Building Memories, Not Equity

One thousand dollars is a sum I do not take for granted. I am recently returned to work full time after our change in farm status. I am more aware of than ever the need to conserve, build the nest egg, the college fund, the retirement account, etc. But a cousin and I have third grade daughters who adore American Girl Dolls. They pore over the catalogues and subscribe to the magazine; my daughter’s shelves are full of the books. My mother funds a Christmas gift from the catalog every year since Bitty Baby first arrived under the tree. Sometime in our American Girl discussions, my cousin, Jean and I imagine what an amazing thing it would be to take our girls to Chicago to the American Girl Store.

I keep thinking this dream is for privileged girls with trust funds, but it won’t go away even when told it is beyond my lifestyle. How much would it actually cost? One day in Chicago and we could do it all. We need to scrape together enough money for the flight and one night in a hotel. Wouldn’t it be worth it for a once in a life experience?

“We can fly out Friday after school, and come home Saturday once we get the American Girl experience. We can split a double queen room for one night, right?” I find a flight on sale by a stroke of luck and find the hotel closest to the AG Store so we won't need more than two taxi rides.

“Are we willing to do this? It will cost about a thousand dollars, but when else will our girls appreciate something like this?”

“Let’s go!”

The excitement of a girl trip is about more than we can stand! Emelyn and her cousin Jessica board the plane with their dolls, Lindsey and Elizabeth, who sit in their laps the whole flight. On our taxi ride downtown, we spot a Ghirardelli near the hotel and make our first excursion to have decadent ice cream sundaes. The hotel has an indoor pool and they swim and luxuriate in the hot tub, then wash away the chlorine in a shower as big as my whole bathroom.

The next morning, we enjoy another luxury: breakfast in bed! Once we are dressed, dolls in hand, we’re ready at the opening of the store. We do it all. And I mean A-L-L. We have scheduled tickets to the musical performance, a precious story of friendship, and the cast visits with the audience and signs autographs afterward. We eat lunch in the restaurant where the dolls get their own chairs at the table with tiny plates of food, just their size.

We explore every floor and see all the products. It’s early December, so Santa is going to have a long list of accessories from these two. The doll hospital and beauty salon are just about too much! Why do I think it’s adorable and not outrageous? I guess you just have to see these girls getting their dolls like new again to appreciate it.

After covering the entire complex, we have a couple hours left before having to be back at the airport. We learn there is an Oprah approved popcorn store within walking distance, so we set out and get our first taste of caramel corn mixed with cheese flavored. Yummy yummy. Next, we see a horse drawn-carriage and hop right in for a ride to the lake and learn why they call it the Windy City.

Back home on Monday, it feels like we were hardly gone at all, but really we did it. I smile throughout the work day at pulling this off. We made two little girls’ dreams come true, and I hope they never forget a single second. When I have to walk down their third-grade hall at school to get the students for my next group, I overhear their teachers’ chatting. One is slack jawed in disbelief and the other is wide-eyed reporting, “Can you believe they flew out to Chicago to spend a day at the American Girl Store?”

They’re talking about me! Oh, my goodness, I’ve never heard someone gossiping about my extravagance before. Should I explain myself, give them a piece of my mind, or just nod and say, “Yeah, we did it. We were building memories, not equity. You should try it sometime.”?

Your turn: Did you ever overhear someone gossiping about you? Were you able to smile graciously and set the record straight?