I Lava My Mama

After working at JCPenney for 38 years my mom's last day is today.

Let me say it again.  38 years.

Right?!

I love my mom so much.  She's an amazing parent and I consider her my best friend, like, for serious.  She doesn't keep her amazing ways to herself though, almost everyone at Penney's has a story of how she put countless hours into helping them solve problems without ever seeming put out by them. She's organized and thorough, efficient but also really approachable.

I'm always so in awe of her- I got the really wacky creative genes from my dad while my sister got the logical and rational stuff that makes my mom so unique.  She can see through almost any problem, and if she doesn't have a solution instantly she's tenacious and won't stop until she's worked everything out.  Talking to all of the people who have worked with her over the years I've noticed that they almost all have this reverence for her, like she's the patron saint of retail personnel troubleshooting.

I'm really excited for her, I don't know what she's going to do with this new exciting chapter of her life but I know that she's going to tackle it with her expandable file folders and real sincere love for making sure that all is right in the world.

I love you, Mom.  Happy retirement!

I Lava Treasures!

I've started dating this really adorable demigod and he and I have been enjoying taking long walks from his house through Fresno's Tower District.

While out on such a walk we decided that it was definitely in our best interest to pop into a few of the thrift shops along Olive and see what kind of delightful things we could uncover.

It was definitely a good decision.

We happened upon The LOFT, or Lawson's Original Finds & Thrift, located at 143 East Olive.  It looked promising and neither of us had been in there before so we were both eager to rummage through and see what we could see.

I immediately grabbed a picture frame and held it tightly with spray paint intentions dancing about my mind, my arm candy went straight for the records.

There were all kinds of fun items; a microphone and amp sized perfectly for one to proselytize on the Fulton Mall, vintage clothes, collectable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle art, and antique toys.

While talking to the owners we discovered that they have such an eclectic stock because they frequent storage auctions and get a good amount of their treasures from there.  We also learned that it's not at all like Storage Wars.  There's a lot of hard work that goes into the process- when you buy a unit you're responsible for everything in there, good and bad, filthy, heartbreaking or odd as the items may be. 

We'd paid for our goodies and my beau and I were just chatting when I saw on the wall a beacon of light in these dark times- a unicorn mirror, and for only $10.  I practically ran to it and swooped it into my loving arms and declared it would be mine.  And then, with a swipe of my card, it was mine. 

I don't think you know how excited I was.  I'm always the witness to fantastic thrift store finds.  My thrift-seeking pal Aurora is the queen of finding the impossible, but I usually am just good at spotting oversized Garfield nightshirts to ironically pair with tights and a belt and call hipsterfabulous.  This unicorn mirror was truly like finding a real unicorn for me. 

Next to it on the wall was an adorable picture of two kittens glaring at a spider with a title that read "Distrust".  That dashing superhuman at my side laughed and declared it to be the original lolcats. It may still be there, and I encourage you to go check and see if it is. And then buy it.  I LAVA the adventure of discovering a new spot for unearthing treasures, and with such nice people running it I have nothing but great things to say about my shopping experience!