Shopping, Shopping, Shopping!

I'm one of the crazy shoppers who gets up the day after Thanksgiving, before the crack of dawn and heads out for the deal of a lifetime! This year was no exception.

I got up at 3:15 a.m. and after a quick shower and ten minutes of being sick to my stomach...I headed to Kohl's to stand in line with all the other deal seekers! (I'm being honest about the nausea because this is a CIDP blog and I'm trying desperately to tell it like it REALLY is. I'm not trying to gross you out!)

I stood in line at Kohl's with four or five hilarious ladies who were total strangers, but we were buddies after experiencing the long wait together. It occurred to me after twenty minutes or so, I was standing outside Keva Juice and it should have been open! A delicious smoothie is exactly what deal-seeking women need, isn't it? Hmm...maybe they'll be open next year.

After 45 minutes of waiting, the doors opened and we formed a human shield to keep out those who tried to cut in line. I kid you not! It was like something out of a movie. My new friends hollered to me to find them in the checkout line and they would save me a place in line. I found exactly what I was looking for and was out of there in 15 minutes. (BTW, I bought a KitchenAid set of knives, regularly priced 149.99. My price....insert drum roll....29.99. Oh yeah baby!) I would say this caused a perk in my step, but by now I was dragging my left foot off and on but determined to keep going!

Next stop...JCP...not very exciting. Bought DiMarco one gift, left without anything exciting and caught my breath.

Next stop...Target! I sucked down a bottled water and took my place in line where I stood for over an hour. I listened to four teenage girls behind me and learned some new cuss words and new ways to use some old ones. After the initial shock wore off, we chatted for awhile and they were actually very sweet girls. Despite their harsh exterior they seemed so young.

Target was marvelous when it came to customer service today. Lines were easy to maneuver outside and employees even came out and walked down the line asking shoppers if they had any questions or needed to know where to find an item. Very cool to this weary shopper! On Black Friday, you never know where things will be located in a store. One woman asked where to find a vacuum and the employee told her the boys department. Who would've known? Kudos to Target for customer service this morning and I actually found everything I went for i-n s-t-o-c-k! Can I get a woohoo?

A group of late arriving shoppers tried to rush the door at the last minute and there was an absolute revolt by those who had waited in line. It was hilarious! It was interesting to watch people come together in such a funny situation. Black Friday is the perfect day to study people.

I drug my weary bones back home by 7:00 and crawled back into my comfy bed and slept like a rock, only to get up and do it all over again with my mom several hours later. I can hardly move now. Literally. My legs feel like they weigh 200 pounds each and my hands are ridiculously numb. Such is the life when shopping with CIDP, but boy oh boy was it fun!

With hope,
Kristen