Halloween at The Mall: A New Sam and Bubbles Adventure

The plan was simple. To have a family friendly public access outing at a mall. "Let's make it low key," I think. "Give Sam and Bubbles and the adults a chance to practice in a not t00 overwhelming environment but one that will allow for various stimuli." So, a rendezvous was planned at Beachwood Place Mall. Little did I realize until we arrived that a special Halloween Event was happening. Hundreds, nay it seemed, thousands of children and hundreds of adults were swarming the mall, stopping at various stores for free candy and shopping excursions. Despite or perhaps because of the added stimuli, both Sam and Bubbles did a fantastic job despite the distractions. Sam was drawn to the escalators and lollipops, Bubbles to dropped goodies and the adorable doberman pup we encountered at the Moochie & Co.

VIDEO OF MALL EXCURSION: http://youtu.be/7rd-4CVW5rk

My favorite part about this video? That for the most part it just looks like any old family at the mall (albeit with a beautiful blond dog). But before Bubbles came along, never in a million years would Sam's parents have dreamed they could spend 2 hours (TWO HOURS! Even I get hives thinking about being in a mall for so long) in a mall where Sam could browse, engage with people, enjoy a lollipop, USE A PUBLIC BATHROOM, sit still, make a wish in a fountain, go up and down escalators, and walk and walk and walk amid hordes of costumed people and just be a kid on an outing at a mall with his family.

Bubbles' earned reward for such stellar behavior? A trip to her idea of a great outing -- a romp on the shores of Lake Erie.

To learn more about Sam's adventures from his parents' perspective, GO HERE.