I was in Kentucy.

First of all, if you are from Kentucky and you have sensitive feelings, quit reading right now. OK, are you gone? I had a wonderful day last week, but it is still on my mind, so I need to blog about it right now, are you ready?

Last week, I had to return something to the most dreaded store in the world, I will only type it's name in here one time, the most dreaded store in the whole world is WalMart. Several months ago when they lost photos from our pick up trip to Guatemala with Evan. I approached the "Service Manager" with my rage with the fact that our priceless photos had been destroyed, she looked at me with this look in her eyes, this far off look, and she said something about not knowing where that restaurant was in Chicago. She didn't even know that Guatemala was another country, she just knew it was something she had never heard off, and that it must be in one of the suburbs of Chicago. My head was out of control that evening, and I was so happy that Evan was home with daddy. When I arrived home, all I could say to Mike was to sit down, I was so upset. He thought that I had wrecked the car, or something horrible had happened, but to me the fact that precious photos had been destroyed by some idiot at that store, I was out of my mind. I swore off that store forever.

Then, we were driving home from Wabash and mom and dad had the boys. It was a perfect time to stop at that store and get some things that we needed. While we were there, we spotted a Thomas the Train Halloween costume. Not knowing what Evan would want to be this year, but thinking maybe it would be Thomas, we purchased it with the thought of bringing it back if it was not needed. Well for a while Evan wanted to be #4, where that came from I don't have a clue, then he changed it to Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, much easier. So last week on November 1, the day after Halloween, I went back to that store to return the not needed Thomas Halloween costume. Let me tell you I hate to go to this store. After parking and getting the boys in a cart, we make our way into the store, past the oxygen dependent greeters. We make it down to the "service area". I still can't believe they have the gall to call this area 'service', it is more like 'out of control area'. So I am standing there and this family group, I assume, comes up and cuts in front of me in line. I don't say anything because I really don't care, I am just returning 2 things and then I am out of this store for the rest of my life. The boys are in the cart, acting wonderfully thank goodness. I cannot help but observe the 'family group' that has cut in front of me. There is one male, 3 female, one young male kid, and one young female child. She was the most unusual. And that is hard to say that more than one stood out in this crowd. She was about 7, 8 or 9, she had stringy blond hair, pajamas that were 2 sizes too small, and no shoes on her feet. She was in a cart, crouched down like an animal that spends most of it's time in a cage. I couldn't help but stare. I was very thankful at this time that Evan could not fully understand what was going on, because for sure, he would have been saying 'what the heck is that thing', 'why is she scratching herself in all the wrong places', 'why hasn't she had a shower this month.' Then as we are standing there trying to get 'service' from the 3 clerks who could totally not see that there was anyone standing in front of them, I was becoming more and more hot. Finally, the clerk says in the most disgruntled voice I have ever heard, 'next in line'. That is all, not 'Next in line please, thank you for shopping at out disgusting rat trap', nothing. So I give her my returns. The first one is a breeze, Mike bought a humidifier by mistake, no biggie. Then I put the Thomas the Train outfit one the counter. The clerk actually comes to life, she says to me, ' we don't take back Halloween costumes anymore.' Well, I say you are taking back this one, because I have the receipt and I don't need it. She calls over the first 'service manager'. This chick is an idiot, she tells me that I cannot return the outfit because it had to be returned by Oct. 31. I explained that I have a valid receipt and that I was not informed that I needed to be here by Oct. 31. She grunts to me that she has to get her manager. She actually talks to the clerk as if I am invisible, she tells her that no matter what the service manager says, we don't take Halloween costumes back, no excuses.
While I am standing there waiting, the village idiots are eating the credit card applications and peeing on the floor. I couldn't wait to get out of this store. Finally the 'store manager' comes up to me. He is all of 22, 23 or 24, hasn't had a shave today, shirt not tucked in and I am sure that Evan and Nick have a higher IQ than him. Anyway, he wants to know what is the problem, I tell him, he huddles with his other idiot 'service managers' and tells me that this time and this time only they will give me a refund on my item. I say 'thank you and don't worry about it, don't worry about it ever again, because I will not ever be shopping here again'! Oh my that store, I will never ever set foot in it again, EVER. Hear me, never ever again. NEVER.

Go Target!!!!