The Prelude to a Back to School

For millions, today is the day to remember. Today is a day that gives a fresh start. Today is the Day You have made... wait, good song, but not what Im talking about. Today is the start of a new school year for students. I always LOVED going back to school because of the preliminary events. 

For many years, my family would head to "The Valley" (AKA Portland) to go shopping- because obviously there was no good shopping over on our side of the mountain, go figure!? We would plan a trip to Portland to visit my grandparents and make a day of the shopping trip. We would leave in the morning, drive all the way to Portland, go to Clackamas Town Center and the parents would give some amount of money, perhaps $150 or $200 and turn us loose in the mall for two hours or around there. (I think the first year they did this was when I was in 4th or 5th grade perhaps) I loved this because I felt grown up and independent. I wasn't shopping for underwear and socks with my mommy, but on my own, free to make my choices for my school clothing. I would methodically tour the mall, going from store to store, walking past ones that would obviously not have what I would want, and quickly looking for my items in the stores that might have something in 'em. The Town Center is a great place to be methodical because it WAS just a big, long, two-story mall that did not have any nooks and crannies or multiple wings to it to get lost in. I would start at one end of the mall, and get to the other end and head up the stairs to the second story and go back the other way. It was great organization. Usually, I found my Back to School clothing at a big store, rather than a small independent shop. It usually was a place like Sears or something like that. It usually was on the clearance rack, it was the best deal, and I am always way behind in fashion. I usually found my items and toured the whole mall in about 30 minutes and then had an hour and a half left before we had to be back at the car. 

After this big mall trip, we (My sisters and I) would all pull out what we got for how much money and see who was the most economical, it was usually me. Then it was off to Olive Garden for lunch (Because over in Central Oregon, we did not have such restaurants, so it was a treat) with the grandparents. After that, it was home again. 

Not only the Back to School shopping, but there were other great reasons to want to go back to school. For one, by August, I got bored of not having anything to do. At the start of the summer, you get to sleep in and watch tv all the time and hang out with friends, and then the middle is when the vacations happen, but by late August, I am just itching to do something. School is a great something to do.

Then there is getting to meet your teacher. I was always nervous to meet new teachers to see if they were nice or super mean. I was also excited about getting to see who was in my classes, and getting back to school supplies (Though we stayed local for the supplies). 

Back to School time was always a fun time with fond family memories.