Blast from the past.

Today I begin a series where I unearth yonder blog posts from my youth. Here is one from July 29th, 2006:

For lack of a better introduction, I'll cut to the chase.
Saturday held massive rains in the weather forecast. So, for some odd reason, I spent the day shopping. First at Kohl's for capris/pants, then Penny's for more pants and shoes. At least, that's what we planned. I happen to be very finicky when it comes to purchasing shoes. So, my penultimate quest to find 1 pair of good shoes sent me to the following stores - 2 of which I mentioned, Famous, Payless, Carson's, Sears, Sole Outdoors, Baker's, and Payless again (the last three in the mall). I still have yet to go to DSW. And, as if the stores decided to band to together to mock me, I ended up buying the same shoes as my sister, only in black. I even saw those shoes at a previous store. "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!", I wanted to ask (or rather, yell) at those shoes, but of course, shoes can't talk.
But, by rants aren't over. In the midst of the rains, and while we were shopping, the sirens went off. A tornado warning was in effect. The freakishly calm lady over the intercom informed us to go to the luggage department. What a perfect time for my mother's claustrophobia to kick in. We had to stand at least 10 feet away from the crowd with some guy who kept asking if my mother was ok, and still trying to avoid the invasive stares.
By this time, we had to refuel. We chose to eat at Sabarro's. But then, when I thought the commotion was over, everyone started leaving all at once. But as expected, I was the only one out of my mother and my sister to notice. So, after I enlightened my mom about this, she asked the waiter what was going on. Another tornado warning. And, after my mom asked why he didn't say anything to us when everyone left, he laughed and said, "We thought you were just going to keep eating!"
So, we left the restaurant, and almost the entire first floor was evacuated already. We literally ran to Penny's again to go to the luggage dept., or that what I thought. The same dude who was constantly over my mother before told us to go there, but my headstrong mother had enough of that. She just passed him, and I was forced to follow. Then we passed another lady directing "traffic" who also told us to go to the same dept. My mother passed her too, without a word. Sister dear had to apologize. We went up the inoperative "down" escalator to the empty first floor, and proceeded to the exit door. But they were locked. Of course that didn't stop my mother. Like a bull in a china shop, she unlocked the door (I still don't know how), and we bust a move.
No sirens were going off now, and people actually tried to come in JC penny's. After a trip to the cleaners (the guy opened the store for us), we finally came home.