It’s Jamie’s birthday next week so Hadley and I set out to find the perfect gift in downtown Denver yesterday. I discovered something about myself: though I usually don’t like shopping unless it’s at Target or Costco, I genuinely enjoy browsing unique boutiques and outdoor markets. Malls are pretty much my worst nightmare.
Something else I learned: Hadley is really picky with everything–from clothes to food. I already knew that. But the epiphany I had was that, though it’s nearly impossible and frustrating to find anything she likes, having a tween who is picky with clothes is not a bad thing. I offered to buy her something yesterday but she couldn’t find even one thing she liked. Savings success!
She takes after her father who is tough to buy for but unlike her, he only likes big-ticket items. This is a problem when you do not have a big-ticket budget. Hadley and I were wandering around T.J. Maxx looking for his gift when I found these shoes I HAD to buy. 
My justification? He’d have wanted me to have them for his birthday because he’s a giver like that.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 