Dashing through the snow...

in my old beat up Explorer...

I really wanted to get over to the Christmas Ornament store to pick up a few ornaments for gifts. I checked online cuz the store I wanted to go to is pretty far away from me, but each year they have a temperary store at our mall...and this year was the same. So even though it was still snowing, the roads didn't look bad so we loaded up the truck and headed out.

First I shoveled my half of the driveway and put some sand down (insurance that I could get back up my drive!) and then we were off.

The roads on the way to the mall were really great. While I was online I checked out where the customer service desk is so I could pick up a wheelchair for Mom. When we got to the mall, I dropped off Mom and went to park. While waiting to get back to the eisle where we saw 3 good parking spots 3 other cars pulled in that eisle. BUMMER! So I skipped that eisle and picked one farther from the doors...it didn't help any, I still had to hike a long way into the mall.

We meet up with Mom who waited outside...I asked why she didn't go in where it was warm and have a seat. She didn't know. So then we get in the mall and there's no Customer Service desk! WHAT??? But then I find the sign that shows they moved it by the Macy's store. Great. "Thanks for updating your website! If I had known that I would have parked at the Macy's enterance so Mom wouldn't have had to walk so far to the wheelchairs!"

We get Mom a wheelchair, they take my driver's lisence...some trade huh? And we're off...to the bathrooms! Then we're off to the Ornament store. They put it in what used to be a sport's store. For the most part we did okay navigating the mall and the store wasn't so packed that we couldn't get around. However there were many times that I wanted an airhorn for people just chatting in the middle of an already crowded mall.

I found what I needed, but Mom didn't find what she wanted. BTW: You can get Webkinz at St Nicks, someplace called Dickens and at Hallmark...that we saw! And the Hallmark gives you extra stuff (trading cards or a purse) if you buy theirs. We didn't buy cuz someone is already getting plenty...although the new penguin is soooooo cute!!!

On our way out of the mall it is snowing quite a bit harder and I thought about putting the Explorer into 4x4 but I felt that the roads would be well traveled and fine...it was just getting out of the parking lot that would be a bit tricky and I didn't want to have the 4x4 going that long since it makes it hard for me to manuver that car.

We did okay in the parking lot except for one thing... You know how in the mall parking lots where they have you stop all over the place? Everywhere there is a major enterance there is a 3 way stop for the road that goes around all the parking. Well apparently those 3 way stops do not apply to women on their cell phones cuz there were at least 3 women who blew right through those stop signs while I waited (I could see that they were traveling way too fast to actually stop without sliding...so I stayed put since I didn't want to get clobbered!) One woman did stop for like a 1/2 a second and then she kept on going...I had the right of way and she kept on going. Whatever! Finally there was a break in the traffic and I was able to get out of the parking lot.

I did have my anti-lock breaks kick in at one point which scared me since I had room to make a normal stop and they kicked in and it looked as if they weren't going to let me stop in the amount of room I had left for myself...after that I gave myself plenty of extra room and except for two slides (the second one I totally expected!) we got home with no worries. And getting up the driveway took a bit of convincing my car that it could do it...but we made that too.

Now we are waiting for DH to make it home. His car does not have 4x4. I'll be shoveling the driveway for him in a bit and putting down fresh sand. Aren't I a sweet wife?