"Black" Friday

Black Friday:

....................last year. 

We neglected pictures this year.  Drama and 32 weeks pregnant could have been factors!

Here is an excerpt from the Omaha World Herold regarding black Friday in Omaha:

About 1 a.m. Friday, two men got into a fight at Westroads and knocked over some signs, Omaha police said. The noise prompted the shots-fired rumor. Officers arrested a 22-year-old man on suspicion of disorderly conduct.

About 2:40 a.m. at Oak View, a 21-year-old woman suspected of shoplifting sprayed pepper spray into the faces of two security guards and a store employee in a loud disturbance that resulted in her arrest, police said.

The trouble disturbed few shoppers.

 

Here is how "the trouble disturbed few shoppers" looked like from our perspective!

Shortly after 1 I get a phone call: Jen where you shopping? 

Me: Yonkers

Which mall?

Me: Kim we're at Oakview right? Oakview. Why?

There was maybe a shooting at Westroads.

Freaky.

 

Fast forward an hour or so and we are still at oakview  checking out at bath and body works and I hear this loud rumbling noise...and I make eye contact with Kim like hmmmm. We both shrug our shoulders and self talk like it's nothing.

 

Well it just gets louder like elephants and while she hands the lady money I turn around and see out in the mall and people are RUNNING, like sprinting out of the mall, hence the rumbling sound, it was tons of people running out of the mall......

 

We make eye contact with the sales associate who immediately says follow me and we head back to their storage room. The associates continue to file all customers into the storage room, as I am pondering where is the best corner to stand in a storage room if a shooter enters. Will I remember to play dead? Holy Crap. Is this happening?!

 

Both Kim and I try calling Linda because we know she is in the mall but there is no reception in the back storage room.

 

I just kept thinking...........yes yes please more people cram in please so I am further back...hidden.

 

I am sure it didn't last long. 5 minutes or so. Maybe longer. Maybe shorter.

 

Ends up it wasn't a shooting. Some lady shoplifted and then maced the security guard who tried to stop her and he tazed her causing a commotion hence a noise others may have thought were gunshots and the herd of running. 

 

We knew Linda was in the mall too so once they opened the door to let us back out she called right away. She said they were up by the escalator and a guy with a pistol in his hand at his hip grabbed her side and said ....get out of the mall there is going to be a shooting. (Yes a Man with a gun!)She said she was running down the escalator probably while we were in the storage room and couldn't see anything but apparently they closed all the gates on the store fronts so like if you were out in the hall you were just out.  Although I do remember asking Kim....is there a lock on the store room?!  Someone better lock the store room!  

*Linda saw this guy shortly after and they are thinking he was a undercover cop maybe

 

When they let us out. We walked straight out of the mall and straight out to the car and just sat there. I think it took an hour for my heart rate to come to normal.

I am not sure Kim's bladder ever recovered! *smile!* Sorry Kimmy!

so the whole "shoppers were not disturbed"

 isn't really all that accurate from, oh a shoppers point of view!

 

Sad what is reality now.

Probably 5 years ago...maybe less...

if there was a fight,

a brawl

a cop that tazes a shoplifter

we would have all tried to get a little closer

try to see what is happening!

Let's watch the fight, from a short safe distance of course!

 

Not anymore.

Not in today's society.

The reality that things can go horribly wrong is so real to people today.

 

I just realized this weekend how sad our reality is now.

 

Definitely a black Friday that will go down in the books.

32 weeks pregnant.

Up 24 hours.

First shooting scare.

 

....and yet my Christmas shopping is almost done!

Whoop!

The silver lining!

 

*the kids are hilarious this year.

They wrapped presents yesterday all by themselves and it was too cute.

Kadence told Mark

"Dad, we did NOT buy you a TV. It's nothing."

 

I cannot wait to take them each shopping alone next weekend

and watch them pick out the perfect present for each other!

 

Just a reality, I would like to establish in them,

to take root in who they are....

the joy in giving to others!

Balancing society's reality

with the gift of living....

a new parenting role in our world today.

 

Game on.

Society: 1

Jen: 1

 

Bring on next weekend!