about IHOP and Seven Target Shopping Carts...

My sisters and I have been spoiled by our Grandparents our whole lives. Our parents taught us to remain humble, never ask for anything, and to be grateful for what we are given. I think we turned out pretty well, but from the outside looking in, we look like spoiled brats. From about the time I was 8 or 9, my Grandparents would pick us up in their van with the personalized "Pop Pop" license plate (Grandpa's name). They would take my sisters and I, as well as my two cousins, to IHOP for lunch. We were known for ordering milkshakes and the staff got to know us and knew to start making milkshakes before we even ordered. Our server, Dixie, knew us well and watched us grow up over the years as we shuffled in, squeezed into a table, and sipped our chocolate milkshakes. My Grandpa (now 87) always had a chocolate shake and the image of him drinking it will probably always be etched in our  minds. While eating our "happy face pancakes" and sipping on our milkshakes, we would anxiously await for the moment when one of the Grandparents would say, "Okay, we are going to go to Target...", before finishing their sentence, we would all cheer. When we were really young, the Target trip was much more under control. We would be allowed to get "one thing" which usually resulted in 2 or 3 things. But nothing too crazy. As we got older, however, the trips to Target became excessive and even downright embarrassing (for me at least). Grandparents would tell us we had $300 to spend and that we should grab a cart and split up. Thankfully, we rarely ever saw anyone we knew, which saved us much embarrassment and ridicule. We would each venture off to the area that we had been envisioning about all morning before even being picked up by Grandparents. We were usually there around an hour or two, passing by sisters and cousins to say, "hello" and share knowing smiles of how lucky we are. We always tried to add the total in our heads and by the time we all reached the register, we seemed to always each be saying the same thing, "I hope I added it up right". The first person to go was always the unlucky one because the total that they spent would be displayed for all to see. It was always a spectacal to see all five of us sisters and two cousins file into a register lane with all seven carts. I was always mortified when the checker would ask, "all together"??? Their faces were always of confusion and "you're a stupid brat" and I would embarrassingly look the other direction as they rang each item up. We were almost always over our given amount and Grandma would sweetly say, "tax doesn't count. Don't worry about it". We would give each other looks that said, "whoops, but I knew Grandma wouldn't care". Our trips changed with age and Grandparents went from walking with us to each section, to sitting in the Starbucks inside until we returned. Grandpa would then stand up, with the support of his cane, and tease about things like, "did you get enough?" As I moved out into my own apartment in college, the items in my cart changed. My cart began to be filled with toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and more necessities than anything I had been wishing I could have and couldn't afford. Pop Pop never let me get out of there without teasing about the toilet paper. As we got older, we also began throwing in an item or two for our significant other. We knew this was an exclusive grandkids only trip, but why not get him a gift here and there? The best was if you picked an expensive item, like an Ipod or something, and Grandma would say, "get some more. That can't be all you're going to get". I personally would try to find the most items I could for my money and then lug home at least six or seven bags filled with goodies. I imagine that my best friend/college roommate probably had thoughts of, "little bitch", when I would walk in the door with all the bags. Now that we are all older, including Grandparents, these trips have become mere memories but man, those were some good times! The embarrassment was always worth it when we excitingly paraded up and down the aisles in Target to claim our prizes. Don't hate me. Just appreciate the rediculousness of it all...