The Thursday with shopping with Toby and Mike in Chch

Hi,

Today (Friday) is Toby's birthday!  He's 12 on the 12/12.  We like that symmetry.  I woke him early to open presents.  After work I'll ride home and collect him and we're going out for tea to mama Brown.  He went there a few weeks back for someone else's birthday and he loved that place.  Time to check it out.

Yesterday I rode home and got changed and Toby and I jumped in the car and sat in reasonably heavy traffic into Lower Hutt.  We parked out on the street, far away from the shopping centre mayhem and walked there.  Great idea!  We did our last minute birthday shopping and had dinner there too.

I convinced Toby he wasn't quite too big to talk to Santa

Mike flew into Wellington and texted us "I'm in Wellington".  So we texted back "Good.  We're not".  He then thought our plans were going awry and started texting changes to the plan.  Nope - we'll meet you at home.  So it was a race.  Him driving from the airport and me driving from Lower Hutt.  We won.  Handily.

I dropped Mike back off in town for his tramping club function and picked up groceries (we had only one quarter of a toilet roll left - it was desperate times any moment).  Actually, I forgot the toilet paper and had to drive around the block and back into the supermarket to get the toilet paper.

Back home and read to Toby and fell asleep.  Toby didn't though.  He was so excited.  Then Mike got home and they both chatted away excitedly to each other.  I slept.

This morning was fun.  Toby opened his presents.  12 for every year he's been around.  More symmetry.  A lot of boxing themed presents.

Then I rode into work.  The roads were so dry.  It was a great ride.  I need a tea and then loads of work to get through.

The weekend looks like Christmas shopping to me.  Yikes.  Better get started.  And family dinner is at our place on Sunday.

Love,
Angela