A Tribute to Big Yellow...and my Mom

My Mom has a terrific sense of value. She spots good quality items at great prices from miles away. In all honesty, I'm pretty sure she has spidey-sense for deals. This means that the purchases she makes last for a loooong time. It is with great sadness that I deliver the following news. Mom, big yellow is retiring. I really appreciate this purchase. I remember pleading for this yellow and black Colombia beauty. I also remember when you took me to Bob's to buy it. You took me to the coat section and made me close my eyes to keep it "secret" for Christmas while I tried on all of the sizes. Your decision to purchase it multiple sizes too big (a men's medium) ensured that I could comfortably wear it with many layers to this very day. It has certainly stood the test of time. In fact, there's still nothing wrong with the jacket. It's not leaving us since I can't bring myself to throw it out, it's just retiring to the good life.


If you met me anytime between Christmas of 1995 and now, you have probably seen me in big yellow. This large bumblebee coat made me feel like the coolest kid on the block and, boy, did we have some great times. It was there for my first (and last) snowboarding lesson at Ski Sundown, Smuggler's Notch, two trips to Okemo, and Mount Sunapee. Sure, we didn't do that much skiing but we hit the slopes. We even hit a tree once. It kept me warm during four years of high school, four years of college and a masters degree. I am petitioning for big yellow to receive an honorary doctorate for awesomeness.



But Mom, please take some comfort in the fact that big yellow is being replaced by a worthy successor. I even found it at Bob's. While it lacks big yellow's special pizazz, it will make you happy in the deal department. It retailed for $199. It was 30% off due to a cool weather sale. Then I brought out the big guns, a coupon for an additional 25% off. This brought the final cost to $99.75. That's just 25 cents short of being 1/2 price!! Oh, and yes, I did buy it a size larger just in case!