walked in, and Leanne told her what I'd said, Robin said, "MOOSE! That's fancy!" And I said, "it IS?"

Because I didn't know.

We don't have a Nordstrom's in Arkansas, so I didn't know.

But allllll that changed last week when we were in Texas.

I had gotten some gifts from Nordstrom's on-line that PINTEREST TOLD ME TO get. All of the girls got another pair of PJ Salvage flannel pajammas (I bought them early and got them wayyy on sale). I bought a pair for both of my sisters, too. And I didn't hear either one of them say anything about the pajammas being TOO FANCY for them to wear. 

No ma'am. They slapped those puppies on so fast it would make your head spin.

I also got Kendra Scott earrings for the girls, and those went into their stockings...along with the HUE leggings. And they each got a pair of the pink Minnetonka slippers. I shopped early and got everything on sale except the slippers.

Anyway, I'm getting off the point. The point being that while I was in Texas...I went to Nordstrom's. Like, in person.

It was on the day when we were taking my Dad to see the trains at Northpark Mall in Dallas. We were in two vehicles. Holly was riding with my sister and my Dad and Clara...and the rest of us were following them in our vehicle. Holly texted me to say, "Aunt Leanne said to tell Dad (JIM) that we will try to park at the Nordstrom's entrance." To which my husband snorted, "Like I would know where Nordstrom's is."

And then he may or may not have mumbled something snide like, "I bet THE MOOSE could find it because it sure seems like a lot of my money has gone there over the past couple of years..."

And that's how Jim died.

Just kidding.

I need him to drive.

Anyway, Leanne and Jim let us all out at the Nordstrom's door, while they went to park...and we all walked in. We weren't really going TO Nordstrom's...we were more like going THRU Nordstrom's...to get to the trains.

And, listen...I'm old. I'm NOT FANCY. I'm not a big "shopper." I wear my tennis shoes and work-out clothes pretty much every day...to, you know, NOT work out, but be comfy. Not much impresses me. But we walked in the door at Nordstrom's...and WALKED RIGHT BY an ENTIRE CASE of Kendra Scott earrings! The lights were shining on them and I swurr I heard the angels sing as my husband dragged me away we walked by the display. It was seriously beautiful. I just wanted to stand there and take it all in, but my family wouldn't let me. Something about my Dad...and a train store. I don't know. I think I blacked out for a minute.

The thing is...I had decided to get the girls the earrings months ago, as part of their Christmas, but they are kind of hard to find in Arkansas where I live. I was able to find 2 pair at a little boutique here in our town...but I ended up having to order the 3rd pair from the actual Kendra Scott place because Nordstrom's was out of the color I wanted. Got them on sale, too. And, side note: Nordstrom's had so many pretty colors still available at their store!

And I want to say here and now: my sister, Robin, was right...Nordstrom's IS kind of a fancy store, but it was so beautiful and FUN! I figure that I shop at WM and Target and Old Navy enough, too, and I wanted to give my girls a little treat.

After we saw the trains, my sister took my Dad and Clara to a Christmas store back in Arlington. The rest of the family, 8 of us, stayed at the mall for a while, because the kids were wanting to walk around. Jim and I went to Dillard's, so that Jim could use the gift card his mom gave him. He wanted to get some khaki pants for work. When we got up to the counter to pay, he pulled the whole, "oops-I-left-my-gift-card-at-home thing," and I had to use MY gift card to pay for them.

Sneaky.

We finally met up with the kids, and Holly said, "you should look for a Blardigan while we're here." And my husband said, "a WHAT?" And I said, (to him) "nevermind," and I said, (to Holly), "I know...but I'll just wait."

Well, we had to walk through Nordstrom's to get out to the car (I KNOW!) (it was SO FANCY!)...and Morgan wanted to go by the shoe department. So, I told Jim, "maybe I SHOULD look for a Blardigan..." and he said, "what is a Blardigan?"

It's like he doesn't even know who I am.

I've only been talking about them for TWO YEARS.

So I went into a long explanation of what it was and how people were asking for it at Nordstrom's and the sales people didn't know what they were talking about because that's not what it's even called and that Sheaffer made up the word because it's a cardigan that feels like a blanket and how it's been on Sheaffer's must-have list for the past two years and that I have a gift card that will pay for over 2/3 of the price and that I can't remember what it is exactly called but maybe I should just go look...and Jim's eyes glazed over and I think he blacked out for a minute.

I totally get that.

And then he said, "Sheaffer...who?"

GAHHHH. KEEP.UP.

So, I didn't know what floor the Blardigan would be on, but we were on the bottom floor and...no Blardigan. So we went to the 2nd floor and I scanned the area. Jim was nervous, shifting back and forth on either foot. He had no idea what I was doing, but he was in full support of me getting this thing, whatever it was, if I wanted it. Then, I looked up and spied a scantily-clad mannequin on the 3rd floor, and somewhere in the deep recesses of my mind, I thought I remembered Sheaffer saying that the Blardigan was in the lingerie department.

As we rode the escalator up, Jim said, "this...THING...that you're looking for...it's in the adult section of Nordstrom's?" I said, "ADULT section? What are you talking about? This is not a creepy video store...or SPENCER's (remember those?) (I wasn't allowed to go in those). This is the women's PAJAMMA-TYPE section." To which he mumbled, "I've never seen you wear any pajammas like THAT," and nodded his head toward the scantily-clad mannequin."

Whatever.

When we got to the top of the escalator, I scanned the area. What was the real name of the Blardigan? Think...think...think. I thought I would text Holly to ask, but then...AHHHHHHH...I saw them! A display of Blardigans! I ran over and started flipping through them as fast as I could. Jim said, "what is this? Are they...PAJAMMAS?" I said, "NO! Well, kind of...but not really."

DID HE NOT LISTEN TO ANY OF MY STORY ABOUT THE BLARDIGAN?

He was being so embarrassing. He kept saying, "you aren't supposed to wear this out in PUBLIC are you?"

Yes...yes, you are. 

I understood his confusion, because you know how they have it styled on-line and in the store? The pewter/midnight ombre one that I got? Girlfriend is wearing it with JUST her bra and panties.

Ummm...no thanky.

I chose the one I wanted, and went to the counter to pay. They aren't cheap, people, and I was excited to have a gift card to pay for most of it. I probably would not have gotten it otherwise, because I've been looking at them for 2 years. Jim was just standing there, stunned. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that ME, his conservative, practical, not-trendy wife, was going to be wearing INTIMATE APPAREL...out in public...with my leggings. Or my jeans. Or with my black jeans. Or with my black dress.

But I am.

I might even wear it to CHURCH.

And, as God as my witness, I will never be uncomfortable again!

On a personal note: when we got to the mall, I told my daughter and daughter-in-law that we needed to look for Shay and Sheaffer at the mall. Now, I have no idea if they go to Northpark Mall in Dallas, but I thought they might...and I thought we might see them...and I would totally have died a thousand deaths if we had. But we didn't. And I was a little sad. BUT THEN, later that night, I saw THIS POST...and I was SO EXCITED. THAT'S why Shay wasn't at Nordstrom's...she was in China, gettin' her little girl! :)

And shopping trips and malls and earrings and pretty decorations and comfy clothes are fun and nice...but adding a member to your family, especially one who has been waiting on the other side of the world for her forever family...nothing beats that.

NOTHING.

*I don't know the Shull family, but I know they would covet your prayers as they wait in China for the next 18 days...for their new daughter's visa to be processed...so they can bring her HOME!

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27