Full of Surprises

So, I try to get William and I to do something fun and "cultural" (in a broad sense) of something that we haven't done before. I had wanted to go to this national park about 2 hours away called The Pinnacles but William had never heard anything about it in the 3+ years that he lived here and so thus, he was afraid that it would be lame. I was ok with it, as long as he came up with something different for us to do. And his response SHOCKED me-William said "I'm in the mood to go . . . SHOPPING". Yes, my husband said that he wanted to go shopping. It just goes to show you that my husband is completely full of surprises. Of course I had to take him up on this because just how often does you husband volunteer and show enthusiasm about going shopping. So, we did the ultimate shopping experience- the 143 stores at the Gilroy Outlets. And we walked by every single store- all 4 different buildings of them. We went in a fair number- definitely not every one- but here are a few of our faves.

Banana Republic: I got 3 shirts and William got 1
Van Heussen: William- 2 shirts (one that I suggested- this is the first time this has happened- and its not a turtleneck!)
Jelly Belly Factory Store: Tried pomegranate and mango jelly beans. Did not have the desire to try a garlic one
Sony and Bose Outlets
Rocky Mountain Chocolate: sampled the huge peanut butter cup and bought Tiger Butter (white chocolate with peanut butter)

And then there were the stores that just emitted their own smells from far away. They have an entire store devoted to GARLIC and any associated product you can think of. We smelled it several stores away and walked in and right back out since it was so potent. The other one that had an even greater smell radius was the Bath and Body Works Outlet. Now, I have been to many a Bath and Body Work store across the country, but I have never been to one that had such an overpowering combination of intense smells. After a minute of walking through the store, my eyes watered from all of the fragrances. And I smelled like the store for the rest of the day. At least I went there AFTER the garlic store!

All in all, we spent 5 hours walking around the shops, browsing, and buying. It was quite enjoyable- especially since William was in a shopping mood. I actually tired out before he did- but he was insistent that we walk by at least all the stores. Anytime William is up for shopping, I'll definitely take him up on it!