So last Friday I decided to make a quick trip to Jordan Landing to see if any of the stores out there were having any "great" deals on spring clothes for the kids. I packed the kids up, which always seems to take way longer than it should, and headed out. I knew in about an hour that the kids would be hungry and tired so I would ONLY look at kids clothes and very quickly. So we start at Old Navy and they had nothing but a bouncy ball for a quarter that kept Braden happy. Next we go to Kohl's. Bingo! They had some great deals on some cute things. We check out, load up again and then go to Sears. I have never found much there in the past, but while I was right there I thought we could hurry and check. I park the car, unload the kids, haul them in yet another store and sure enough . . .nothing! So back to the car we go. I start heading to the car and it looks like a dent in the door. No, couldn't be - I was only in the store 10 minutes top and there is no car parked there. As I get closer the mystery is over. Some mean person (that is not what I called them when I saw it) put a big old ding in my door. And it was a deep ding too. Oh the frustration. I was so ticked off. I looked for a note on my windshield and of course there wasn't one. So at this point I start loading the kids in the car when I had an idea to go into the store to see if they have surveillance cameras. But, oh the kids are tired and hungry is it really worth it to just check? So I decide that it is and haul my poor kids back inside the store. I head right to the customer service and ask them if they have cameras and they call security and as luck would have it they do!! So they have me talk to them and tell them where my car is parked and how long I have been there and they tell me they will go back through the tape to see what they can. After waiting for about 15 minutes a guy approached me and asked me to come with him. He informs me that the video shows an SUV that pulled up next to me and threw the door open, everyone but the driver gets out and the driver puts it in reverse and goes and parks somewhere else. Then he tells me that the people who did it are still in the store and they parked just two rows from me. So they called the police and said they would take care of this for me and to just wait in the store up front until they come get me. They were so so so so nice! They would check with me like every 10 minutes or so to give me the update. They had two undercover people in the parking lot to detain them incase they tried to leave before the police got there. Then one of them was in the store trying to locate the people. Then after buying cheese and crackers to keep the kids happy and about 40 minutes of wandering back and forth in the front of the store and a trip to the bathroom on of the men told me that the police had arrived and wanted to talk to me outside. As I go outside I see the police parked directly behind this vehicle. I walk over there and the cop is still in his car and after waiting for another 5 minutes (these people must have been doing a lot of shopping or something) I hear the undercover security from Sears Grand say that he thinks he sees the people walking out of the store. In my mind I am thinking oh great! Here I am standing outside with my 2 kids with a police car parked behind theirs. This should be good. Sure enough here they come right towards us. I knew immediately which one was the driver by the look on her face. I just smiled at them as they approached and all of them continued to get in their car. This ornery grandma gets in the front passenger seat and 2 kids and a lady probably in her 40's get in the back. Then the driver, still wondering what the heck is going on loads her purchases in her car and then goes to get in her car. The cop was sill in his car and I was standing there looking strange I am sure because I was thinking - what the heck is the cop going to let them drive away? But just as she went to get in her car the cop said so you are the driver of this car? BUSTED!!!!!!! If you could just see the look on her face. So the cop got all of her information and then passed it on to me and that was the happy ending. So you tell me who was in the wrong place at the wrong time!!!?? I talked to her insurance company today and my car should be fixed shortly. YEAH!!! It was worth going back in the store even if my kids were tired and hungry. But what really ticks me off about this whole thing is that they had 2 kids (probably 8 and 10 or so) who were the ones that actually opened the door that the wind caught and hit my door. What in the heck are parents teaching their kids??? Are you kidding me? The kids see the mom go park the care somewhere else after that happens. It's no wonder kids are turning out like they are these days. But now the mom can explain that one to the kids!!!! Oops, maybe you should be honest kids. DUH!!!! This was a tough lesson for this lady to learn. If she would have just left a note she could have been a good example to her kids and probably saved a claim on her insurance because I don't think this will cost more than a couple hundred dollars to repair (but then again, what do I know about repairs).
It is a headache though to have to take my car in and have a rental while they fix it, but at least I am not the one paying for it right?!!!
Here is a picture of the damage.
Braden turned 3!!! It made me sad that he turned 3 already. Time really does go by fast when you have kids. We had a great day though. Grandpa Smith took Braden to Petsmart and a few other places in the morning while I went and picked up the cake and ice cream, the balloons and the pizza. This is the teeter twirl that he saw in catalog and wanted for his birthday. We had family over that evening and it was a good celebration for him. He doesn't ever like when all the attention is on him (he tends to be very shy) but he did just fine. Aaron decided that we are going to start a birthday tradit
ion by having a pinata at each birthday so we had a football for his. We have some very tall trees in the back yard and Aaron rigged up the pinata in the trees and we all had a great time doing that. Thanks to the Smith boys for tearing it up with the bat. They really know how to swing the bat (and throw it at me too!) Carson, Jacob and Braden were the only cousins so we needed a little extra help. It was fun! Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate!
