So yesterday started innocently enough, but several days ago. It began with a request from LightBoy for waffles. He asked, “Mom, can you make waffles for breakfast tomorrow?” But that particular tomorrow was the day we were going to an amusement park for the day. So the answer had to be, “No. Not tomorrow, but I will make them one morning this weekend.” However, our waffle iron has become too small for our family. It was fine for LightHusband and I when I bought it 17 years ago. It was even fine when the LightChildren were small. But now, in order to make enough waffles for all of us, I have to cook for several hours. And … that’s just not right.

We began with a search on the internet; where all good searches begin. And we found:
on the Bed Bath andBeyond website. Aha! One of those stores is right across town. And, there is a sporting goods store next door where LightGirl can get the remaining hockey equipment she needs for her skating lessons. Two birds, one stone. Couldn’t be better.

We piled into our trusty steed, gathered some sustenance, and off we went. We knew what we wanted, so first we poked through a couple of other interesting places in the store and managed to fill our cart with several other items that we could NOT live without. Then proceeded to the area with the waffle irons. Alas, it was NOT there. We searched high. We searched low. We questioned employees. It was not there. So we asked about other stores in the area. No … it is not in any stores in the area. “But we can have it in for you in two weeks!” “That will not help,” said I in my most cheerful voice, “I promised my son waffles tomorrow morning.” We saw the grail signal above this castle, I thought to myself, and it is not here.

We purchased our basket full of items we hadn’t known we needed til we walked through the door. I suppose it’s alright to replace your trash can once every ten years … among other things. We went to the sporting goods store and purchased hockey equipment for LightGirl and baseball glove and bat for LightBoy. So far the bat has variously been a gun, a cannon, a light saber and a guitar. I don’t think it’s been used as a bat just yet. I watched this morning as our deck became a star fighter and LightBoy took on legions that surrounded him using the bat as various weapons.

We next pursued our quest for the holy waffle maker of Calacirian.
We did not have coconuts or we would have clacked them together to relieve the boredom. According to the LightChildren this was the very worst sort of torture they would have endured. We had never asked quite so much of them. Of course, it was all in the name of waffles the next morning. And eventually their whining began to take on a new tone.

Through town after town and store upon mall our quest did not cease. We encountered knights, and townspeople, and magicians and silly Frenchmen, and worst of all, bad parkinglot drivers!

Then we walked and we walked until finally … there … in a store I vowed to never shop in again (because of repeated extremely poor customer service 20 years ago), there it was … gleaming … glowing … humming. I’m pretty sure we all heard organ music. We, knights, gathered round and said in chorus, “It’s HERE!” to the astonishment of the sales girl who had just wandered up. We reached out to touch it. And she kindly pointed out that there was one in a box for us on the floor. Best of all … the grail … was on sale!!