Finally got a chance to get out and do a little shopping this evening while my husband and father-in-law went to a baseball game.  A.J. and I started off at Target, where we got him some new sneakers and I bought a new black purse with tons of pockets.  Not only is there a special pocket where I can keep my cell phone, but there is even an internal pocket just the right size for my work badge!  A.J. doesn't like shopping much these days, but this evening he was in a good mood and kept trying to "help" me pick out a new handbag.  It was sweet and rather funny to watch him behaving like a miniature fashion consultant.  His idea of the perfect pocketbook for me, though, was a huge red patent leather bag.  I do like red, and wear it a lot, but I don't think I'm quite ready yet for my everyday accessories to be so bold....

After we finished up at Target, we went to Barnes and Noble, where we first had a snack of spinach-artichoke strata, picked up some gifts for my godson Adam, played with the store's massive train set (this was mostly A.J.) and picked out a new engine for A.J.'s collection.  All in all, it was a very nice little outing.  A.J. and I have not had a chance to get out like this for a long time because I have had to spend all my Thursdays off watching contractors move things out of the backyard and otherwise prepare for the sunroom my husband and I hope to have built before the summer ends.  Our little shopping expedition was overdue, and I think it did A.J. and me some good mentally. Whoever first called shopping "retail therapy" may really have a point....