On library book sales

Saturday we drove all the way to Omaha for the German Club's annual German Fest, one of our yearly traditions. The $92 we put in the gas tank before heading the sixty miles north to this event shows just how important it is to our family. I will say one thing $4 a gallon gas has done, however. Driving to Omaha is much more pleasant. I used to cruise along at 70 to 75 while the traffic sailed around me. And even with the traffic flowing at 80 to 85, there were always those drivers weaving in and out of traffic at ridiculous rates of speed. Not anymore. I set the cruise control at 55, the traffic inched past me and not one person was speeding on that entire stretch. It just costs too much to be a fool these days.

Anyway, after leaving the German Fest, we were at a loss for what to do. After all, it is a long drive to Omaha and it didn't seem very sensible to have driven all that way for Schnitzel, a kids fair and a dance. So we decided to head over to the Nebraska Furniture Mart and look at beds. More specifically bunk beds (one with a trundle) that will accommodate our three girls. On the way, however, we passed the Omaha Public Library. I had never noticed it was there before.

But then, it never had a great big yellow sign outside that said "Library Book Sale Friday and Saturday" before, either. Now I don't know about you, but there might as well have been a gigantic "bridge out" sign. What purpose was there in going on if there was a library book sale going on? Other homeschoolers I'm sure will understand. What could the Nebraska Furniture Mart possibly have on a library book sale? See, I knew you'd understand.

Here's the part you won't believe. My husband, who was "passenging" due to not having slept after working all night long said,

We don't have time.

No time?! This is a book sale! Even my daughter was bouncing around in the back seat, trying to not beg. What could possibly be more important? This is the kind of thing I would have made the trip to Omaha for had I known it was going on. And here it was, and there I was. How could I not take advantage of it?

We don't have enough space.

The bane of all homeschoolers. Space to put all the books they bring home from library book sales.

And now you can marvel at my remarkable self-control. I kept driving. Right on past the library and its big yellow sign. Right on past the aisles upon aisles of books priced between a quarter and $1.50. I sighed, wondered how my husband could be married to me and just not get it and drove on.

And there wasn't even anything at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Oh, there was lots of furniture. But nothing resembling what we were looking for. So we left having found nothing and wasting perfectly good time that could have been spent perusing used books at the library. But I refrained from pointing this out as we buckled the kids in the car to return home. As I navigated the zoo of a parking lot out there, my husband said,

Oh, all right.

Isn't he the greatest husband ever? And I only bought like twenty books, which are all still in the box because we don't have anywhere to put them. But that doesn't stop me from stroking them, leafing through them and dreaming of all the wonderful hours we will spend devouring the knowledge within.